Palmer Powers Owls to Doubleheader Sweep of Fitchburg

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State first-year Samuel Palmer (Medfield, Mass.) totaled six hits and five RBI over the course of the doubleheader as the Owls swept Fitchburg State, 6-3 and 10-5, on Saturday afternoon from Bud and Jim Hagan Field in Westfield, Mass. The Owls also defeated the Falcons on Friday afternoon by a score of 4-2, giving them a series sweep over Fitchburg. 

The Owls, which have won four of their last five games, improve to 10-6 on the season and 3-0 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. Fitchburg State moves to 3-17 overall and 0-3 in conference play.

Westfield State needed to come from behind in game one as the Falcons were first on the scoreboard in the third inning as a throwing error by the Owls plated the first run of the contest. Senior Zachary Morris (Salem, N.H.) followed with a run-scoring single to left to drive in Brendan Ferrell (Plymouth, Mass.).

The Owls answered in the bottom of the frame, beginning with Palmer who collected an RBI hit to score graduate student Casey Boudreau (Shrewsbury, Mass.). Two batters later, the hot bat of Nolan Florence (Chicopee, Mass.) delivered on a go-ahead two-run single which scored Palmer and senior Nick Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.).

Westfield would tack on two more runs in the fifth inning, capped off by a sacrifice fly by sophomore Trey Faulkner (Springfield, Mass.) to score Jake Butler (Westfield, Mass.).

Palmer provided an insurance run in the sixth inning, lacing his third hit and second RBI of the game to left field to bring home Boudreau.

Fitchburg State would not go down quietly however, as the Falcons put two runners on with two outs in the final frame. Junior Jaime Velez (Lowell, Mass.) extended the game with an RBI single, trimming the Falcon deficit to three runs. Owls starter Nate Langmeier (East Granby, Conn.) forced Ferrell to ground out to first to secure the Owls victory and the complete game.

Langmeier (W, 3-2) fired the second straight complete game for the Owls pitching staff, tossing all seven innings and allowing three runs (one earned) on ten hits while striking out five. Graduate student Richard Sharp (Townsend, Mass.) got the nod for Fitchburg in game one, taking the loss after hurling five innings and allowing five runs on eight hits with two strikeouts.

In game two, the Owls began with an eight-run barrage in the opening frame, beginning with Palmer who knocked in Martin with an RBI single to left. After Ethan Day (Meriden, Conn.) was hit by a pitch which scored a second run, Faulkner added an opposite field single to drive in Max Silverman (Westford, Mass.). Boudreau and Martin each recorded run-scoring singles to push the lead up to 6-0. In his second at bat of the inning, Palmer hammered a ball into the right-center field gap for a two-RBI triple for his third RBI of the afternoon.

The remaining two runs scored by the Owls came in the ensuing inning, with Boudreau and Zack Graveline (Propsect, Conn.) adding consecutive RBI knocks to put Westfield up 10-0.

Fitchburg State chipped away at the deficit in the third and fourth innings. Sharp singled through the right side of the infield to put the Falcons on the board, followed by Christopher Masta (Peabody, Mass.) who launched a sacrifice fly out to left field to send in Connor Morehouse (Weatherby Lake, Mo.).

The Falcons best chance to get back into the game occurred in the sixth inning, with Fitchburg loading the bases with nobody out. Ferrell picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice and first-year Liam Goldstein (Charlestown, R.I.) drove in the Falcons' fourth run of the game with a sacrifice fly to left. A wild pitch led to another run scoring as junior Sean Casey (Amston, Conn.) prevented a major inning by striking out one of the Falcons best hitters in Vincent Eramo (Shirley, Mass.) to end the half inning.

Junior Ryan Robidoux (Suffield, Conn.) was the game two starter for the Westfield, recording his first win of the season after pitching four innings. He gave up two runs on five hits with two punch-outs.

First-year Jason Bickford (Exeter, N.H.) took the loss for the Falcons in game two, surrendering six runs on three hits while also hitting three batters. Ferrell was Fitchburg's most productive reliever in the game, covering three scoreless innings to finish the game.

The Owls got multi-hit performances from Martin, Palmer, Damien Maniscalco (Branford, Conn.), Boudreau, and Graveline in game two. Velez was not retired in game two, adding two hits and two runs scored for the Falcons.

Next up for Westfield State is Amherst College in a non-conference game with first-pitch slated for 4:00 P.M. Fitchburg State visits Keene State for a non-conference match-up on Tuesday at 3:00 P.M.