Baseball Travels to Salem to Face Mass. Maritime in MASCAC Tournament
The Westfield State baseball team will begin the first round of the MASCAC Tournament on Thursday as the fourth-seeded Owls will face fifth-seeded Mass. Maritime at 11:00 A.M. from Salem State University.
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WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State University baseball team will open the MASCAC Tournament with a first-round game against fifth-seeded Mass. Maritime on Thursday at 11:00 A.M. in an elimination game from Salem State University. The winner will advance to play the top-seeded Vikings shortly after the conclusion of the game to start the double elimination portion of the tournament.
The Owls enter the conference tournament as the fourth overall seed in the league standings, posting a 25-14 overall record and a 13-8 mark in the MASCAC. Westfield was in contention for a top-two spot entering the final weekend, but a series loss to Bridgewater State dropped the Owls to the fourth seed and into the elimination section of the bracket.
Mass. Maritime holds the fifth seed in the league tournament, posting a record of 17-20 on the year along with a 10-11 conference record. Salem State won a three-way tiebreaker in a tightly contested upper half of the conference standings, finishing as the number one seed with a record of 21-13 and 14-7 in the MASCAC.
Regular Season Series
The Owls swept the Buccaneers in a three-game series to open league play this season with Westfield launching four home runs in the series, two from Nolan Florence (Chicopee, Mass.), one from Trey Faulkner (Springfield, Mass.), and one from Sam Palmer (Medfield, Mass.). Westfield scored 25 runs across their first two games of the series, then Palmer forced extra innings in game three, belting a game-tying two-run home run with two outs in the seventh. The Owls would go on to win in ten innings with Sean Clark (Dudley, Mass.) notching the go-ahead RBI single.
Igniting the Owls Offense
Westfield totaled 30 runs in the three games against Mass. Maritime earlier in the regular season. This season, the Owls have scored ten or more runs in eight of 21 conference games, two of which coming against the Buccaneers. However, the Owls bats were held quiet this past weekend, compiling just four runs on seven hits in Saturday's doubleheader against the Bears.
Palmer leads the Owls offense in six different categories: hits (52), triples (5), runs batted in (33), stolen bases (25), batting average (.354), and runs scored (42). He is also tied for the team-lead in doubles and home runs.
Senior infielder Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.) is another key piece to the Owls offense as he leads Westfield with a .464 on-base percentage which is eighth in the MASCAC and has walked 27 times on the year compared to just ten strikeouts.
Owls on the Mound
Pitching has been the driving force for the Owls throughout the regular season as Westfield boasts a 3.69 team earned-run average which is 14th in all of Division III. Leading the charge is senior Ryan Lapierre (Pittsfield, Mass.) who leads the MASCAC with an 8-0 record and a 1.70 ERA, while also tying the league lead with 63 strikeouts. He allowed two unearned runs in six innings of work against the Buccaneers during the season, punching out eight to record the win.
The Owls also have a pair of high-leverage arms in the back end of the bullpen in Joe Espinola (Plymouth, Mass.) and Joe Fischer (Avon, Mass.). Espinola owns a 1.57 ERA across 23 innings, picking up three wins and three saves. Fischer currently holds a 1.20 ERA in 15 innings, allowing just six hits on the year.
The Buccaneer Bats
Senior infielder AJ Pietrafesa (Harwinton, Conn.) leads Mass. Maritime with a .397 batting average, collecting five home runs and 31 RBI. Michael Estrada (Covington, La.) has posted a .319 batting average with three home runs and 29 RBI for a Mass. Maritime offense that ranks fifth in the MASCAC in average.
Maritime Pitching
Junior starter Hunter Dean (Plymouth, Mass.) leads Mass. Maritime's staff into the tournament, registering five complete games while owning a 4.82 ERA in 56 innings pitched. His 62 strikeouts are third-most in the league. He allowed three runs over seven innings in his start against the Owls during the season, fanning six in the contest.
Brenden Baiardi (Harwinton, Conn.) has a 3.99 ERA in 14 relief appearances, striking out 21 hitters in 29.1 innings with four saves.
Both Westfield and Mass. Maritime won two of three games against the Vikings during the regular season.
Video and live stats for games can be found at WestfieldStateOwls.com along with additional tournament updates.