Palmer's Historic Cycle Leads Owls to Dominant 19-7 Win Over MCLA

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Sam Palmer (Medfield, Mass.) etched his name into Westfield State baseball lore on Wednesday afternoon, hitting for the cycle with two home runs as the Owls demolished the MCLA Trailblazers 19-7 at Bud & Jim Hagan Field.

Palmer's extraordinary 5-for-6 performance included two homers, a triple, a double, and a single, tying Dave Bevan's '79 school record with 14 total bases in a single game. The standout day also propelled Palmer into third place on Westfield State's all-time career home run list with 21, surpassing Bob Kallstrom '75 who had 20.

The Owls (18-8, 5-5 MASCAC) erupted for 21 hits against five different MCLA pitchers, building an insurmountable lead with multiple scoring bursts throughout the contest. Westfield State's balanced offensive attack and steady pitching proved too much for the Trailblazers (5-17, 2-8 MASCAC).

Westfield State wasted no time establishing dominance, jumping out to an early lead when Palmer launched a solo homer on the first pitch of the game to start the scoring. The blast ignited a four-run frame that immediately put MCLA in a hole they would never escape from. Chase Racine (Pittsfield, Mass.) doubled home Dan Burnett (Granville, Mass.) later in the inning, and John Bessette (Andover, Mass.) capped the opening salvo with a two-run single through the left side.

The Owls continued their offensive onslaught in the second inning, with Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.) delivering a two-run single that scored Justin Neidel (Attleboro, Mass.) and Palmer to extend the lead to 6-0. Palmer's second homer of the day came in the third inning, a two-run shot down the left field line that plated Alex Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and pushed the advantage to 8-0.

Jack Novak (Colchester, Conn.) (2-0) earned the win for Westfield State, working six strong innings while allowing just three runs on three hits. The right-hander struck out seven Trailblazers and walked three in his 93-pitch effort. MCLA starter Antonio DeMarco (Johnstown, NY) (0-4) absorbed the loss after surrendering eight runs on nine hits in four innings that required 113 pitches.

The Trailblazers briefly showed signs of life in the fourth inning when Joshua Bissaillon (East Greenbush, NY) connected for a two-run homer to left field, cutting the deficit to 8-2. However, any momentum MCLA might have gained was quickly extinguished when the Owls responded with their most productive inning of the day.

Westfield State blew the game wide open in the sixth, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs to take a commanding 15-2 lead. John Nickerson (Chelmsford, Mass.) started the onslaught with a two-run single that scored Stephen Carrozza (Pearl River, N.Y.) and Devin Slattery. After Bessette singled home Nickerson, Palmer delivered perhaps his most impressive hit of the day – a triple to left center that drove in two more runs. Burnett and Racine followed with consecutive RBI hits to complete the devastating inning.

The Owls weren't finished, adding four more runs in the seventh to push their advantage to 19-3. Palmer capped his historic day with an RBI double during this frame, completing the cycle and tying the school record for total bases.

Beyond Palmer's monumental day, several Owls contributed significantly to the offensive showcase. Racine went 3-for-6 with a double, triple, and three RBIs, while Burnett matched him with three hits including two doubles. Bessette finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored, and Nickerson added two hits and two RBIs. Eight different Westfield State players recorded at least one RBI in the balanced attack.

For MCLA, Bissaillon led the way with his two-run homer, while Roshan Warriar (Pittsfield, MA) contributed an RBI single. The Trailblazers managed just six hits against Westfield State pitching, while striking out 11 times. Defensively, the Owls committed just one error compared to three for MCLA.

Westfield State will look to build on this momentum when they return to action this week for a three-game series against conference rival Framingham State, starting this Friday in Framingham. MCLA will face Fitchburg State for a conference series beginning on Friday.

Written by Tom Onorato - Sports Information Intern