Racine Launches Go-Ahead Homer, Owls Rally Past Rams 11-9

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Chase Racine (Pittsfield, Mass.) lifted a long fly ball out to right field for a go-ahead three-run home run in the eighth inning as Westfield State erased a six-run deficit to defeat Framingham State 11-9 in the series opener from Bowditch Field in Framingham, Mass. on Friday afternoon.

The Owls (10-18, 7-6 MASCAC) showed resilience throughout the game, battling back from 5-0 and 8-2 deficits to shine in the late innings, tallying all 11 runs over the final four innings.

Trailing by three runs heading into the eighth inning, the Owls had several clutch hits to pull in front with Racine's at bat putting Westfield in front for the first time in the game, drilling a 1-1 pitch into deep right field, settling far over the fence to turn a one-run deficit into a two-run lead at 11-9.

To get to Racine, the Owls needed to keep the inning alive after a RBI ground out from Alex Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) cut the deficit to two runs with two outs. With Nick Gouveia (Grafton, Mass.) on third, Nick Lenfest (Westfield, Mass.) laced a two-strike pitch into center field to score Gouveia, making it a one-run deficit.

With Racine lurking in the on-deck circle, Sam Palmer (Medfield, Mass.) got the green light on a 3-0 pitch, scalding a liner into left to move the tying run in Lenfest into scoring position and the winning run to first. Racine would bring both in including himself on one of the more impactful swings of the season for Westfield thus far for his first homer of the season.

Westfield fell into an early deficit as Framingham jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning. After the Owls went down in order, Griffin Pollard (Mystic, Conn.) allowed his first runs of the season since moving into a starting role with Massimo Mondi leading off the inning with a double, then two batters later, John Lynch drilled a two-run homer to centerfield, his second of the season for a 2-0 Rams lead. With two outs in the frame, Rosco Palmer reignited the inning with a double, then back-to-back RBI singles from Zachary Kern and Jakob Lindkvist pushed the advantage up to four runs after the first inning. R. Palmer added a solo home run in the fifth to extend the lead to five runs after five innings. 

Sam Palmer singled back up the middle with one out in the fourth, advancing to second on an error then moving 90 feet away with two outs. TJ May (North Granby, Conn.) stepped up and ambushed a one-strike pitch into the gap in left centerfield, hanging up long enough for Mondi to make a sliding catch near the warning track to keep the Owls off the scoreboard.

With two down and nobody aboard in the fifth, Kaen Smith (Washingtonville, N.Y.) and Connor Benvenuto (New City, N.Y.) both worked deep counts to draw a pair of walks, setting up a scoring chance for the Owls but Charlie Ambroult was able to induce a ground ball to the right side to eliminate the threat. More traffic on the base paths followed in the sixth inning for Westfield with Lenfest drawing a leadoff walk followed by a one-out double by Racine who pulled a grounder past the first base bag and down the line.

Ambroult nearly escaped the inning again, getting a strikeout for the second out of the inning, but Colin Ryan (Chelmsford, Mass.) deposited an opposite field single just inside the right field line, scoring two runs to trim the gap to three runs. Devin Buntzen (West Milford, N.J.) stepped in to pinch hit and was hit by a pitch, then Ryan and pinch runner Jeremiah Bobbi (Lebanon, Conn.) executed a double steal to put to two runners in scoring position, but Rams reliever August Hays snuck in an inside fastball for strike three to end the inning with Westfield trailing, 5-2.

Framingham got both runs back and added a third in the home half of the inning, after a walk and single which led to a RBI single into left field off the bat of Colin Johnson. The Framingham lead increased to five runs on a single to center from Christian Cox, then Lynch muscled a fly ball into center for a sacrifice fly for an 8-2 lead.

Westfield kept fighting in the back third of the game with Hays losing command after walking two batters and hitting a third to fill the bases with one out. A strikeout kept the runners in place before May, who was down to his last strike, dropped a single into right field, scoring two with a pair of overthrows allowing the trail runner and May to score, a massive play to cut into the Rams lead, behind 8-6 midway through the seventh. 

Framingham grabbed another run in the home half, but the Owls kept stringing together quality at bats, eventually securing their first lead of the game late off the bat of Racine. The Owls bullpen played a key role in allowing the comeback to unfold, as four different relievers combined to allow one run over the final four innings of the contest. Ethan Quinn (Northfield, Mass.), pitching in his second appearance of the season, was excellent in a high leverage role, tossing a scoreless frame as a stopgap to closer AJ Moore (Long Beach, Calif.) who fanned two while retiring the side in order for his third save of the season to punctuate an important victory for the Owls.

Ryan Peters (Billerica, Mass.) got the win as the second pitcher out of the bullpen. Shaun Marsh was the losing pitcher of record for Framingham.

The two sides continue the series tomorrow from Hagan Field at Westfield, Mass. beginning at 12:00 P.M. Prior to the start of the game, Westfield State Athletics will be inducting baseball alumnus and current Owls Hall of Famer Carlton Steele '79 into the MASCAC Hall of Fame where he will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.