WESTFIELD, Mass. – A strong pitcheingperformance by senior Mike Sullivan paced the Westfield State University baseball team to a 7-3 victory over Western Connecticut State University in the Owls' home opener at sunny Bud and Jim Hagan Field on Wednesday, April 2.
After being idle for 18 days since returning from Florida, Westfield boosted its record to 6-5 heading into Thursday's non-conference home game vs. UMass Boston. Western Connecticut is 8-5.
Sullivan hurled eight and a third innings in notching his first pitching victory this season. The crafty righty only walked one (the leadoff batter in the ninth inning) and struck out five. Five of the 10 hits he allowed came in the final two innings. Senior stopper Kevin Zyrkowski recorded the final two outs for his second save this season.
Westfield took advantage of three Western Connecticut errors to score three unearned runs in the first two innings. The Owls loaded the bases in the first inning on two errors and a hit batter, then scored a run when Danny DiMatteo grounded into a double play.
Westfield scored two runs in the second inning. Connor Sheridan reached safely on a throwing error, stole second and scored on Kyle Colesanti's single to center field. Jeremy Tanguay reached on a fielder's choice, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Dan McCormack's single to center field.
The Owls scored a run in the sixth on a failed pickoff attempt with runners and first and third to take a 4-0 lead. Western Connecticut scored its first run on a seventh-inning solo home run by designated hitter Peter Nanos, who was batting for the first time in the game.
Westfield pulled away with a three-run uprising in the home half of the seventh to take a 7-1 lead, collecting five of their 12 hits in the inning. The key hits were a runscoring single by DiMatteo and Sheridan's sharply hit two-run single to the opposite field.
Colesanti and Pat McWilliams collected half of Westfield 12 hits. Both were 3 for 4, with McWilliams poundeing a double for the Owls' only extra base hit.
Leadoff batter Jeff John was the only Western Connecticut player with multiple hits; he was 2 for 4. The Colonials scored their final two runs in the ninth inning.