WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State clinched at least a share of the MASCAC title and home field advantage for the league's post-season tournament by defeating Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 9-1 in the opener of a MASCAC doubleheader as the two teams split the two games with the Trailblazers claiming game two by a 7-3 score.
Westfield State is now 24-6 on the season and 10-2 in the MASCAC.
In the opener, Westfield did all its damage with a nine-run third inning, sending 13 men to the plate and scoring nine runs on just two hits, drawing six bases on balls and had two men hit by pitches. The biggest blow of the inning was John Lippincott's 2-run single, and Tyler Beach, who led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch and eventually coming around to score, added an RBI single in his second trip to the plate of the inning.
MCLA scored its lone run in the top of the fourth, stringing together four singles with Joe DiMassimo singling as the leadoff hitter, and scoring three batters later on Nick DiSantis' base hit.
Westfield State senior lefty Nate Barnes (3-2) tossed a complete game, scattering seven hits and striking out five without issuing a walk. MCLA starter Brendan Kelly (1-4) took the loss.
In game 2, MCLA senior reliever Eamonn Andre (2-0) was the story, entering the game in the second inning in relief of Schuyler Robinson. Andre shut the Owls' big bats down on one hit and a single unearned run, throwing 5-2/3 innings of baffling relief. He neither struck out nor walked a hitter, but piled up out-after-out to give the Blazers an opportunity to rally.
Westfield scored single runs in each of the first three innings to lead 3-1.
MCLA regained the lead with one run in the fourth and three in the fifth, the go-ahead run scoring on a Brett LaBonte single. Joe DiMassimo followed with an RBI base hit to give the Blazers a 5-3 lead. The Blazers tacked on two more in the sixth for the final margin.
Labonte finished 3-4 with 2 rbi, and Christian Seriac and Jonathan Parker each had a pair of base hits for MCLA (12-13, 6-6) MASCAC.
Starter Nick Cunningham (2-3) took the loss for the Owls.
The Owls are slated to host Keene State in a non-conference game on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., and have their final two conference games of the season on Friday, April 28 as they host Mass Maritime in what will also be the Owls senior day.