Westfield, Mass.- Nick Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Nolan Florence (Chicopee, Mass.) had the opposing pitching staff's number,  as they combined for four home runs and all eight RBI to lift the Owls over the Western New England Golden Bears, 8-5 in a non-conference game at Trelease Park in Springfield, Massachusetts on Friday. The Owls (6-4) were able to sneak out of a ninth inning jam to secure their sixth win of the season.

 

Senior center fielder Nick Martin wasn't wasting any time getting the scoring started as the leadoff man blasted his third home run of the year and put his team ahead 1-0. Martin wasn't done though. His next at bat would come after Damien Maniscalco (Branford, Conn.) singled to center, and end in a similar result, with Martin leaving the ballpark for the second time in as many innings, giving Westfield a 3-0 lead. 

 

The top of the third frame began with back-to-back singles from Max Silverman (Westford, Mass.) and Ethan Day (Meriden, Conn.) that translated to runs after catcher Nolan Florence hammered a ball to left field which he admired for a few steps before starting his trot around the bases. The three-run blast put the Owls up 6-0 through three.

 

Western New England (6-3) got the bats going in the bottom of the fourth inning after CJ Willis (Auburn, Mass.) led off with a single. With one out, Ben Harrison (Newtown, Conn.)  would find an opening in left field and move Willis up to second base. Cody Waterbury (Danbury, Conn.) then doubled to left field to drive in one run, but a good rally from Ethan Day held Harrison at third. Westfield State starter Ryan Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) froze the next two batters he faced for strikeouts to get himself out of the jam.

 

The Owls would look to up the ante in the top of the fifth with Florence going yard for the second time of the day to get things started. A first and third situation would result in an eighth run for the Owls with Zack Graveline (Prospect, Conn.) scoring on a fielder's choice by Nick Martin.

 

WNE added three more in the home half of the fifth after  CJ Willis doubled to left field, plating Jake Balderston (Amherst, Mass.). An error put runners on first and third. Ben Harrison would then clear the bases with a triple to right center, making it 8-4 in favor of the Owls. The Golden Bears added another in the bottom of the eighth on a double to center field from Vincent Caccavale (East Hartford, Conn.) that scored Paul Villecco (Cheshire, Conn.). 

 

Donahue (W, 1-0) earned his first victory of the year on the mound for the Owls, going five and a third innings, surrendering four runs (two earned), with six strikeouts and one base-on-balls. He faced 26 batters and threw 91 pitches (60 strikes) in his outing. 

 

On the Golden Bear side, starting pitcher Jacob Hobart (L, 1-1) lasted three innings, giving up six earned runs, striking out three and walking one. WNE used four arms out of the bullpen that combined for six innings pitched, two earned runs, one strikeout and two walks.  

 

Joseph Fischer (Avon, Mass.) provided two and two thirds' innings of relief for Westfield, giving up just one run on one hit with three strikeouts. 

 

Westfield turned to Matt Motyka (Vernon, Conn.) to close out the ninth. The big right hander found himself in a bases loaded jam after hitting three of the first four batters he faced, but he would go on to strike out Harrison looking, and get pinch hitter Zach Snow (Charlestown, R.I.) to pop out to foul ground that was gobbled up by a sliding Zack Graveline to end the game.  Motyka earned his first save of the season.

 

Martin and Florence both had chances to tie the single game home record (3) late in the contest, but to no avail as both of their at-bats ended with hard-hit flyouts to right field. 

 

The Owls are back in action tomorrow, March 25, at Hagan Field in Westfield Massachusetts for two more against the Golden Bears starting at noon.