WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State first-year outfielder Alex Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) laced a walk-off sacrifice fly to left field to cap off a two-run ninth inning rally in a 2-1 victory over Fitchburg State in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference season opener from Hagan Field in Westfield, Mass. on Friday afternoon.
Martin stepped up to the plate in a tie game with one out and runners on second and third. With two strikes in the count, Martin launched an opposite-field fly ball to left field, which forced the left fielder to retreat backwards before making the grab, allowing for Nolan Florence (Chicopee, Mass.) to score easily to secure the walk off win.
The Owls offense was virtually shut down through the first eight innings of the game with Falcons' starter Orion Daily (Nantucket, Mass.) tossing a no-hitter entering the final frame of the contest.
Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.) opened the frame with a sharp grounder down the third base line which was gloved on a diving effort from Fitchburg third baseman Maxwell Kelly (East Bridgewater, Mass.) with the throw across the diamond in time for the first out of the inning.
With the Owls down to their last two outs, Trey Faulkner (Springfield, Mass.) started the rally by punching a ball into left field for Westfield' first hit of the day. Faulkner played a pivotal role in keeping the Owls deficit at a single run in the field, making two critical two-out putouts in the seventh and eighth innings with Falcons runners in scoring position to remain within striking distance.
Florence followed the Faulkner single with a hard line drive that was deflected by the outstretched glove of Kelly and into left, putting runners on first and second with one out.
The Owls next batter, Sean Clark (Dudley, Mass.), set the table for the Owls eventual walk off by belting a double down the left field line, scoring Faulkner and advancing the winning run in Florence up to third. Martin would seal the deal despite falling behind in the count to give Westfield the opening win of the series against the Falcons.
Owls starting pitcher Ryan Lapierre (Pittsfield, Mass.) turned in a dominant outing on the mound in what turned out to be a pitcher's duel. He fired eight innings while allowing one unearned run on four hits with ten punchouts. Westfield turned to Joe Espinola (Plymouth, Mass.) in the ninth inning where he logged a scoreless frame and eventually picked up the winning decision.
Both Lapierre and Daily compiled scoreless outings through the fifth inning until the Falcons struck with the first run of the contest.
Liam Goldstein (Charlestown, R.I.) began the sixth inning with a one-out double down the leftfield line, then a Matthew Kelly (East Bridgewater, Mass.) single to left advanced Goldstein to third base. Maxwell Kelly followed and dropped a bunt in front of Lapierre who shoveled the ball in his glove to home plate which was dropped, allowing Goldstein to score and give Fitchburg a 1-0 lead.
In the eighth inning, the Falcons threatened to extend their lead. After Maxwell Kelly was hit by a pitch and Vincent Eramo (Shirley, Mass.) reached via error, both runners executed a double steal to put two men in scoring position with one out. However, Lapierre escaped the outing by striking out his tenth batter of the afternoon then forcing a ground out to Faulkner to escape the jam.
Daily (L, 1-2) kept the Owls bats quiet for the first 25 outs of the game, but was tacked with a tough-luck loss after one run and another inherited runner came around to score in the ninth. He finished with a final pitching line of 8.1 innings, giving up just three hits, two runs and five strikeouts.
Westfield State (5-8, 1-0 MASCAC) and Fitchburg State (8-6, 0-1 MASCAC) will meet again on Sunday for a doubleheader slate of games at Fitchburg State with first pitch of game one set for 1:00 P.M. with game two beginning at approximately 3:30 P.M.