WESTFIELD, Mass. – Sam Palmer (Medfield, Mass.) and Thomas LaSpada (West Hartford, Conn.) combined for six hits and seven RBI for Westfield State in a 15-11 game one victory, then Joe Espinola (Plymouth, Mass.) fired five scoreless innings to complete the sweep of the Trailblazers, 13-3, in a MASCAC doubleheader from North Adams, Mass. on Tuesday afternoon.
The Owls complete the regular season series sweep of MCLA after winning 20-1 from Hagan Field on Patriot's Day. Westfield advances to 22-11 on the season and pick up their tenth win in the conference, sitting at 10-5 in the league. MCLA now holds a 5-23 overall mark and a 2-11 MASCAC record.
GAME 1
An offensive explosion from both sides saw both teams push into double digit run totals after just the second inning. The two teams combined for 21 runs on 16 hits with the Owls sending 14 batters to the plate in the first inning alone.
The first six Westfield batters reached base with Justin Neidel (Attleboro, Mass.) delivering the game's first run on a single to right field. Sean Clark (Dudley, Mass.) scored two on a single up the middle, giving the Owls a 3-0 lead with nobody out.
The Owls then loaded the bases again, still with nobody out, where Robison Guerrero Baez (Dominican Republic) would tack on an RBI on a sacrifice fly, then four consecutive hits scored four additional runs, capping an eight-run frame in a half inning that lasted nearly 30 minutes.
MCLA responded with a six-run bottom half the first with Ty Mazzeo (Averill Park, N.Y.) leading off the frame with a double down the right field line, then knocking in the Trailblazers sixth run later in the inning as both teams batted around the order in a wild first inning.
Seven more combined runs came in to score in the second with Palmer launching a two-run double down the line to push the Owls into double digit runs.
Both offenses settled down for the middle innings, with MCLA cutting the Owls lead to one run after four innings. LaSpada provided insurance runs on multiple different at bats to give Westfield some separation, connecting for a sacrifice fly in the fifth, then with two out in the seventh, he mashed a two-run home run to left, opening up a 15-11 advantage.
Joe Fischer (Avon, Mass.) entered in the bottom of the seventh, retiring the side in order to secure the game one victory.
Sean Casey (Amston, Conn.) stabilized the Owls pitching staff, tossing three innings while allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits with five strikeouts, picking up his third win of the season. Nate Morse (Easthampton, Mass.) took the loss for the Trailblazers.
Six Owls hitters tallied multi-hit games, five of which registering two or more runs batted in.
GAME 2
The Westfield bats did not cool off in the series finale as the Owls slashed 16 hits and racked up 13 more runs.
After Trey Faulkner (Springfield, Mass.) put Westfield on the board with a run-scoring groundout, Westfield went on to score 11 runs over the next two frames.
The Owls sent nine batters to the plate in the third inning with Colin Ryan (Chelmsford, Mass.) punctuating the inning with a single to centerfield, bumping the Westfield lead up to six runs. Ten more Owls hitters came to the dish in the ensuing top half, with six straight at bats ending with a runner crossing the plate to score.
Westfield would score 13 unanswered runs in the game with Tommy Mullin (Pittsfield, Mass.) driving in the Owls 13th run of game two in the seventh inning.
Serving as the team's closer for the season, Espinola stepped into a starting role with the Owls playing their fifth game in the last four days. The senior righthander fired five shutout innings, allowing only two hits while fanning four in a winning decision. Espinola's command as a reliver translated into a starting role as well as he has yet to issue a free pass to an opposing hitting across 19.1 innings pitched.
Westfield State will travel to Fitchburg State for their next game in a MASCAC contest on Friday at 3:30 P.M.