McNamara Whiffs 16, Burnett Homers Twice in Owls Split with Worcester

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State sophomore Sean McNamara (Lowell, Mass.) struck out a career-high 16 Worcester hitters and Dan Burnett (Granville, Mass.) tallied two home runs and seven RBI in the Owls game one win as the two teams split a MASCAC doubleheader from Hagan Field in Westfield, Mass. on Friday afternoon.

The Owls rode the hot hand of McNamara in game one as he tossed his second complete game shutout of the season, allowing just one hit while fanning a remarkable 16 hitters as Westfield took the opener 9-0. The Lancers responded in game two behind strong pitching of their own as lefthander Ben Smith (Bourne, Mass.) struck out nine and gave up just one run over seven frames in a 4-1 Worcester victory.

GAME 1

McNamara struck out the side in the second inning before giving up his only hit of the contest on a single to left field from Xavier Quezada (Providence, R.I.). Quezada reached second on an error, then a fielder's choice put two Lancers on base with nobody out. The Owls righthander got out of the frame unscathed, striking out the next three hitters. Of his first nine outs recorded, eight came by way of the strikeout for McNamara.

From the fourth inning on, the Lancers never had a runner reach scoring position and had just two baserunners, one coming on a drop third strike and the other on a hit by pitch.

The Owls supplied plenty of offense in game one, particularly in the third inning. Jonathan Toth (Granby, Mass.) got hit by a pitch, then Alex Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) singled, putting two runners on to turn the lineup back to the top. Sam Palmer (Medfield, Mass.) drove in the first run of the game on a single into left field, then a single from Robison Baez (Dominican Republic) eventually resulted in an error from Worcester which allowed a second run to score.

Burnett stepped into the box next and began what was a tremendous day at the dish, belting a three-run blast over the left centerfield fence to extend the lead to five runs after three innings. Burnett added to his run total in the fourth and sixth innings via a two-run double and another home run, giving him seven RBI in game one.

McNamara picked up his fourth win of the season while Gavin Price (Worcester, Mass.) took the loss for Worcester as he allowed seven runs (six earned) across four innings on six hits. He walked two and struck out three.

GAME 2

The Owls jumped ahead to begin game two with a two-out RBI single from Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.) in the home half of the first.

Worcester responded in the top half of the second after a pair of doubles from Anthony Iamarone (Providence, R.I.) and Nathan Thurber (Framingham, Mass.) with Thurber putting the Lancers on the board to tie the game.

Smtih and Owls game two starter Colton Vasseur (Colchester, Conn.) were locked in a pitchers' duel entering the sixth inning with the game tied at one apiece. With a runner on second, Thurber punched a grounder to the left side, generating a play at third base with the initial throw off the mark. However, Toth recovered and fired the ball home to get the lead runner out at the plate to keep the contest even.

However, Worcester would spring ahead on the next at bat as Quezada singled into left field to bring in the go-ahead run.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Owls generated a rare scoring chance off Smith after a single from Nick Marshall (Reading, Mass.), then a one-out double from Chase Racine (Pittsfield, Mass.) put two runners in scoring position with one out. Despite the scoring opportunity, Smith escaped the frame by stranding both runners, striking out the next two Westfield batters to keep Worcester ahead.

The hold in the bottom half proved to spark Worcester offensively as the Lancers picked up two insurance runs in the seventh on a two-run home run from Tyler Smith (Leominster, Mass.), pushing the lead to 4-1. Smith held serve in the Owls last at bats, working around a one-out single to secure the win and the split.

Vasseur delivered a solid outing for the Owls, allowing one run on six hits over five frames, walking two and fanning five. Smith (W, 3-1) gave up one run over seven innings, striking out nine while issuing two free passes. Brendan Goonan (Raynham, Mass.) took the loss in relief.

Westfield State (15-6, 2-3 MASCAC) and Worcester State (13-5, 4-1 MASCAC) will meet again in the rubber match of the series on Monday at Worcester State for a 3:00 P.M. first pitch.