Box Score

NEW BRITAIN, Connecticut (June 23, 2022) – The Westfield Starfires saw brilliant pitching from Justin Sinibaldi and Alex Perez, who combined to blank the New Britain Bees and keep the Starfires in second in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League with a 3-0 win on Thursday, June 23.

Westfield’s record is now 14-10.

Jackson Hornung hit a one-out double in the first, but the Starfires stranded him there. Sinibaldi returned the favor in the bottom of the third, working around three singles by picking a runner off, fanning a batter, and fielding a grounder to complete the frame.

Westfield then broke the deadlock in the fourth without a hit. Patrick D’Amico and Caleb Stelly walked with one out, and advanced when New Britain’s shortstop botched a grounder. With two outs, Luca Giallongo bounced to second, but New Britain’s first baseman misjudged the throw, and the ball kicked away from him, allowing both D’Amico and Stelly to score.

The Bees came close to getting the runs back in the home half of the fifth, with a one-out walk followed by a double, but again Sinibaldi calmly smothered the threat, drawing another grounder back to himself before striking out the final hitter of the frame.

Westfield then notched what turned out to be the lone earned run of the game in the sixth; Gunnar Johnson doubled to open things, and with two outs, Noah Campanelli also smacked a two-base knock to drive Johnson home, giving Westfield a 3-0 lead.

Manager Kyle Dembrowski turned the ball to Perez in the bottom of the sixth, and his relief hurler was deft; he walked four batters but allowed no hits, allowing the runs in the middle frames for the Starfires to stand up for the win.

In total, Sinibaldi allowed four hits and a walk with four strikeouts in his five frames to pick up the win; Perez’s four-inning save included four strikeouts as well, including two in the ninth.

The Starfires will host the Pittsfield Suns on Friday, June 24 at Bullens Field at 6:30 p.m. for Military Appreciation Night. Veterans and active duty military will receive free admission and the Starfires will debut their special 104th Fighter Wing jerseys honoring the service members stationed at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield.

For the latest on the team, be sure to follow the Starfires on Twitter and Instagram @starfiresbb, and visit us on the web at westfieldstarfires.com.