BOX SCORES: Game 1 | Game 2

BROCKTON, Massachusetts (June 22, 2024) – Playing as both the home and away team on a rainy night at Campanelli Stadium, the Westfield Starfires swept an unusual doubleheader from the Brockton Rox, 7-6 and 4-3, on Saturday, June 22.

Westfield is now 13-7 on the season, leading the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

The first game was a resumption of the contest that was started at Bullens Field on Thursday, June 20; Brockton held a 5-4 lead in the middle of the sixth when lightning forced the game to a halt, and with the next meeting between the teams just two days later, the teams agreed to finish what they started in Brockton.

That meant the Starfires batted in the bottom half of innings, and Kansas State University’s Chandler Murray led off with a four-pitch walk. Colin Larson of Boston College and Kyle Garbowski of Quinnipiac University also walked to load the bases, and both Murray and Larson scored when a grounder by Larson’s collegiate teammate Ben Williams hit a grounder to short; Garbowski was retired at second but Williams reached by beating a throw to first that sailed wide, allowing the go-ahead run to score.

Brockton nearly got it back in the next half inning as they generated first and third with a hit and an error, but the Starfires sniffed out a double steal with Bryant University’s Cameron Papetti tagging Gabe Pitts at home; two batters later, Sebastian Mexico was retired on a bouncer back to the mound that left him caught between third and home.

In the eighth, the Rox did tie the game on a Sam Hill triple and Chris Walsh groundout, but the Starfires answered back loudly; Larson smashed the first pitch he saw over the left-field fence for a home run. That was all the team needed as Ty Longoria of St. John’s University struck out a pair in the ninth to save the win for Chris Suter; the Union College senior threw two innings in relief, allowing just one run on three hits.

“I got the call that if we get the lead I’m going in…I love being the guy that gets called on in the big moment; it honestly fires me up,” said Longoria, adding “This team has no quit…we were all up. Everybody wants to win.”

Switching from being hosts to guests despite not changing dugouts, the Starfires fell behind in the third inning of the second game as the Rox scored three times.

The Starfires had a three-run frame of their own in the fifth. Garbowski walked, and Boston College rookie Cesar Gonzalez smacked a single to follow. Two more walks trailed that, with Central Connecticut State University’s Aidan Redahan’s ball four forcing Gonzalez home, and his college teammate Gianno Merlonghi singled to keep the line moving and the score rising. Trey Cruz then hit a fly to deep left, with the Washington State University senior garnering an RBI as Iona College’s Anthony Zollo scored.

With the game slated for just seven innings, the pressure was on both sides to find a fourth run. Westfield located it first, as Springfield native and Vanderbilt University freshman Julio Solier drove a first-pitch double down the right field line. The Rox sat down Westfield’s next two batters, but Merlonghi whacked a 2-0 offering into left, scoring Solier and giving the Starfires the lead.

“I was hitting leadoff so I was just looking for a fastball and he gave it to me, and I went the other way,” Solier said of the hit, noting “The energy was [there] from the beginning.”

Brockton led off the bottom half with a walk by Chris Walsh, and Conner Vercollone tried to lay down a bunt, but he popped it up, with Gonzalez making an astounding diving catch in foul ground. However, Dante Leach then singled, and a sacrifice bunt put the winning run at second base with Mexico coming to the dish. Jacob Thomas won the final battle, with the University of North Florida product drawing a grounder to Solier to end the game.

“[It’s] the attitude. We all play hard and that’s what helped us win both games,” Gonzalez said.

Georgia Tech University’s Cody Carwile was the winning arm; he did not allow a hit in two innings, surrendering a lone walk.

The Starfires close the week with two more on Sunday, June 23, this time at the Nashua Silver Knights. First pitch for the first game of the true road doubleheader is slated for 12:30 p.m. at historic Holman Stadium.

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