New England Patriots kicker Andrés Borregales came to Billy Bullens Field to kicks balls to fans, sign autographs, and throw out a ceremonial first pitch.
The Westfield Starfires, in turn, kicked a proverbial extra point in his honor.
The team scored seven runs in the first inning as part of a 17-0 rout of the three-time defending Futures Collegiate Baseball League Champion Norwich Sea Unicorns on Friday, May 29.
The win improves Westfield to 2-1 on the season.
After a hitless first inning from Starfires leftie starter and Central Connecticut State sophomore Zach Worzel, the Starfires blew the game wide-open. Iona junior Cole Silvia led the game off with a single, before Sea Unicorns starter Sam Hutchinson hit the following Starfires batter. With two men on, Stonehill senior Jamison Howland ripped a double into left field to bring Silvia home, making the game 1-0. After Nic Frink walked to load the bases, UMass Amherst junior Will Briggs hit a hard chopper to the Sea Unicorns shortstop, who got the force out at third as another Starfire came home to score to extend the lead to 2-0. With runners on first and second, Rutgers freshman Logan Martel flared a single to shallow left field, scoring Frink. After another batter walked to load the bases again, Hobart sophomore Jack O’Neil hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Briggs. With two outs, the onslaught continued, as J.J. Fox knocked a double to left field, scoring the runner from second. After Hutchinson was relieved by right-hander Charles Ennis, Silvia came up for his second at-bat and hit another single into the outfield, scoring the two Starfires runners to bring the lead to 7-0.
The Sea Unicorns got one of their two hits of the game in the top of the 2nd, as Caden Williamson doubled to left center with two outs. After two walks, Worzel had the bases loaded, but struck out the next Unicorns batter to keep the score 7-0.
In the bottom of the second, the Starfires continued to pile on the runs, as a single from Frink and two hit-by-pitches loaded the bases to start the inning. Martel grounded out to the first baseman as a run scored from third. UConn Avery Point sophomore Logan Charbaneau hit a double to right field to score another run, before O’Neil hit a single up the middle to score another run. J.J. Fox hit a single to left field to once again score a runner. Silvia came up again, hitting a ball to the shortstop, resulting in another run on a fielder’s choice out to second. By the time the inning was over, the Starfires were up 12-0.
After a scoreless third for both teams, Worzel was relieved by Stonehill’s Tanyon Weber, who held the Sea Unicorns hitless to bring up the red-hot offense in the bottom of the fourth. After a pair of singles from Charbaneau and O’Neil, Central Connecticut sophomore Nick Fox brought both runners home with a single. Howland got a single before the inning ended with the Starfires up 14-0.
The Starfires’ pitching staff continued to shut down the Sea Unicorns, holding them hitless through the fifth and the sixth. The Starfires’ batters refused to cool off in the bottom of the sixth, as O’Neil led off with a double into left field. After two hit-by-pitches, the bases were loaded once again, and Nick Fox hit a single to right center to score two more Starfires. After Briggs walked, the bases were loaded again, and a wild pitch from the Sea Unicorns Adam Carpenter brought in another run to make the score a staggering 17-0.
To start the seventh inning, the Starfires’ reliever and Rhode Island College senior Casey Williams came on. Reece McCarthy hit a single, marking the first Sea Unicorn hit in five innings, but Williams struck out the next batter, before a groundout and another strikeout ended the game.
The Starfires collected 16 hits on the night from eight different batters. Howland and O’Neil led the team in hits, both going 3-for-3, while center fielder Nick Fox led the Starfires with four RBI. Silvia, Martel, O’Neil, and J.J. Fox all had multiple RBI.
On the other side, the combined shutout by the Starfires’ pitching staff saw just two hits allowed. Worzel ended the night with 3.0 IP, one hit, and four strikeouts. Weber and Merrimack freshman Josh Wagner both pitched 1.1 hitless innings. The Westfield pitchers combined for eight walks and eight strikeouts when all was said and done, and Wagner, a Westfield native, was credited with the victory in his Starfires debut.
With their Opening Night win, the Starfires improve to 2-1 on the year. The team will hit the road for the first time this year, once again playing Norwich on Saturday, May 30 at Dodd Stadium before continuing their road trip with a matchup with the revived Lowell Spinners on Sunday, May 31. The Starfires will return home to Bullens Field on Monday, June 1st, for a matchup with the Worcester Bravehearts at 10:30 a.m.
