It is not easy to score runs against the New Britain Bees; their pitching staff has been the best in the entire FCBL this year.
However, the Starfires were able to steadily score throughout the matchup on Thursday, June 18, and some late-inning heroics gave the Starfires the win, 9-8.
Westfield is now 10-10.
In the top of the first, Stonehill College senior Jamison Howland led off the game with a single. New Britain starter Robby Wunsch struck Louisiana Tech sophomore Easton Sanders with a pitch to put another Starfire on. With runners on first and second, Cornell University sophomore Aiden Barclay launched a double to center field, scoring Howland, while Sanders was thrown out trying to score a second run on a close play. A groundout and a lineout left Barclay on second, as Westfield took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the inning.
However, the Bees bats responded immediately. Westfield starter and American International College senior Zach Ruffing allowed a leadoff single to New Britain’s Myles Gythfeldt. After a lineout, Gythfeldt stole second, before James Fagnant singled to right-center field, scoring Gythfeldt and tying the game, 1-1.
Iona University junior Cole Silvia led off the top of the third inning for Westfield and hit a grounder to the Bees’ third baseman, Dylan Swarts, who made a throwing error to first, allowing Silvia to reach second. After a flyout, Sanders hit a drive to left center, which scored Silvia from second, while Sanders advanced on the throw home. Wunsch got two groundouts to end the frame. The inning ended with Westfield ahead, 2-1.
In the top of the fourth inning, Hofstra University junior Trent Jenks led off with a walk. With one out, Hobart College sophomore Jack O’Neil singled to right field, putting Jenks on second. A wild pitch from Wunsch advanced the two runners to second and third. In a full count, Wunsch threw a wild pitch to Saint Joseph’s College junior Nic Frink, allowing Jenks to score from third and advancing O’Neil to third, as Frink walked to first. With runners on the corners, Silvia grounded out to the shortstop, scoring O’Neil from third, and extending the Starfires’ lead to 4-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, New Britain’s Jack Kane walked. Kane stole second, but Ruffing struck out the next two batters. New Britain’s Danny Rogers singled to right-center field, scoring Kane and cutting the Starfires lead to two runs. Rogers advanced to second on a wild pitch. Brady Chernovetz hit a chopper to the Starfires third baseman and Brown University freshman Morrie Fried, who whiffed, allowing the ball to roll into left field as Rogers scored unearned while Chernovetz reached second. Ruffing hit the next batter with a pitch and advanced the runners to second and third on a wild pitch. Ruffing was able to strike out the final Bees batter to end the inning with Westfield leading, 4-3.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Starfires reliever and Western New England junior Sullivan Quirk hit New Britain’s Amato Civitello with the first pitch of the inning, before walking Danny Rogers on four pitches. After a flyout, Quirk hit Grady Schopps to load the bases for the Bees. Gythfeldt singled to right field, tying the game for New Britain, 4-4. Quirk walked the next batter, forcing a runner home and giving the Bees the lead, 5-4.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Central Connecticut State University sophomore CJ DiBenedetto came on to relieve Quirk. DiBenedetto hit the first two batters of the inning. With runners on first and second, Civitello hit a double to center field, scoring the lead runner and leaving the other on third, extending the Bees’ lead to 6-4. After a pop-up, Chernovetz hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring another run. With two outs, DiBenedetto walked Schopps, who stole second, leaving runners on second and third. DiBenedtto was able to strike out Gythfeldt to avoid any more damage, as New Britain carried a 7-4 lead into the final two innings.
In the top of the ninth, New Britain brought in Salve Regina University junior Dominic Carollo to pitch, who, in 7.2 innings of relief this season, had only allowed six hits and zero runs while striking out 14. With the first-place Bees putting their first-place reliever on the bump, the Starfires would need a miraculous series of events to win.
O’Neil led off with a single, before Frink singled to left field. Silvia flied out to right field, advancing the other runners to second and third. Carollo walked Howland to load the bases with one out. Sanders hit a grounder to New Britain third baseman Swarts, and the ball skipped off his glove into left field, as two runners came home to score, cutting the Bees’ lead to 7-6. Sanders stole second to put runners on second and third. After a strikeout for the second out, Fried fell behind 0-2. On what might have been the final pitch of the night, he swung and singled through the middle of the defense and into center field, clearing the bases for another two runs, giving Westfield the lead, 8-7. Fried was able to advance to second on the throw home. St. Joseph’s senior JJ Fox pinch-ran for Fried, before Jenks hit a single to right field, allowing Fox to score. Jenks was thrown out trying to advance to second for the final out. The Starfires carried a 9-7 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
Rhode Island College senior Casey Williams came on to finish the game for Westfield. Williams struck out the first batter before walking Civitello. Manager Paul Bonfiglio rolled the dice and brought Sanders from first to the mound, losing the DH in the process and bringing Coastal Carolina University freshman States Farr to play first.
Sanders walked the first batter he faced, putting runners on first and second with one out. New Britain brought on George Slauson to pinch-hit as the tying run, but he lined out to right field, advancing Civitello to third. With runners on the corners and one out away from the win, Schopps hit a slow roller to the second baseman Silvia.
The throw went awry, however, and the Bees scored, putting the tying run at third and winning run at first, and bringing the top of the order to the dish in Gythfeldt.
However, Sanders ended it, drawing a bouncer to short from the second-year Bee to complete the save.
Ruffing ended his start with 4.0 innings pitched, five hits, three runs (two earned), two walks, and five strikeouts. DiBenedetto earned the win in relief, with 2.0 innings pitched, one hit, two earned runs, a walk, and two strikeouts.
In addition to earning the save, Sanders went two-for-three at the plate with two RBI, reaching safely four times total. O’Neil went two-for-four, while Fried went one-for-five with two RBI.
The Starfires will return to Bullens Field on Friday, June 19th, to face the Lowell Spinners at 6:30 p.m.
