Owls Climb Conference Standings After Taking Two from MCLA

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State baseball got two quality starts from junior Jack Novak (Colchester, Conn.) and first-year Andre Phaneuf (Westfield, Mass.) as the Owls swept MCLA in a MASCAC doubleheader on Patriot's Day from Hagan Field in Westfield, Mass. on Monday afternoon.

Novak allowed one run over 6.1 strong frames to guide the Owls to a 5-1 game one victory, then Phaneuf dialed up six scoreless frames as part of a 14-3 triumph in game two.

The Owls are in the thick of a tightly contested conference race with just two regular season series remaining in league play. The pair of wins vault the Owls into a three-way tie for second place in the MASCAC, sitting at 9-6 in the conference and 21-9 overall. The Trailblazers fall to 5-22 on the year and 2-13 in the MASCAC.

GAME 1

After two quick outs to begin the first, four consecutive Owls reached base with Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.) grounding a single into the five-six hole and into left field to plate Dan Burnett (Granville, Mass.) who's single started the rally.

Justin Neidel (Attleboro, Mass.) followed and skied a fly ball that dropped in between two MCLA defenders for a two-run double to extend the lead to 3-0 after one inning.

Novak tossed four shutout innings before surrendering his lone run in the fifth inning after Josh Bissaillon (East Greenbush, N.Y.) singled into left, scoring Ben Jacob (Pittsfield, Mass.) to cut the deficit to two runs. With runners on first and second with two outs, Novak got out of the jam by picking off the trail runner at first to end the frame.

An error from MCLA allowed a run to score with the bases loaded, then a second run came in on a wild pitch to boost the Owls lead to 5-1 in the sixth. Novak recorded one out in the seventh, working around an error before Charlie Walsh (Medfield, Mass.) recorded the final two outs of the game to lock up the game one win.

Novak (W, 3-0) finished by throwing 6.1 innings, allowing one run on six hits. He walked four and struck out three, lowering his MASCAC-leading earned run average to 2.41 on the season.

Cam Harrington (Pittsfield, Mass.) settled into his outing after allowing three runs in the first inning, posting 5.1 innings while giving up five hits. He took the loss in the effort. Matt Castillo (Ozone Park, N.Y.) joined Slattery as the only two players with multi-hit games in the opener.

GAME 2

Westfield piled up 14 runs in the second game which was more than enough for Phaneuf as the rookie righthander was in control throughout his outing, firing six scoreless innings while fanning seven. He gave up three hits and walked four to secure the first collegiate win of his career.

After being held of the scoreboard in the first, the Owls grinded out two sizeable scoring frames in the second and third to put the game out of reach.

The second inning unraveled on the Trailblazers which started with an error, followed by a walk. Neidel tallied the only hit of the inning for Westfield, a double into right field, which scored two runs. Neidel would advance to third on a throwing error, then scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0 Owls. Four straight walks combined by several wild pitches allowed four additional runs to score for Westfield, pushing the lead to 7-0. The Owls walked seven times in the frame.

Westfield slugged their way through the third inning, compiling six more runs to top the double-digit run total for the 13^th time this season. Four straight hits led to five runs starting with a RBI single from Sam Palmer (Medfield, Mass.) followed by two additional run-scoring singles to right from Nick Marshall (Reading, Mass.) and Dan Burnett (Granville, Mass.).

Chase Racine (Pittsfield, Mass.) stepped up next and drilled a long fly ball into the alley in right centerfield for a two-RBI triple, increasing the lead further before Neidel put the finishing touches on the frame with his second RBI double of the game to ultimately secure the win.

Chris Vargas (Queens Village, N.Y.) reached base in all three of his plate appearances, collecting a hit and two walks. Antonio Demarco (Johnstown, N.Y.) took the loss the Trailblazers.

Westfield State will return to the diamond on Friday as the Owls begin a three-game set with Fitchburg State at 3:30 P.M. from Bud and Jim Hagan Field in Westfield, Mass. MCLA will visit Skidmore in a non-conference game on Wednesday before facing Bridgewater State for three beginning at home on Friday.