Owls Drop Two at Skidmore

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State baseball dropped a non-conference doubleheader against Skidmore College, falling 16-4 in game one before taking the loss in game two, 9-2.

Westfield deployed eight different arms in game one, preserving each pitcher as no player threw more than 34 pitches in the game. Andre Phaneuf (Westfield, Mass.) started the game and tossed two scoreless frames before the Thoroughbreds offense caught fire in the third inning and would not let up.

EJ Stefanelli began the scoring with a one-out double, plating two runs. Another run came in to score on a wild pitch for a 3-0 lead after three innings.

Down 4-0 in the fifth, Kaen Smith (Washingtonville, N.Y.) got the Owls on the board with a RBI single with two outs, scoring Alex Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.). The Thoroughbreds kept extending the lead in the home half with two runs scoring on a single from Nate Graham. Ten more runs would come in to score over the remaining three frames for Skidmore.

Colin Ryan (Chelmsford, Mass.), Devin Buntzen (West Milford, N.J.), and Nick Gouveia (Grafton, Mass.) all notched RBI knocks in the sixth inning as part of a three-run inning but were unable to overcome the sizeable deficit.

Quinn Hocom moved to 4-0 as a starter for the Thoroughbreds, logging seven innings while giving up four runs (one earned) with eight strikeouts. Sean McNamara (Lowell, Mass.) was handed the game one loss.

In game two, Westfield jumped out to a 2-0 lead with Dashel O'Dell (Suffield, Conn.) belting a RBI double into right centerfield to score Sam Palmer (Medfield, Mass.) with two out in the first. In the second frame, Smith led off with a double, then with two out and Smith on third, Jacob Lucas (Rutland, Mass.) singled through the left side to double their lead.

That was all of the scoring the Owls would muster and were blanked for the remaining five innings which allowed Skidmore to tie then take the lead. In the bottom of the third, after grounding into a double play, Skidmore strung together six consecutive hits/walks to go ahead as Stefanelli doubled in two for a 3-2 lead.

The Owls went three up three down in the fourth inning, then Skidmore pushed across four additional runs to put the game away.

Jack Novak (Colchester, Conn.) got the start for Westfield and took the loss after covering three innings, allowing three runs (two earned). Chase Siegel got the win after four innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking one and fanning four.

Westfield State will return to action on their home field on Tuesday as the Owls will serve as the road team and take on MCLA in a MASCAC doubleheader starting at 1:00 P.M. at Hagan Field.