Vikings Upend Owls, 8-0; Westfield to Face Worcester in MASCAC Elimination Game

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Salem State graduate pitcher Brock Pare (Lowell, Mass.) tossed a complete-game, two-hit shutout as Westfield State baseball was blanked 8-0 in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference quarterfinal matchup from Salem, Mass. on Thursday afternoon.

The Owls (26-15) fall into the elimination portion of the bracket as Westfield will face sixth-seeded Worcester State on Friday at 11:00 A.M. from Salem State University. The top-seeded Vikings advance to the MASCAC Semifinals and will face second-seeded Bridgewater State tomorrow at 3:00 P.M. with the winner advancing into the MASCAC Championship game.

The Owls limited the damage in the second inning after an RBI single from Jake Boucher (Wallingford, Conn.) scored Salem's first run of the game, placing runners on first and second with nobody out. Later in the inning, Westfield was able to turn an inning-ending double play started by Trey Faulkner (Springfield, Mass.) with Sam Palmer (Medfield, Mass.) picking the ball off the turf at first to retire the side.

In the third inning, Salem extended their lead with a four-run frame, capitalizing on a pair of one out walks which set up Owen Duggan (Billerica, Mass.) who lined a single into left, giving the Vikings a 2-0 lead. A fielding error led to two additional runs, then Antonio Belgrove (Stamford, Conn.) extended the inning by belting a ground-rule double into left-centerfield, opening up a 5-0 lead after three frames.

Pare was in command throughout the outing as the Owls mustered just two baserunners through the first six innings before Westfield attempted to mount a comeback.

Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.) drew a ten-pitch walk to lead off the seventh inning. The Owls next batter, Nolan Florence (Chicopee, Mass.) was hit by a pitch, advancing Slattery to second base to give Westfield their first runner in scoring position for the entire game.

Thomas LaSpada (West Hartford, Conn.) then scalded a liner into right-centerfield where Vikings' centerfielder Mark Smith (East Haven, Conn.) made a diving catch for the first out of the inning. The following at bat, Edward Field (Gloucester, Mass.) back picked the Owls at first base for the second out of the frame, then the Owls attempted to steal home on a two-strike count with Pare pounding the zone for strike three to end what originally started as a promising inning to try and cut into the deficit.

Field and Smith both tacked on run-scoring hits in the eighth to put the game out of reach, pushing the lead to eight runs entering the final frame.

The Owls loaded the bases in the ninth inning with two outs, but Pare worked out of limited danger by registering his ninth strikeout of the afternoon to end the game, vaulting Salem into the winner's bracket and conference semifinals.

Ryan Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) took the loss on the mound for Westfield, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits, walking five and fanning three. Donahue gave up all five runs within the first three innings, but settled into the game by firing three scoreless frames to close the outing.