GREENFIELD — Through four innings Monday night, neither Greenfield Post 81 or Belchertown Post 239 were able to get much going at the plate in their Western Mass. American Legion Junior Division playoff game.

Second-seeded Greenfield held a 2-0 lead but broke the game open with its bats in the fifth, scoring three runs to take a commanding 5-0 lead. 

Belchertown was unable to get those runs back before Post 81 scored five in the sixth inning to close things out, as Greenfield advanced with a 10-0 six-inning win at Vets Field. 

“A wise athletic director once told me that coaches lose games but players win games,” Greenfield coach Dan Prasol said. “This was a perfect example of the kids coming in and avenging a loss. They earned it and earned everything. Kids who haven’t hit came up with hits throughout the game. I’m really proud of them.” 

Greenfield will advance to play the winner of No. 3 West Springfield and No. 6 North Adams in the district semifinal round. Those teams play Tuesday night. The loss spelled the end of the season for Belchertown. 

“It was good until it wasn’t,” Belchertown coach Dan Szostek said. “It was a two-run game until the fifth. We had a base running error and that changed the tone of the game. That’s baseball.”

It was Greenfield’s Austin D’Urso and Belchertown’s Tucker Russell who were dueling on the mound on Monday, both bringing impressive stuff. 

D’Urso pitched 5 and 2/3 innings, striking out 14 and scattering just two hits. He set the tone by striking out the side in the first inning. 

Aiden Shea came on to strike out the lone batter he faced for Post 81. Russell pitched the opening five innings for Belchertown and struck out eight. 

“I can’t say enough about Austin D’Urso,” Prasol said. “He did an outstanding job. He came out 1-2-3 and set the tone. A lot of credit to the kids making the plays and executing.”

Greenfield took the lead in the first after Hayden Girard scored off an error after Nick Prasol put the ball in play. Post 81 added to its lead in the third, with Grayson Bishop singling and Michael Hioe later driving him in with a base hit to give Greenfield a 2-0 edge. 

The bats exploded in the fifth for Greenfield. Girard walked and Luca Siano came up and rocketed a double to deep center which allowed Girard to score. Hioe was intentionally walked and with two runners on, Nick Prasol singled to drive Siano in from second. 

A sacrifice fly to right field from Arthur Fitzpatrick scored Hioe, giving Post 81 its 5-0 lead going into the sixth. 

“We had timely hits in the fifth inning,” Dan Prasol said. “Our hitters really stepped up and contributed. Luca got things going with that big double. Hats off to Belchertown. They held us to two runs through four with stellar pitching.”

After Russell exited the game, walks plagued Belchertown in the sixth. 

Cody Yetter walked, Bishop singled and after a wild pitch, Yetter scored on a balk. Girard grounded out to score Bishop, Hioe singled in Siano, who had reached on a walk, before a slew of walks with the bases loaded allowed Greenfield to score its 10th run and end the game via the run rule in the sixth. 

Post 81 now hopes to keep that momentum going in the semifinals, which will be at a date and time to be determined. 

“We’ve played this way all year,” Prasol said. “It’s a testament to them. They’ve played like a top two team in the league and it showed tonight.” 

For Belchertown, there was progress made throughout the season, though inconsistency ended up hurting Post 239 in the end. 

“The season wasn’t a complete loss,” Szostek said. “Everyone makes the playoffs but we had some games where we were untouchable. Other days we had our struggles. We mesh four towns together. It’s the cream of the crop of all the towns and we all show up and try to pull together. Sometimes that doesn’t become a gelled unit until the end.”