Joel Peabody tossed seven strong innings and his defense didn’t commit an error behind him to lift Greenfield High School to a tidy 4-2 win over Pioneer Valley Regional School Wednesday in an independent baseball game at Vets Field in Greenfield.
Peabody struck out five and walked just one, scattering four hits to earn the decision and help the Green Wave improve to a perfect 4-0.
“He got stronger as the game went along,” lauded Greenfield coach Tom Suchanek of Peabody. “The last three innings he faced the minimum.”
Greenfield led 3-0 after two innings before Pioneer (1-2) clawed back with single runs in the third and fourth frames.
The Wave added an important insurance run in the fifth, when Colin Cloutier singled, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a Nate Haselton RBI single to make it a 4-2 game.
“They came back and made it interesting,” said Suchanek of Pioneer. “We were fortunate to scrape a couple hits together in the fifth and get that run.”
Jake Sak and Josh Phillips had two hits each to pace the Greenfield offense, while Cloutier and Phillips added RBI along with Haselton.
Noah Keith tripled for Pioneer, while Zach Renaud doubled and drove in a run on the afternoon. Jacob Hubbard took the loss on the bump, striking out four and walking three over five innings of work.
Pioneer heads to Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School today at 11 a.m. while Greenfield is slated to host Athol High School Friday night at 6.
Frontier 11, Smith Academy 4 — Locked in a 2-2 tie, Frontier Regional School broke out for a nine-spot in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s independent contest. That huge frame would be more than enough, as the Red Hawks won their fourth straight game to open the season behind an 11-4 defeat of Smith Academy at G.T. Valiton Field in South Deerfield.
The Frontier offense received hits from nine different players. Garrett DeForest roped three hits, including a double, to go with a pair of stolen bases, while Kiernan Freeman added two hits. Matt Hildreth drove in a pair, as did Connor Waitkus and Kalen Evans. Frontier totaled 12 stolen bases, wreaking havoc against Smith Academy pitching.
Frontier starter Dylan Apanell went four innings to pick up the victory. Apanell struck out six and walked one before giving way to Corbin Blight and Hildreth. The relievers combined for three strikeouts in three innings.
Smith Academy (2-2) starter Colin Ferrara was chased from the game in the nine-run fourth inning.
Belchertown 5, Mohawk 1 — Offense proved hard to come by for Mohawk Trail Regional High School Wednesday.
The Warriors managed just five hits, and host Belchertown High School didn’t commit an error en route to a 5-1 win in an independent baseball contest in Belchertown.
Belchertown (4-1) jumped ahead 3-0 with a trio of first-inning runs. Mohawk (2-3) got one back in the top of the second when Jordan Grenier singled and eventually scored on a Jon Schuetze double to pull the Warriors within 3-1.
That was all the offense Mohawk could muster against Belchertown starter Matthew Soja, who struck out four and scattered five hits over 5⅓ innings of work.
Senior Luke Viens had two of Mohawk’s five hits, including a leadoff double, while Zach McCloud also had a hit in the loss.
Grenier took the loss, tossing four innings. Wyatt Bandy-Page and Anthony Moffatt finished up on the mound, tossing an inning each.
McCann Tech 4, FC Tech 1 — Dalton Tatro struck out 11 and allowed just two hits, as McCann Technical School limited Franklin County Technical School to just one unearned run in a 4-1 victory Wednesday in North Adams.
McCann scored two runs in both the first and second innings to take a 4-0 lead. The visiting Eagles (2-3) got its lone run of the game in the top of the fifth, when Dakota Deane reached on an error, stole second and eventually came around on a wild pitch.
Deane would break up Tatro’s no-hitter in the sixth inning with a single, while Sam Bobala had the only other hit in the loss — also a single.
“Today was the perfect day to show we have to be ready to play from the second we get to the field,” offered Franklin Tech coach Brian Winslow. “We gave up two in the first and two in the second and those are the runs that held up.”
Bobala went the distance on the mound for the Eagles, striking out seven and walking four while allowing five hits. Caleb Rondeau had two hits, including a triple, while Logan Tower drove in three runs.
South Hadley 4, Mahar 3 — After falling into a 3-0 deficit after half an inning, South Hadley High School rallied and eventually walked off with a 4-3 independent baseball victory over Mahar Regional School Wednesday in South Hadley.
Mahar (1-3) led 3-0 after the top of the first inning. Logan Dodge had a two-run single, and Noaha Chabot also drove in a run to give the visitors a strong start out of the gates.
But South Hadley (1-3) struck for a pair in the home half of the first, tied the game in the third, and scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh to earn its first win of the year.
Joseph Brozell was 2-for-2 with a walk for the Senators, while Jacob Berry and Charlie Barnes also had hits.
Will Peredina walked three times and scored a run, and he pitched well over six innings of work. Peredina struck out two and allowed three runs (one earned) on eight hits and a walk.
Athol 4, Hopkins 1 — The pitching tandem of Mark Ferrari and Nick Bousquet combined for 14 strikeouts and held Hopkins Academy to just one hit as Athol High School picked up a solid 4-1 victory in Wednesday’s independent baseball game in Hadley.
The Red Raiders (2-2) took the lead for good in the top of the sixth inning. With the score tied 1-1, Robbie Nelson doubled home Bousquet, and James Laford singled home Nelson to make it 3-1.
Bousquet added an insurance run with an RBI double in the seventh inning that plated Keegan Lutz.
Bousquet earned the victory in relief, as the left-hander struck out seven and walked three without allowing a hit in three innings. Ferrari started the game and struck out seven in four innings.
Hopkins ace Jonathan Morrison started and struck out 11 in four innings but didn’t factor into the decision. Justin Ciaglo picked up the loss in relief, as he allowed three runs (two earned) in 2⅔ innings.
Bousquet and Kris Selanis had two hits each to pace the Athol offense.
Mohawk 122, Turners 19 — Jaxon Palmer won four individual events and Mohawk Trail Regional High School rolled to a 122-19 victory over Turners Falls High School in an Intercounty League girls’ track & field meet Wednesday in Buckland.
Palmer won both the 200-meter dash (30.8 seconds) and 400 meters (71.0), while sweeping the long (13 feet, 8¾ inches) and triple jumps (27-3¾).
Mohawk (2-0, 2-0) had a plethora of multi-event winners. Meghan Davis won the 800 (2:36), 1-mile (5:36) and 2-mile (11:54), while Gabby Shean also won three events, capturing the discus (81-0), javelin (90-5) and shot put (31-9¾).
Bailey Cousineau was a double-winner in the 100 (15.0) and high jump (4-4), while Lily Shearer was first across in the 100 hurdles (18.8) and 400 hurdles (81.4).
Kaylin Voudren was the lone event winner for Turners (0-2, 0-1). She took home the top spot in the pole vault (6-6).
Turners 4, Sabis 1 — Carlie Kretchmar and Haleigh Greene won three-set singles matches, helping Turners Falls High School to a 4-1 independent victory over Sabis International Charter School Wednesday in Turners Falls.
Kretchmar captured a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over Remy Girard of Sabis at No. 1 singles, while Greene was a 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 winner at No. 3 singles.
Turners (2-2) won a forfeit victory at No. 2 doubles, while the first doubles tandem of Rachel Tucker and Isabelle Farrick claimed a 6-3, 6-4 win.