Starfires rally past Worcester with 4-run eighth inning

WESTFIELD – The Westfield Starfires stranded 11 base runners, hit into two double plays and failed to take advantage of six walks in four innings by the opposition’s starting pitcher – and that all came in the first seven innings of Wednesday night’s FCBL game.

With the brush of a few strokes though, Westfield erased a 4-2 deficit and all of their mistakes, rallying for five runs over the final two innings against Worcester to complete a 7-5 come-from-behind victory at Bullens Field. The Starfires scored four runs in the eighth inning.

Starfires first baseman Nick Serce (Alfred State/Rochester, N.Y.), who walked in each of his first three at-bats delivered the go-ahead, two-run single on a base knock to right field with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning.

“We weren’t producing the runs early in the game, but we stayed with ourselves and produced the runs at the right time,” Serce said.

Kobe Mentzer walked and Jay Bant singled to begin the eighth-inning rally. AIC junior Kiernan Caffrey came in to pinch run for Bant. Western New England senior Aaron Cole, who replaced an injured Corey Zientek earlier in the game, moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt. Serce followed with his two RBI single, knocking Worcester’s reliever from the ball game. J.D. Jones tacked on an insurance run, poking a base hit through the right side. Dan Burnett, of Southwick singled. A wild pitch made it 7-4.

“It’s the power of a big inning,” Westfield manager Kyle Dembrowski said. “We try to limit those on the pitching standpoint but on the offensive side of the ball we are always looking to put up a big inning.”

Several times against Worcester, Westfield looked as if it might light up the scoreboard.

Westfield put runners on the corners in the bottom of the first inning against Worcester starting pitcher Max LeBlanc but came away empty. LeBlanc hit Zientek with a two-out pitch. Zientek left the game with an apparent hand injury. Dembrowski inserted Cole, who immediately stole second base and advanced to third on a passed ball. Serce walked but LeBlanc forced a ground out to end the inning.

In the second, Burnett walked and advanced a base on a passed ball. Jake Risedorf knocked him over to third with a double. Burnett scored on a ball four wild pitch.

In the third, Cole and Serce walked. Cole stole two consecutive bases – one before Serce’s base on balls and another after. With one out, J.D. Jones lofted a sac-fly to left field, making it a 2-0 ball game.

The lead was short-lived, however.

Worcester battled back to tie and take the lead in the fourth inning. Three consecutive singles, including a Michael Florides RBI base hit, and an errant throw to third on Florides’ base knock, knotted the game 2-2. The Bravehearts took the lead on a Greg Gorman sac-fly RBI to right field.

Worcester added to its lead in the top of the fifth. Westfield pitcher Trey Yesu hit Tyler Bastunas with a pitch to begin the inning. Daniel Bucciero singled. Yesu induced a 4-6-3 double play in the next at-bat but a run still scored, nudging the Bravehearts lead to 4-2.

Westfield let a fantastic opportunity go by the wayside in the fifth inning. The Starfires loaded the bases against the bullpen with walks from Mentzer and Serce sandwiched around a Bant single. Two fly outs, including a diving catch made out in foul territory in deep right field left the bases loaded.

Westfield tried to close in the gap in the sixth inning, loading the bases with a Risedorf double – his second – a Jack Kent walk, and Mentzer single, and then scoring on a Bant RBI single. The Starfires struck out in their next two at-bats though, stranding three more base runners, bringing the game total to nine.

In the seventh, two Starfires reached base. Burnett singled with one out and Kent drew a two-out walk. A ground out ended the inning.

Westfield pitcher Bryce DiPiero provided two 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, setting the stage for the team’s comeback. Westfield State senior Joe Espinola earned the save for the Starfires. He struck out two of the five batters he faced, allowing a Gorman solo shot and A.J. Guindon double.

The Starfires will play on consecutive days on the road against the Brockton Rox before returning home against the Nashua Silver Knights Saturday at Bullens Field at 6:30 p.m.