The season of tight games continued for the Franklin County Technical School baseball team on Monday.
The Eagles shook off a seventh-inning deficit, scoring two in the bottom of the frame to walk off for a 5-4 victory over Gateway Regional High School in an independent baseball game played in Turners Falls.
Trailing 4-3 in the home half of the seventh, Tech rallied with its big bats due up. Travis Cutting led off with a single, and Sam Bobala tied the game with an RBI double. Bobala would eventually advance to third base, and with Nate Pelletier up, the sophomore squared around to show bunt. The move did enough to distract Gateway pitcher Ryan Orr, who was called for a balk that allowed Bobala to skip home with the game-winning run and the 5-4 victory.
“It’s a heads-up play,” said Tech coach Brian Winslow. “Pelletier using some baseball sense to try and make something happen for a young baseball team. He’s the hitter I want up in that situation anyway. We definitely had the order coming up the way we wanted it (in the seventh).”
Bobala totaled three hits to pace the Eagles (7-8), which got a strong start on the mound from Damion Willor. The sophomore tossed six innings, striking out eight and walking three before Pelletier came on to earn the win after pitching the seventh.
Tech travels to TCL-leader Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School (8-4, 8-1 TCL) today.
Mohawk 15, Easthampton 0 — Chris Graves’ work both on the mound and at the plate was more than enough for Mohawk Trail Regional High School on Monday.
The senior pitched a three-hit shutout, striking out nine and walking just one, and added three hits and two RBI at the dish to help the visiting Warriors to a convincing 15-0 win over Easthampton High School in a Hampshire League East contest in Easthampton.
Luke Viens helped key the offense with two hits, a double and a triple, and four RBI, while Daniel Szafran posted two hits and two RBI. Seth Donovan added two hits and an RBI.
Mohawk travels to HL East-leading Pioneer Valley Regional School for a huge game Thursday night under the lights in Northfield.
Commerce 4, Mahar 2 — Elian Almanzar limited Mahar Regional School to just one hit over seven innings, lifting High School of Commerce to a 4-2 win over the Senators Monday in an independent tilt in Springfield.
Almanzar, who was the tough-luck loser when Mahar edged Commerce, 2-1, last week, struck out nine, walked four and allowed just one single to Gabe O’Lari. The Senators managed a pair of unearned runs — one in the sixth and one in the seventh — with Zack Geyster and O’Lari scampering home to cut into the early 4-0 deficit.
Commerce led 3-0 after one and tacked on another in the fourth. The Red Raiders totaled nine hits on the afternoon.
Mahar’s Will Peridina struck out three and allowed just one earned run in his five innings of action on the mound before Jacob Berry finished things up in the sixth.
Mahar travels to Smith Academy today in a HL East game in Hatfield.
Pioneer 15, Duggan 0 (5) — Pioneer Valley Regional School continued to inch its way toward the 10-win mark necessary to reach the postseason on Monday. The Panthers scored in every inning, dispatching visiting Duggan Academy with a 15-0 win in a five-inning independent baseball game in Northfield.
The Panthers (9-5), which can become postseason-eligible with a win over Athol High School today, outhit Duggan by a 13-1 margin. Alex Tyson, Elliot Mousseau and Cody Letourneau paced the offense with two hits each, while Jake Hubbard and Mike Menard drove in two runs apiece.
The quartet of Jack Loud, Jordan Loughman, Scott Perlberg and Menard combined to limit Duggan to just one hit, a lead-off single in the top of the first.