A six-run first inning more than set the tone for Greenfield Post 81 Monday night.
The second-seeded squad got its American Legion Baseball Junior Division playoff run off to a fine start, thumping seventh-seeded Belchertown Post 239, 8-1, in the opening round of the double-elimination tournament at Veterans Memorial Field in Greenfield.
“It was a good game for us,” began Post 81 coach Tom Bresciano. “It got us going for the playoffs here. Our bats stayed hot, we got that timely hitting right away.”
Greenfield will play a winner’s bracket game tonight against No. 3 Agawam Post 185, which defeated Wilbraham, 11-3, in its opening-round game Monday. Tonight’s contest is scheduled to be played at Beacon Field at 5:30 p.m.
Post 81 got off and running, pushing six runs across in the first inning. Owen Phelps came through with the big hit, a two-run single, while Corbin Blight also drove in a run with a hit as Greenfield led 6-0 and never looked back.
Garrett DeForest started and went two innings before being lifted to preserve his pitch count moving forward this week. Brody Baird came on for three innings of work, and he picked up the win in relief. Nate Sciandra tossed the last two innings, as Greenfield held Belchertown in check and sent the visitors into an elimination game tonight against Wilbraham.
Joel Peabody led the Post 81 offense with two hits and two runs scored, while Dylan Apanell had a hit and two RBIs. Phelps added a run scored, while Jack O’Neill was 1-for-4 with a pair of runs.
The winner of tonight’s Greenfield-Agawam game will meet the winner of Westfield-Pittsfield in a contest on Wednesday night. The loser’s of those two games will meet on Wednesday in an elimination game.