On the road against the top-ranked opponent is not usually the best formula for success come tournament-time.
Ninth-seeded Franklin County Technical School found that out on Monday. Top-seeded Ware High School scored eight runs in the bottom of the first inning and controlled play from there, picking up a 16-0 victory in five innings in a WMass Division 4 quarterfinal at Memorial Field in Ware.
“I told the guys, there’s a reason they’re the number one seed,” Franklin Tech coach Dan Prasol said of Ware. “They outpitched us, they clearly outhit us. Our biggest downside was walks. We had 13 of them. You can’t put batters on and expect to win a ballgame against a team like that.”
The Eagles, which picked up a 5-4 win in the first-round on the road at No. 8 Pioneer last week, could not replicate the feat in Monday’s quarterfinal. Starting pitcher Keith Smith tossed four no-hit innings, as the Indians pitched zeroes throughout the five-inning run-shortened contest.
“We ran into a really good team and we picked a bad time to go cold at the plate,” Prasol offered.
Devon Fuller led Ware (18-3) with three hits and four RBIs. Nick Morrin had two hits and drove in five runs, while Devin Slattery doubled and tripled as part of the team’s 12-hit attack.
Nate Sciandra took the loss for the Eagles (14-8), and he combined on the mound with Tim Fritz and Max Leh.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” began Prasol. “I’m not disappointed in the guys in any way, shape or form. I’m proud of what they accomplished this year. They should be proud of what they accomplished.”
Prasol lauded the presence of senior Sim Maniatty, who paved the way for his Eagles throughout the 2019 campaign.
“We’re going to have to fill the void of Sim Maniatty’s leadership role next year. That’s a big loss, probably our biggest,” Prasol said. “He busted his butt straight until the end.”
Ware advanced to the Division 4 semifinals and a matchup with No. 5 Lenox (13-9) on Thursday at Westfield State University.
Ware 16, FC Tech 0 (5)
FC Tech ……………….. 000 00 — 0 0 1
Ware …………………… 814 03 — 16 12 1
Hits: (FT) none. (W) Dev. Slattery 2, Smith 2, Fuller 3, Balicki, Morin 2, Dulak 2
2B: (W) Dev. Slattery, Fuller.
3B: (W) Dev. Slattery.
RBI: (W) Dev. Slattery 2, Smith 2, Fuller 4, Balicki, Morin 5, Dulak 2.
WP: Smith (4ip, 8k, 0bb).
LP: Sciandra (1.1ip, 0k, 6bb), Fritz (1.2ip, 1k, 5bb), Leh (1ip, 0k, 2bb).