PALMER — To win the American Legion Senior Division championship, Greenfield Post 81 is going to need contributions from its entire pitching arsenal.
If Thursday’s opening-round playoff game against Wilbraham Post 286 Blue is any indication, Greenfield is well-stocked for such a run.
Second-seeded Post 81 received contributions on the mound from three different pitchers, holding seventh-seeded Wilbraham Blue’s offense in check save for a lone run in the top of the seventh inning, to advance to the winner’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament with a 5-1 victory at Legion Field.
Greenfield will play No. 3 Wilbraham Post 286 Red, an 8-0 winner over No. 6 Westfield Post 124, tonight at 5:30 p.m. back at Legion Field in Palmer. Wilbraham Blue and Westfield will play tonight in an elimination game.
“To win these games, we’re going to need all five of our pitchers to step up,” Post 81 manager Kyle Phelps said. “That was our main goal tonight, to get our pitching set up for the rest of the tournament.”
Owen Phelps started and went 3⅔ innings, striking out four while allowing three hits and one walk. The right-hander was one out away from factoring into the decision with his team holding a 5-0 lead, but was pulled after tossing 59 pitches. That kept him below the next pitch-count threshold, and he’ll be eligible to return to the mound on Sunday.
“Obviously, I wanted to finish (the inning) but I understand how it works and we need as many guys available as we can the next couple of days,” Owen Phelps said. “My arm felt good. I’ve been able to get a lot of rest this summer with the pitch count and all that so I’ll be ready to go again as soon as I’m able.”
Post 81 provided all the offense it would need in the bottom of the third inning. The team batted around, taking advantage of four walks from Wilbraham Blue starter Cole Johnson (2⅓ innings, six walks).
Colin Cloutier put Greenfield on the board, lifting a single to center field with two strikes that plated Bryan Baumann for the game’s first run. Garrett DeForest made it 2-0 when he scampered home on a wild pitch, while Kalen Evans and Hunter Campbell worked back-to-back walks later in the frame to force in runs. Connor Waitkus scored on another wild pitch to make it 5-0.
“Up and down our lineup, we have guys capable of getting hits and making plays on offense,” Owen Phelps said.
The five-spot would be plenty, especially with the way the Post 81 hurlers were going. After Owen Phelps was pulled, Jacob Berry came on and got the final out of the fourth inning to escape a jam. After that, Berry retired six of the next seven batters he faced, striking out three without allowing a hit in 2⅓ innings of relief. He was credited with the victory.
“Berry came in and did a good job. It was nice to get him back going,” Kyle Phelps said.
Evans finished the game in the seventh inning, allowing one run while also receiving a nice defensive play behind him to limit the damage. Wilbraham’s Antonio Bliss roped a double with one out and a runner on base, but the relay managed to cut down Justin Barbeau at the plate as Waitkus hit Campbell, who gunned a strike to Cloutier at home just in time to keep it a 5-1 game. Evans got Alex Hill to pop up to third base to seal the first-round win.
“Hopefully that play at the end will keep the momentum going for us,” Kyle Phelps said. “It was a good way to end the game for us. A lot of times, guys can struggle a bit playing a lower-seeded team. Hopefully, we learned that you have to get up for every team from here on out.”
Post 81 managed just four hits on the night, with Evans belting a triple in the second inning and DeForest doubling in the fourth. Cloutier’s single in the third and Arnold’s single in the fifth rounded out the team’s hits.
Joel Peabody is the likely starter tonight against Wilbraham Red, a team that Post 81 edged, 4-3, when they met during the regular season.
“We know the talent level of the teams we’re going to see is only going to go up,” said Owen Phelps. “We’ve been battled-tested, though. We’ve proven we can win tough games.”
A win would send Greenfield through to another winner’s bracket game Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Wilbraham’s Spec Pond. A loss would force an elimination game, also on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Spec Pond.
Greenfield 5, Wilbraham Blue 1
Wilbraham …………….. 000 000 1 — 1 5 1
Greenfield …………….. 005 000 x — 5 4 2
Hits: (W) Talaia, Russell, Dowding 2, Bliss. (G) DeForest, Cloutier, Arnold, Evans.
2B: (W) Bliss, Talaia. (G) DeForest.
3B: (G) Evans.
RBI: (W) Duperre. (G) Cloutier, Evans, Campbell.
WP: Berry (2⅓ip, 3k, 0bb), Phelps (3⅔ip, 4k, 1bb), Evans (1ip, 0k, 0bb).
LP: Johnson (2⅓ip, 0k, 6bb), Hanechak (3⅔ip, 1k, 1bb).