TURNERS FALLS — A three-run top of the fourth inning provided all the offense the Smith Vocational baseball team needed on Tuesday. As a result, the Vikings put themselves in the driver’s seat for the Tri-County League North regular season title.
A Franklin Tech error in right field on a fly ball helped jump start the Vikings, and Jeremy Torres’ two-run double with two outs in the frame lifted Smith Vocational to an eventual 4-2 victory over the Eagles in a battle of TCL North title contenders.
“Smith Voke certainly wasn’t a team we overlooked and they made more plays than we did today,” Franklin Tech skipper Dan Prasol said. “They deserved to win the game.”
The Eagles (7-7, 6-3 TCL), which needed a win to assure at least a share of the TCL North title, led 2-0 after pushing a pair of runs across in the bottom of the third inning. Dylan Demers led off with a single and eventually scored on an RBI ground out from Joe Boyden. Cayden Lehtomaki delivered the big blow, an RBI double that plated Gavin Rubio (hit by a pitch) to make it a 2-0 game.
Smith Vocational (5-1, 5-1), which hadn’t played a game since May 27, rallied in the top of the fourth with Cole Boisvert’s leadoff double setting the table. After stealing third, Boisvert scampered home on an error in right field off the bat of Dylan Fil. With two outs, Torres delivered the go-ahead two-run double to the left center field gap to make it a 3-2 game.
“One mistake in a game as close as this one can make the difference,” said Prasol.
Franklin Tech starter Jake Whitney, who went 5⅓ innings on the mound for the Eagles with four strikeouts, was pulled in the top of the sixth inning with a runner on third and one out. Caelan Finnie came through with an insurance run, lifting a sacrifice fly to left field off reliever Alex Sulda that plated Fil and gave the Vikings a 4-2 advantage.
“Jake threw the ball well,” Prasol lauded. “We couldn’t get the bats going to back him up. That’s kind of the been one of the stories of our season, to be honest with you.”
Smith Voke’s Race Drobiak wiggled out of trouble in the home half of the sixth inning after Whitney reached on an error and Ty Sadoski reached after catcher’s interference was called with one out. Drobiak got a line out and a strikeout to quell the threat however, and got the Eagles 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh to snag the complete game victory. Drobiak struck out five in seven innings, scattering five hits and just one walk.
The Eagles nearly took a lead in the bottom of the second inning. Whitney led off with a double and moved to third base on a Sulda fly out to right field. Sadoski followed with a chopper to third base, and with Whitney breaking for home, Fil, Smith Vocational’s third baseman, gunned a strike to catcher Caden Payne for the out at the plate to keep the game scoreless.
The teams split their regular season series, as the Eagles won a tight 3-1 decision in Northampton back on May 13. The Vikings now control their own destiny in the TCL North race. If they win their final four games, they’ll take home a solo league crown. One loss would likely split honors with Westfield Tech (7-3, 7-2). The two teams actually play Friday in Northampton.