Class B baseball: Frontier exacts revenge with 7-1 win over Belchertown

SOUTH DEERFIELD — The revenge factor certainly existed Monday for Frontier baseball, and the Redhawks made that opportunity stick.

With the game knotted 1-1 going to the home fifth inning, Frontier erupted for a six-run outburst, including a pair of successful squeeze bunts to plate runs, and the Redhawks eased their way to a 7-1 victory over Belchertown in the PVIAC Western Mass. Class B quarterfinals.

Fourth-seeded Frontier improved to 16-3 and advanced to a semifinal against top seed Pittsfield (16-3), at a site and time to be determined.

In 2025, Belchertown bounced Frontier in the Class B quarterfinals with a 6-1 win. 

“These guys took care of us pretty good last year,” said Redhawks coach Chris Williams. “We had come off a couple of disappointing losses, and to step into that one and get knocked out in the first round, that was a tough pill to swallow. We were excited to get them and get the opportunity to pay them back a little bit.”

Carter Miller and Joey Hutkoski combined on a three-hitter on the mound for the Redhawks.

Frontier struck first when No. 9 hitter Grayson Bishop reached on an error to begin the third inning, and Bishop stole second and went to third on a groundout. With two out, Braiden Dion drew a walk. When a pickoff try from Orioles pitcher Canyon Charron went wide of first into foul ground, Bishop came in with the lead run.

The lead didn’t last as Max Matthews walked to begin the Belchertown fourth, moved to second on Austin Raymer’s sacrifice and took third on a groundout. Ryan Gould then spiked a single to right field, the Orioles’ first hit, as Matthews crossed with the tying run,

That set up the Frontier fifth inning, when the first five Redhawks reached base. Noah Poreda reached on an infield single to deep short and stole second, then Bishop walked. Jack Cusson lined an RBI single to left-center to make it 2-1, and Bishop went to third on a wild pickoff attempt at second.

Brady Poreda and Dion then dropped consecutive bunts in front of the mound to put instant pressure on the Oriole defense. The first bunt scored Bishop with the throw to the plate going to the backstop, and the second was thrown away down the right-field line, allowing Cusson and Poreda to cross and Dion to reach second.

After Charron recorded the first out on a strikeout, Austin D’Urso and Miller came up with back-to-back RBI singles, scoring Dion and pinch runner Cody Dubreuil.

“That small-ball stuff has worked for us all year,” said Williams. “It’s been a go-to with offensive production. I preach that we’re the most athletic team, one through nine. Our guys are fast, they’re strong, and they can put the ball in play.”

Hutkoski relieved Miller to begin the sixth and worked around a threat in the top of the seventh, when the Orioles got singles from Gould and Charron and a walk to Nathan Leblond. Gould was erased in a rundown between second and third after Charron’s hit. Hutkoski got Jon Perron on a lineout to Shawn Baumann at second to end the game. 

Belchertown, the fifth seed in Class B, dropped to 7-10.