MIAA baseball: Keefe Tech eliminates Greenfield in Div. 5 Round of 16

GREENFIELD — Everything ganged up on Greenfield early in Wednesday’s MIAA Division 5 Round of 16 baseball tournament game: mistakes in the field, mistakes on the basepaths, and most of all, the constant pressure applied by the visitors from Keefe Tech.

The Broncos from Framingham scored twice in the first inning and added four more runs in the third, putting the Green Wave on their heels right away. That early 6-0 lead managed to hold up despite Greenfield’s late comeback effort, as Keefe Tech ousted the Wave, 8-5, at Veterans Memorial Field.

Keefe Tech, the No. 21 seed in Division 5, improved to 11-7 and moved ahead to a state quarterfinal game at fourth-seeded Drury. The Blue Devils trounced Brighton in a five-inning game Wednesday, 22-1, to advance.

Greenfield wrapped its 2026 season at 16-6 after winning the Western Mass. Class C championship, its first sectional title in 13 years. The Wave pulled a No. 5 seed in the Division 5 statewide bracket and earned a first-round victory.

“You can’t spot most teams six runs, and then you’ve got a hard road to come back,” said Greenfield coach Tom Suchanek. “Some of our mistakes hurt us, as they will in most games. Were they a lot better team than us? Absolutely not. We fought back, we had guys on base and just didn’t come up with the big hit.”

Green Wave starter Arthur Fitzpatrick labored through his first inning with three walks, although the Wave cut down leadoff man Joey Secatore trying to steal second. Jaxon Fertel and Jariel Torres each walked with two out and JC Vivieca’s fly ball to left fell in for a double, bringing in a pair, before Fitzpatrick could escape the jam.

In the third, the Broncos’ Will DeVeau led off with a base hit past shortstop, then stole second and continued to third when the throw went into center field. Fertel and Torres each drew free passes for the second time, filling the bases, and Vivieca came up with his third RBI on a single to left, scoring DeVeau. After an out, Brendan Tedstone reached on a fielder’s choice while Fertel scored, and Zeke Bogosian then lifted a fly to left that was misplayed and allowed both Torres and Tedstone to come home. Joe Klein then lashed a first-pitch liner back through the box that Fitzpatrick snared for the final out.

Against Keefe Tech right-hander Chance Warren, the Green Wave had a runner reach in the second and two in the third, but Warren escaped trouble with a double-play ball off the bat of Conner Bergeron. The hosts finally broke through in the fourth thanks to leadoff singles by Chase Zraunig and Luca Siano, and Zraunig scored when Fitzpatrick’s grounder to short was thrown away at first. Siano moved up to third and came in on a single to left by Urijah Jenness, but the Wave couldn’t do more as Warren set down the next three hitters.

The Green Wave then pulled within 6-3 in the fifth on a leadoff walk to Bodie Burke, who stole second, continued to third on a wild throw, and scored on Bergeron’s base hit to left. Fertel came on to relieve Warren at that point. Bergeron stole second and Zraunig was hit by a pitch, then both runners executed a double steal. Fertel got a strikeout and then a grounder to short from Fitzpatrick, but both Bergeron and Zraunig were trapped and tagged out in rundowns on a wacky 6-2-5-4 double play, denying the Wave an even bigger inning.

With a bit of a reprieve, Keefe Tech tacked on a pair of unearned runs in the sixth, when Klein and Secatore both reached on infield errors and Fertel launched a two-run double to deep right field to make it 8-3.

The two extra runs helped in a big way as the Broncos kicked the ball around in the bottom of the seventh to the tune of three errors, leading to two Green Wave runs. Burke singled to lead off, stole second and went to third on a throwing error, then crossed the plate on Fertel’s wild pitch. 

Bergeron also singled and stole second and Zraunig was hit by a pitch for the second time. Fertel got a strikeout and a groundout as the runners took second and third, then Jenness and Malik Moore both reached on infield errors to load the bases. Bergeron scored on Jenness’ ball to make it 8-5.

With the tying runs aboard, Fertel then recorded a strikeout to end the game.

Greenfield finished with nine hits, but also left nine men on base. Four batters, Burke, Bergeron, Siano, and Jenness, each came through with a pair of hits. Fitzpatrick and reliever Caleb Kimberly combined to throw a seven-hitter.

Seniors Fitzpatrick, Siano, and Moore played their final games in green and white Wednesday.

“We had some talent, we were young and inexperienced, and mistakes are going to happen. You just hope you’re going to grow,” said Suchanek. “We’ve got three seniors graduating and two kids going off to prep school. We’ve still got a good nucleus, and for the younger guys, we’ve got stuff to take away and build for the future. I’m sure this will be in the back of their minds as we attempt to get back to the same position.”