For the first time since 2013, the Greenfield baseball team won a Western Mass. championship on May 23. It wasn’t just any regular high school playoff baseball game. The Green Wave faced off with Lenox in the Class C finals in a 17 inning, three hour and 33 minute marathon. After 424 total pitches, a hit by Malik Moore scored Luca Siano for the game-winning run in the bottom of the 17th inning.
The Greenfield Recorder got together with Siano, Conner Bergeron, Moore, Arthur Fitzpatrick and coach Tom Suchanek to recount the longest game by innings in Western Mass. championship game history.
Additional details from Recorder correspondent George Miller, who covered the historic game, will be interspersed throughout the story.
It all started when the Green Wave got off the team bus at Mackenzie Stadium in Holyoke.
Note: The Greenfield Recorder edited portions of the exchange for clarity.
Luca Siano (catcher): We were excited. We were just ready to play. We knew this was the team to do it. We had a special group of kids. We had a lot of fun this season. Ups and downs. We put work in at practice. We came ready to play. We came excited to play. Everybody was focused.
Arthur Fitzpatrick (pitcher/shortstop): At the start of the season, we had a meeting with the coaches in here and before anything we set a couple team goals…the second goal was Western Mass. Getting to accomplish that meant a lot to the team. I feel like everybody knew that, even the night before. We made sure everybody got in early. Everybody was ready to go for gametime.
Luca Siano: Me, Malik and Arthur. We’ve been a part of the Greenfield program for six years of our lives. That’s half of what I remember through my life is being a part of this baseball team.
George Miller: (Recorder correspondent): Lenox only had one baserunner through the first three innings. Blake Hoff hit an infield single in the second inning. Fitzpatrick retired 10 of the first 11 hitters that he faced through 3 1/3 innings.
Siano: He (Fitzpatrick) was on. Arthur has put in so much work. I have caught so many bullpens with that kid. They weren’t always good bullpens, but the point was to get them done. He was ready to go.
Tom Suchanek (Greenfield skipper): When Arthur has confidence in himself, which he had that day he usually is on. He’s had games earlier where the body language wasn’t there. He knows it. We’ve discussed it numerous times.
Miller: The Green Wave got runners to third base twice, once in the third and once in the sixth. Bodie Burke led off the sixth inning with a double. Burke eventually got to third, but Luca Siano grounded out to end the inning.
Siano: It happens, you can’t win them all. I had seven at bats that day. I am a senior and should be a little more clutch than that. It just didn’t happen. My boys had my back. They picked me up when I couldn’t pull through.
Suchanek: It upset you.
Conner Bergeron (pitcher, shortstop): Even though we weren’t getting those runners in we stayed up and kept on going.
Siano: We had pretty good dugout energy the whole game. Even the guys that weren’t playing were on the bench watching the whole thing. They stayed in it for us.
Miller: Through seven innings, Greenfield had no runs on five hits (six LOB) while Lenox had four hits (eight LOB).
Siano: We were putting the ball in play. I don’t think we struck out much. We knew it was a matter of time.
Suchanek: We struck out seven times, they struck out 15 times. We were putting the ball in play. Unfortunately they were making plays. Just like we were.
Miller: In the top of the eighth, Blake Hoff gave the Millionaires a 1-0 lead on a RBI double.
Siano: We thought it was over, I think that was a bomb. Wasn’t that a bomb? I think it was a bomb.
Malik Moore, outfielder: It was over Bodie’s (Burke) head. He just turned around and started running.
Fitzpatrick: After that hit, at least for me, there was a lot of emotions on the mound. I was going through it a little bit. In the back of my head, I wasn’t thinking about how we haven’t done much offensively.
Miller: With the game on the line, Conner Bergeron singled to right in the bottom of the eighth and then stole second base. Chase Zraunig doubled, bringing home Bergeron to tie the game.
Bergeron: I just knew I had to put the ball in place and get on base any way I could.
Siano: Conner Bergeron is one of the most reliable players on this team. The kid steps up big. We knew we had a chance when he led off and got on base. Bergeron and Chase are a good one-two punch. Conner deserves all the glaze you can give him. Kid is a stud.
Suchanek: As you can tell, Luca is not at a loss for words. Which is fine.
Miller: Fitzpatrick left the game after plunking a batter, bringing in Conner Bergeron to pitch from shortstop. Fitzpatrick moved to shortstop for Bergeron.
Siano: Conner Bergeron’s arm is pack-a-punch, unreal closer to come into the game… Kid’s arm fires out laser balls like Bowser.
Bergeron: I thought I was only going to have to go a couple innings but it ended being eight innings…that was just insane.
Suchanek: Conner missed five games earlier in the season because of…well we weren’t sure what it was. A hip flexor or whatever.
Siano: A hip injury.
Suchanek: Huh?
Siano: We didn’t know if he was going to come back. At the beginning of the game he said he didn’t want to start again. He just wanted to be a closer.
Suchanek: When the adrenaline is flowing, that’s when the gamers step up. He stepped up. Just as Arthur did.
Siano: He has a metal rod in his arm that fires out heaters. He was blowing them by them.
Suchanek: I think you missed your calling, you might be an announcer. You know that?
Siano: I could do that.
Miller: Greenfield turned a double play in the 10th inning; Bergeron caught a bunt that Lenox popped up and caught cut down a runner at second base.
Bergeron: I just gave it my all right there. I saw the ball go in the air and I had to make the catch. I didn’t know how far he as off so I made a weird throw but luckily it was on target.
Siano: Give me credit, I told you to throw it.
Fitzpatrick: That might have been more of an important play than people thought. I don’t know where they were in their order, but I think No. 15 (Bazinet) was coming up later in that inning.
Siano: It was clutch time. We had great defense all year. Not a lot of errors.
Miller: With two outs in the 10th, Greenfield gets an infield single by Zraunig, a bloop double by Luca Siano before an intentional walk to Fitzpatrick. Urijah Jenness grounded out the end the threat at shortstop.
Siano: Urijah was hitting the ball hard that day. Just right at guys. Can’t get mad at him for that.
Fitzpatrick: You have to give credit where credit is due, that shortstop made an amazing play. He dove to the right and stood up and still had time to throw to first. He made a great play.
Siano: I don’t know about you guys, but I thought that was our chance to do it. I was little frustrated that it didn’t get through.
Bergeron: It was a big letdown.
Siano: But what did we do? We picked him up.
Miller: In the 12th inning. Lenox scored to take 2-1 lead Robbie Bazinet RBI single. Bergeron struck out two hitters to end the inning.
Siano: It was what we needed after giving up a run. We had to get out of there and get the bats going. We couldn’t let it happen, we had worked too hard. We didn’t want to end on a heartbreaker.
Bergeron: I just knew I had to come back from that single and shut down the rest of the people.
Siano: That’s exactly what you did. You did what you do best. Shutting down batters.
Bergeron: It stopped the bleeding.
Miller: Lenox recorded two outs to begin the bottom of the 12th. The Green Wave were one out from a loss. Chase Zraunig doubled to keep the inning alive. Luca Siano reached on a throwing error, making it to second base. Zraunig scored on the play to tie the game.
Fitzpatrick: With two outs and needing some fire, Chase is the person we want there. The last three years ever since he started in eighth grade, his bat has been on fire. He’s been one of the best hitters on our team every year. There’s nobody better to be there and he came up with that clutch opposite field double.
Siano: The game could have been over in three pitches..it doesn’t matter how pretty it is, that’s how you do a job.
Suchanek: Chase on the on-deck circle is pretty intense, never mind when he gets to the plate. You can tell. One of our rules is with two strikes you choke up and cut it down. I don’t think he ever heard me say that. He is just swinging out his you know what.
Siano: The kid mashes the ball.
Miller: In the 13th, 14th and 15th inning the Millionaires only had one baserunner runner. Bergeron had three strikeouts during the stretch. The freshman only gave up one hit in three innings of work.
Siano: That’s taking pressure of our defense. The kid is almost unstoppable on the mound.
Bergeron: I kind of don’t remember the moment. I kind of blacked out. I was just rolling.
Fitzpatrick: Everybody knew at the start of the season that Conner was going to be one our best arms. It hurt when he got hurt, we didn’t know when he was going to come back. We were all glad he was back for that game. If we didn’t have him for that game who knows what happens.
Suchanek: If his injury was a hip pointer, I don’t know if he could come back. That you don’t get over easy. Thank god it was a pull. Five games and we has back. We weened him in, we didn’t throw him into the fire. When we got to that game he was ready to rock and roll.
Siano: There should be a holiday named after Conner Bergeron in the town of Greenfield.
Miller: Lenox took the lead in the top of the 16th. An RBI triple by Bryce Hoff gave Lenox 3-2 lead.
Siano: We were petrified. We were scared.
Bergeron: I knew my team was behind me. I didn’t really worry that much because I knew we could get it done.
Miller: With one out, Bodie Burke walked before stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error. Conner Bergeron brought home the run on a sacrifice fly to centerfield.
Fitzpatrick: A huge part of that is the read Bodie had after he stole second. The ball didn’t boot away that far away from second. That advancement to third allowed the run to score. That’s just a huge play from Bodie. Maybe the most under-appreciated play of the game.
Bergeron: When Bodie got to third I just knew I had to put it in play. I know Bodie is fast. If I just put in play, he is most likely going to score.
Miller: Bergeron retired the side in order in the top of the 17th inning with two strikeouts.
Siano: He just mows down batters. Arm is pack-a-punch, there might be a metal rod in there. He might have a UCL from Nolan Ryan.
Bergeron: I was definitely losing velocity. I could feel it. I was tired. I was hot. I just had to keep on throwing strikes.
Suchanek: He had 10 strikeouts in eight innings. That doesn’t seem like a big thing. But striking someone out is big versus somebody hitting a ground ball, a fly ball or moving a runner. When you strike out, you are going one place. Back to the bench.
Miller: Luca Siano started the bottom of the 17th with a single to right field. Fitzpatrick then bunted to move Siano to second base. A Jenness fly ball sent Siano to third. With two outs, Malik Moore singled to right center to bring home the game-winning run.
Moore: I was just really trying to put the ball in play. My at bats prior to that were not the greatest. I was having an emotional battle. I was just trying to put the ball in play and got lucky I guess.
Siano: When I saw that ball fly off his bat, first pitch crushing. I was running down third base, and my helmet is already off, and my finger is in the air because we won Western Mass.
Suchanek: I meant to tell you that you didn’t touch home plate. Did you know that?
Siano: Yes, I did.
Moore: Imagine.
Suchanek: Malik had a unique four-year career with his senior year being obviously his best. We’ve had many conversations, let’s put it that way.
Siano: He came up with the best possible moment of his career.
Miller: The intense celebration on the field ensued. There was a celebration of a championship but also the end of what seemed like a marathon.
Siano: We are a brotherhood, it was so fun to do that. That game was so emotional. So long. It felt like it was a movie.
Bergeron: It was definitely a big relief for everybody to get out of that game with a win.
Fitzpatrick: Everybody being in the dugout standing on their toes knowing there is a runner at third with Malik up. We knew he was ready to hit. We knew he was due. Everybody was to the side and ready to go. As soon as the ball hit the bat we knew it was a hit. Everybody rushed the field and we dogpiled Malik. It was a great time.
Moore: I couldn’t breath under there.
