GREENFIELD — Greenfield Post 81 concluded its final Western Mass. American Legion playoff game on Wednesday, putting the finishing touches on a 11-3 win over Monson Post 241 at Veterans Memorial Field.
The game against Monson began on Tuesday, reaching the bottom of first inning before rain washed away any chance of finishing the contest.
Sam Connors of Greenfield Post 81 squares to bunt against Monson Post 241, Wednesday in Greenfield. Credit: ADAM HARGRAVES / Staff Photo 
Arthur Fitzpatrick of Greenfield Post 81 delivers a pitch against Monson Post 241, Wednesday in Greenfield. Credit: ADAM HARGRAVES / Staff Photo 
Ethan Mauthe of Greenfield Post 81 slides into third against Monson Post 241, Wednesday in Greenfield. Credit: ADAM HARGRAVES / Staff Photo 
Greenfield Post 81’s Bodie Burke is waved home in the first inning vs Monson on Tuesday at Veteran’s Field. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Greenfield Post 81’s Conner Bergeron turns a double play, backed up by Samuel Connors, as Monson’s Theo Haley slides into second on Tuesday at Veteran’s Field. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Greenfield Post 81’s Arthur Fitzpatrick winds up in the first inning vs Monson on Tuesday at Veteran’s Field. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Greenfield Post 81’s Bodie Burke takes second as Monson’s Matt Santos skies for the errant throw on Tuesday at Veteran’s Field. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Greenfield Post 81’s Hunter Donahue gathers a shallow hit vs Monson on Tuesday at Veteran’s Field. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Greenfield Post 81’s Conner Bergeron connects vs Monson on Tuesday at Veteran’s Field. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo
The victory clinched a spot in the Massachusetts Senior State Baseball Tournament, which begins on Saturday in Milford. Greenfield Post 81 finished 17-0-2 during the Western Mass. portion of the season, far ahead of any other team in Zone 3A. The record was the best in Western Mass. Northampton finished first in Zone 3B with a record of 14-5. Greenfield has two wins over Northampton.
“The team got along really well,” Greenfield coach Alex Siano said. “They all wanted to play and wanted to be here this year. Some kids went to college and didn’t get to play high school baseball and they came back to play one more time with their friends.”
The competition will be considerable when Greenfield travels to Fino Field to play some players from much bigger cities from different parts of the state.
“I told the guys it’s going to be different,” Siano said. “Legion baseball is different than high school baseball. In high school you play close to your school size. It doesn’t matter about school size. We could be playing like Franklin, Mass. They have a town of 70,000 people.”
Population density can lead to better talent on a Legion baseball roster.
“They are going to be playing against the best baseball players they have played against all year,” Siano said. “They know that. The pitching is going to be better. It’s going to be hard. But we’ll see how good we are and hopefully we can represent ourselves well.”
Greenfield will have a rested pitching staff for Saturday. The club used five pitchers in the win over Monson. Arthur Fitzpatrick, Evan Tsipenyuk, Bodie Burke, Conner Bergeron and Sam Connors all saw time on the mound. Greenfield pitching combined for nine strikeouts. Burke led the team with four.
Fitzpatrick got the win, pitching an inning on Tuesday and an inning on Wednesday. Fitzpatrick struck out three hitters in the second inning. Connors pitched the seventh for Greenfield.
On Tuesday, Greenfield scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning. An RBI double by Ethan Mauthe highlighted the inning. Two additional runs scored on wild pitches. Greenfield opened play on Wednesday with a safety squeeze, executed by Connors that scored Hunter Donahue from third base.
Bergeron increased the lead with a two-run single in the bottom of the second. The hit gave Greenfield a 6-1 lead. Mauthe continued swinging a hot bat with a two-run triple later in the inning. Nicholas Prasol added an RBI single, giving Greenfield a 9-1 lead at the end of the second inning.
Hayden Girard notched an RBI with a groundout in the bottom of the sixth inning.
