GREENFIELD — Johnny Camerota’s masterful pitching gave the Belchertown baseball team a 4-2 win over Greenfield in the first round of the Western Massachusetts Division 3 Tournament Thursday night.
When the day turned to night and the lights came on at Veterans Memorial Field, Camerota only got stronger for the ninth-seeded Orioles. Camerota struck out 13, including the last batter of the game with runners in scoring position for the eighth-seeded Green Wave.
There were moments in the game when Belchertown coach Tony Pierno thought about pulling Camerota with his pitch count climbing steadily.
“I decided he was keeping hitters off balance enough at the plate,” Pierno said. “I’m proud of the fight of our team. Collectively it wasn’t our best. We made mental mistakes.”
The decision to leave Camerota in the game paid off. He allowed one earned run on five hits and five walks, throwing 105 pitches.
Pierno made his team unavailable to the media after the game.
“We are going to win a championship, or lose,” Pierno said. “It’s not double elimination.”
Belchertown (12-7) advanced to play at top-seeded South Hadley (16-4) Monday at 4 p.m.
The Orioles didn’t get much offense in the game, but it was timely. In the first inning, Jack Kamins gave Belchertown a 1-0 lead with an RBI single to right field.
Ethan Barry’s RBI single in the fourth inning evened the score at 2-2 for the Orioles.
Kamins had another clutch hit in the fifth inning. With Camerota at third base, Kamins sent a hard hit ball toward the Greenfield shortstop, who knocked it down but couldn’t make a throw. Camerota scored on the play, giving Belchertown a 3-2 lead..
One of the critical Belchertown mistakes came in the same inning. With a runner on third, Tanner Clark attempted a safety squeeze but lined the bunt to the pitcher, who then doubled up the runner at third to end the threat.
Clark’s RBI single with the bases loaded in the fifth inning added an insurance run for the Orioles, who took a 4-2 lead. A base-running blunder cost Belchertown an opportunity to open the game up for Camerota. After Clark’s single, Pierno held the runner at third, but the runner at second advanced, allowing a double play of both runners.
Belchertown overcame some sloppy play in the field early. Greenfield tied the game at 1-1 in the first on two consecutive errors by the Orioles.
In the bottom of the third, Greenfield’s Andrew Toritto had an RBI double that gave Greenfield a 2-1 lead. The runner at second reached on an error in the inning.
