AMHERST — In the last 16 years, the Frontier Regional baseball team has won four Western Massachusetts championships.
On Saturday, the Red Hawks were back with a chance for another against fourth-seeded Wahconah in the Western Mass. Division 3 Tournament finals at Earl Lorden Field at UMass.
The third-seeded Red Hawks fell behind early and couldn’t come back, losing 13-3.
“Not the ending I wanted,” Frontier coach Chris Williams said. “But this was a very special experience. This was a job I wanted since I was in high school. It was awesome to work with these kids.”
Frontier seniors Noah Barnes, Brandon Bryant, Evan Bourque, Nolan Muzyka, Nate Patterson, Justin Farrick and Bailey Powers played their last game for the Red Hawks (17-4).
Williams, in his first year as varsity coach, worked with all of the seniors when they were freshman on the junior varsity team.
“Taking over with this class of seniors was great,” Williams said.
Frontier trailed 4-0 and had a runner on base in the third inning when the game was delayed for 2 hours and 35 minutes because of rain.
When play resumed, the Warriors got out of the third, then added five runs in the fourth to set the Red Hawks back 9-0 after four innings.
Frontier had 10 hits off Wahconah starter Will Genaway, but only one for extra bases.
That extra-base hit came in the bottom of the seventh when pinch hitter Dylan Husted hammered a 340-foot home run to left field off Genaway.
“I went up there swinging,” Husted said. “There were two outs. I’m a first-pitch swinger, and I decided I’d see where it would take me.”
Even with the game out of reach, the homer sent teammates and the Frontier fans into a frenzy.
Frontier starter Barnes never looked comfortable, giving up five hits, six runs and three walks.
“They had his number today,” Williams said. “He was leaving the ball up a little bit today.”
Williams used four pitchers in the game.
Frontier pitching had trouble with Wahconah (16-8) catcher Matt Schneider, who went 3 for 3 with a walk and five RBIs.
Schneider had a single, a double and a triple.
“With that team, on this day I am not sure there was anything we could have done,” Williams said.
Genaway pitched a complete game, giving up three runs and 10 hits while striking out eight.
Frontier scored in the bottom of the fourth inning when Powers and Ben Arnold both hit singles and advanced to second and third, respectively, on an error.
Barnes plated Powers with a sacrifice fly while Muzyka singled to score Arnold. It was 9-2 after the fourth.
Kyle Spencer added two hits for the Red Hawks.
