BELCHERTOWN – Jack Feltovic walked into an empty dugout after crossing home plate.
His Belchertown Post 239 teammates vacated after his second home run Monday against Aldenville Post 337 in the American Legion Chairman’s Cup District 3 championship game. Feltovic appeared unbothered, then they streamed into the dugout behind him, clapping his shoulders and screaming.
His former Hopkins Academy teammates Braeden Tudryn and Patrick Fitzgibbons made the call to ditch him after the second homer. They like messing with him.
Nothing else fazed Feltovic. He went 4-for-4 with two home runs and seven RBIs in a 9-2 win.
“It’s incredible. I played against him for three years in high school, and I am so glad he’s on my team now,” Belchertown’s Eli Sayball-Wimmer said of Feltovic.
His first homer broke the ice in the bottom of the third inning. Sayball-Wimmer, Nate Mills and Matthew Tilton walked in front of him to set the table.
“It takes all the pressure off. When you’ve got one through five hitting in front of you, it makes my job easier,” Feltovic said.
Hard to believe he was in a slump entering the game. Post 239’s coaches dropped him to No. 6 in the lineup from No. 3 to ease some of that pressure and get him better pitches. Familiarity with Aldenville pitcher Brady Burnette helped. It was the third time Belchertown faced him this season. Feltovic knew what to look for and turned on one with the bases loaded, depositing the baseball behind the center field fence for a 4-0 lead.
“I love playing in these games,” said Feltovic, who threw a shutout in the state championship game his senior year with the Golden Hawks. “I wanted to do it for these boys.”
Those four runs were all Belchertown’s pitching needed. Ryan Schneider earned the win after allowing just a run and three hits in five innings.
“Couldn’t ask more from him. Be the ace,” Belchertown coach Jon Endelos said. “We’re built on pitching and defense. We’ve done that all summer long.”
Aldenville made it 4-1 in the top of the fourth. Josh Frometa led off with a double then stole third. Matthew Drobiak brought him home with a sacrifice fly to center field. Belchertown’s Andrew Fijal nearly cut him down at home, but Frometa slid safely in.
Belchertown extended its lead to 5-1 on a wild pitch in the bottom half. Sayball-Wimmer led off with an infield single then went to third on a Mills (two runs scored) double. Ty Gladu walked behind Mills to bring up Feltovic with two on.
His second home left even less doubt. The Wheaton commit pointed one finger to the sky rounding first before fist-bumping first-base coach Jeff Gladu. Feltovic hadn’t hit two homers in a game since his Cal Ripken days. He came around third base and told Endelos, “Coach, you gotta keep me at six.”
“He’s seen better pitches, and he’s able to be a little freer with the pressure not coming at the plate,” Endelos said. “That might be what he needed to loosen up.”
Ryan Zawistowski kept the inning going when he wore a pitch to reach first. Austin Endelos (two hits) cranked a ground rule double, then Braeden Tudryn roped an RBI single to make it 9-1. He had two hits in two plate appearances.
“This group is an unselfish group. I’ve coached teams where kids are on the bench, they mope,” Jon Endelos said. “These guys take advantage of opportunities.”
Smith Vocational product Race Drobiak gave Aldeville some life in the bottom of the seventh with a leadoff double. Walter Ninotti brought him around with an RBI groundout to cement the scoreline.
The victory earned Belchertown its first district championship of any kind. Post 239 will advance to the Chairman’s Cup state tournament Saturday in Hudson. They’ll face the District 10 champion at 1 p.m.
After shaking hands, Post 239 took team photos and held a team huddle on the pitcher’s mound. It was their last game at Belchertown High School this summer. While it was an adopted home for many, Sayball-Wimmer, Tilton, Endelos and their Orioles teammates got to celebrate a title on their high school field.
“It really made it feel like the nest,” Sayball-Wimmer said. “For our last game here, this was a pretty good sendoff.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.