SOUTH HADLEY — With a comfortable four-run lead in the bottom of the seventh, Belchertown Post 239 was three outs away from a win to continue its postseason march.
Aldenville Post 337 made a strong statement in its first at-bat in the seventh, trying to claw back into the game with a bomb from Race Drobiak that rocketed into right field. Outfielder Eli Sayball-Wimmer raced after it and made a desperate dive, coming up for the ball and halting any comeback attempt before Post 337 even had a chance to start it.
“I just started playing outfield this year, and those are the ones I usually have trouble with, straight back over my head,” Sayball-Wimmer said. “I was kind of thinking about it before, anticipating it, so I turned early and just sort of went for it. It was just one play though, we had 10 incredible guys making plays all day.”
Sayball-Wimmer’s catch was the cherry on top of a 5-1 win, keeping Belchertown’s playoff streak alive with two wins in the Chairman’s Cup state tournament. They’ll likely face either Hudson or Andover in their next contest in the double-elimination tourney.
It was a tough game between the two Western Mass foes, who had faced each other four times during the regular season before a surprise meeting in the postseason. Aldenville was a late addition to the Chairman’s Cup after Northboro pulled out of the playoffs, getting their team back together within 12 hours before its opening game.
Both Belchertown and Aldenville were scoreless through five innings of Tuesday’s contest, though it wasn’t for lack of trying. Belchertown left eight runners on base over the first five innings, including a bases loaded situation with two outs in the opening inning. Despite that, they couldn’t bring anybody home, and though Aldenville pitcher Chase Young was inconsistent, walking eight batters and hitting two batters with a couple wild pitches, he only allowed two hits in five innings on the mound; his team also stepped up and completed three double plays to bail him out when he needed it.
“(Young) had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning and my guys continually got on base, put the pressure on,” Belchertown coach Jeff Gladu said. “Shortstop bailed them out three or four time. There were more double plays in this game than there probably were in the last two months of the season.”
Belchertown broke the game open in the sixth inning. As they had the first two innings prior, they started with a walk, getting Ryan Zawistowski on base. Ty Gladu and pinch hitter Tyler Laramee both singled to load the bases, and a hit from Braeden Tudryn sent Zawistowski home to give Post 239 their first run of the game. Gladu, Laramee and Tudryn all scored, as did Andrew Ciaglo, who doubled before plating to make it a 5-0 game.
Gladu focused on a small ball game, which paid dividends for Belchertown and was executed perfectly by his players.
“I just wanted to take some shots with some bunts and I told guys going up to bat – I’ll give you the first one to swing away and move the runners around, but if you get a strike then we’re gonna go with some bunts,” Gladu said. “We did it on multiple plays that ending and it worked to perfection.”
Belchertown starting pitcher Ryan Schneider held the fort down for Post 239, throwing 5⅓ innings and striking out four batters, allowing just four hits and one run in his time on the mound.
“That kid, he’s got the guts of a burglar. He’s going to attack you top to bottom and he trusts his stuff,” Gladu said about Schneider. “With Amherst this year, he was a guy that gave us tons of innings and you know with a Ryan Schneider game, it’s gonna be a five, six inning outing and he’s gonna give you everything he has.”
Ty Gladu closed the game out for Post 239, allowing one hit and no runs in 1⅔ innings.