NORTHAMPTON — Water bottle flipping briefly overtook baseball as the priority for the Northampton American Legion baseball team Thursday.
Post 28’s playoff game against Westfield was halted in the top of the fourth inning, and most of Northampton’s roster relocated to the green shed behind home plate to flip water bottles out of the attic to the ground below.
More rain appeared on the way according to several cell phone radars, so Post 28 wanted to get through five full innings as quickly as possible to make the game official.
The haste cost Northampton, and Post 28 lost for the first time in nearly a month, falling 13-12 to Westfield at Arcanum Field.
The loss drops Northampton Post 28 into the losers bracket of the double-elimination second round.
Northampton beat West Springfield 11-0 on Friday to start in the winners bracket.
Because rain postponed Greenfield and Wilbraham’s game to Friday at 7 p.m. Northampton will host the winner of that game at noon, Saturday at Arcanum field.
“We just tried to rush everything. We had to try to get the complete game thinking there was more rain,” Northampton’s Andrew Serio said. “We were a little too careless, a couple mental errors.”
Northampton held a 6-4 lead at the time of the delay with Will O’Connor at the plate. He returned to the batters box 27 minutes later in sunshine, but struck out against Brett Turban to send the game to the fifth inning.
Westfield didn’t trail for much longer.
Nick Clegg grounded out to open the fifth inning, then Colin Blake doubled and Geoffrey Sobotka walked.
Stefan Krol singled to load the bases.
An error then brought Westfield within 6-5.
Jonathan Huntley then hit into a fielder’s choice that tied the game at 6-6.
Jared Iglesias walked, and a wild pitch put Westfield up 7-6.
Christopher Riga doubled to give Westfield an 8-6 lead, then Matthew Hastings singled to make it 9-6.
Clegg then came to bat for the second time in the inning, hitting a two-run triple to extend Westfield’s lead to 11-6.
The seven-run inning only staggered Northampton.
Tim Horton (1 for 4, two RBIs) started the comeback with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth, and Kevin Banas made it 11-8 with an RBI single.
Colby Lander (4 for 4, five RBIs) cut the deficit to 11-9 with a single in the sixth.
An error off the bat of Christian Smiarowski tied the game at 11 after a wild pitch moved runners to second and third.
Serio (2 for 4) hit a two-out single to put Northampton back on top 12-11 then was thrown out trying to advance to second base after a throw home.
Responding “wasn’t a surprise. I reminded them it was the first time all season they’d been up against the wall,” Northampton coach Joe Zewinski said. “That’s a gutsy team. I knew we weren’t going to put our heads down and walk away.”
Neither did Westfield.
Zachary Jarvis hit a two-run single with the bases loaded to put Westfield back up 13-12 in the seventh.
“They don’t quit. They just come back and do what they have to do,” Westfield coach Donald Irzyk said.
Horton led off the bottom half of the inning and grounded out, then Banas struck out.
A pitch hit Joe Afflitto on the foot, sending him to first. But Pat Grygorcewicz struck out to end the game and a 15-game win streak for Northampton.
Post 28 hadn’t lost since an 8-3 setback against Longmeadow on June 15.
“We’re just going to play it like our backs are on walls, keeping the energy up,” Serio said.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com.