SPRINGFIELD — The timely hits didn’t come for Northampton in a 5-2 loss to the Western Massachusetts Cardinals in the Sandy Koufax State 13-14 Tournament quarterfinals at Forest Park Thursday.
Down 5-1, Northampton loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh. Sam Shelffo drew a walk to score a run, but the Cardinals’ Troy Donahue struck out the last two Northampton hitters to close the game.
“We didn’t deserve to win this one, ” Northampton coach Tim Molaghan said. “But we almost did.”
Northampton (19-2) needed just one hard hit to steal the game in the seventh. But the hard-throwing Donahue promptly stopped the rally.
“We are a very disciplined group,” Molaghan said of the rally. “Everyone puts the ball in play. We all hung in there. We just didn’t have the hit that we normally get. That was the difference.”
Northampton chased Mike Russell from the game in the seventh. Wilson Heath reached on an error, while Jackson Heath (single) and Jack Diggin drew walks.
Donahue then entered and got Jake Brittain to pop out for the first out of the seventh.
“That was the biggest out of the game,” Molaghan said.
Northampton had trouble with Cardinals pitcher Owen Bullen, who struck out eight. Bullen also hurt Northampton at the plate, going 2 for 2 with two walks.
“He’s the best pitcher we have faced,” Molaghan said. “His velocity was good and he pitched to spots. He was very tough. We couldn’t zero in on him.”
The biggest hit of the game came off Bullen’s bat when he hit a bases-clearing double in the top of the fourth.
Bullen added an RBI single in the fifth inning to make it 4-0.
Northampton (19-2) enters the losers bracket and will play Friday at Forest Park to stay in the tournament.
“This team is as resilient as they come,” Molaghan said. “In several games we have been behind. We don’t get rattled if we are behind so that doesn’t concern me at all.”
Northampton starter Mike Baldwin escaped two bases-loaded situations before giving up three runs in the fourth inning.
Brittain (double) scored on an error in the sixth to make it 5-1.
Northampton pitching had trouble locating the whole game, walking 11 hitters.
