Belchertown Stops Pittsfield Post 68
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Belchertown Post 239’s Cooper Beckwith set the tone when he crushed the game’s first pitch to left-center field for a double.
The visitors went on to pound out 14 more hits in a 9-1 win over Pittsfield Post 68 in American Legion Baseball action at Buddy Pellerin Field on Monday night.
Beckwith went 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice, and Chase Earle went five innings on the mound without allowing an earned run as Post 239 improved to 15-0 this summer and completed a regular-season sweep of Post 68 (12-4).
“He’s a good pitcher,” Post 68 coach Rick Amuso said. “Good velo[city], kept the ball down. We didn’t respond.”
Pittsfield did manage to scratch out a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, when it already trailed, 7-0.
Nick Brindle reached on an error to start the inning. He moved up on a single by Jack Reed (2-for-2) and scored on a single to left by Cam Zerbato.
That was half the hits allowed by Earle, who struck out three before giving the ball to Alex West, who gave up a leadoff walk in the sixth and retired the next six batters he faced.
Offensively, Belchertown converted that leadoff single by Beckwith in the first to take a 1-0 lead. He moved up on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a line drive out to Ben Jacob in center field.
Post 239 then exploded for four runs in the second inning, chasing Pittsfield starter Roshan Warriar.
The inning started with an error but included three hits, capped by a two-run single by Cody West, to make it 5-0.
Pittsfield’s Matt Burega got the call from the bullpen with runners on second and third and one out and got a line drive out to Reed at first and a ground ball to Nick Brindle at short to end the inning.
Burega struck out three and allowed four runs in 5 and two-thirds innings of work.
Pittsfield has two games left on its regular season schedule, including another chance to avenge another loss when Chicopee’s Aldenville Post 337 visits on Friday. First, Monsoon Post 241 comes to Pellerin Field at Clapp Park on Wednesday.
