McCann Tech Baseball Clinches Western Mass Berth

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The McCann Tech baseball team last spring came up one game short in its quest for a Western Mass championship.

 

On Friday, the Hornets earned another chance at the crown.

 

Michael Ferrara struck out seven, and Rob Pecor doubled to start a decisive five-run rally as McCann Tech beat Westfield Tech, 6-1, on Friday for the Hornets’ 10th win of the season.

 

Ferrara was lights out in his first action of the season, scattering six hits and walking three as McCann Tech won its sixth straight.

 

“First game back, first time pitching all year long, just a good start,” Ferrara said. “It felt great. And I had the whole team out there to back me up. They were hitting.”

 

Hornets coach Pat Ryan credited the whole team with stepping up the first month of the season while Ferrara, who went 3-0 with a 1.56 ERA last season, was unavailable.

 

“Great group of kids,” Ryan said. “They picked him up when he wasn't available. Now he's back, and it's nice to have him available.

 

“The team is behind him 100 percent. I'm behind him 100 percent. All I can say is it's a great group of kids.”

 

Pecor’s leadoff double in the second was followed by basehits from logan Tower and Jacob Field. Field’s single to left scored Pecor for the game’s first run.

 

Tower scored on a fielder’s choice that put Robert Matte III on first. After Mason Field was hit by a pitch, a groundout left runners at first and second with two out.

 

Ferrara then reached on a run-scoring error that made it 3-0, and Caleb Rondeau drove in Field with a single to left to make it 4-0. The fifth run of the inning, Ferrara, came home on a balk.

 

Rondeau later gave the Hornets some insurance with an RBI single in the top of the seventh.

 

But with Ferrara holding Westfield Tech to one run, that run was icing on the cake.

 

Hornets’ pitching held the opposition to one run or fewer for the fifth time in the six-game winning streak, a run that includes a pair of shutouts.

 

“I think this year .. we have arms,” Ryan said. “We may not necessarily have pitchers, but we have arms. With a four-game schedule this week and five next week, I have a rotation that's working - even with a Billy Bohl, who hasn't seen mound time since he was a freshman on JVs to Caleb Rondeau, who is going out there and giving us innings.

 

“Robert [Matte] and Mike [Ferrara] are our 1-2, and Dalton Tatro, a freshman, came up and got a huge win for us the other day.

 

“We're jelling right now, and we're going to continue to do this. We're going to fight our way through Western Mass, and you never know.”

 

McCann Tech plays an independent game on Monday evening at Joe Wolfe Field against Wahconah.