Rose, Warren Display Playoff Power

This week's iBerkshires.com/Bedard Bros. Athletes of the Week are senior catchers who helped backstop their respective teams deep into the postseason.

 

But it was their offense that really turned heads this week.

 

Cedric Rose and Jess Warren hit five post-season home runs between them in the Western Massachusetts baseball and softball tournaments.

 

Warren and the Wahconah softball team saw their playoff run end in the sectional finals on Saturday. But to get them there, Warren hit two round-trippers in the quarter-finals and one more in the semis.

 

The two quarter-final homers were inside the park. At the University of Massachusetts' Sortino Field, Warren cleared the fence for her sixth home run of the season.

 

In that semi-final win, Warren also made a key catch on a foul pop-up to help send her team to the finals.

 

Warren hit .351 on the season with 27 RBIs and 29 runs scored -- third and second, respectively for a Wahconah team that finished 16-7.

 

Rose hit two home runs in Taconic's sectional finals win -- a first-inning two-run blast and a solo shot in the fifth. In between, he also made a big play at the plate -- helping end a first-and-third opportunity for Frontier with Taconic clinging to a 2-0 lead in the third.

 

After home runs to each side of the park in his first three plate appearances, Rose was shown the ultimate respect in the sixth, drawing an intentional base on balls with a runner on first.

 

"I was seeing the ball well," Rose said. "I was getting in the groove. I've been here before, so I was a little nervous at first but I got that feel back.

 

"I had a good [batting practice] session before the game, and I guess it worked out."

 

Rose takes a team-best .459 batting average and 30 RBIs into Tuesday's state semi-final in Worcester.

 

The iBerkshires.com Athlete of the Week award is sponsored by Bedard Bros. Auto of Cheshire.