Updated July 07, 2015 08:45AM

Pittsfield 14s to Finish Game Suspended by 'Forfeit'

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
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UPDATE TUESDAY MORNING: PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Pittsfield 14s had a short-lived reign as champions of the Babe Ruth District 1 tournament.
 
Late Monday night, coach Eric Stone reported that Westfield was successful in its appeal of a decision that it needed to forfeit its game at Pittsfield.
 
That means the two teams will pick up where they left off on Friday night in Westfield -- with one out in the bottom of the seventh and Westfield holding a 7-5 lead, Stone said.
 
If Westfield holds on, the teams will play a third and deciding game in their best-of-three District playoff immediately after.
 
If Pittsfield comes back and wins the game in the seventh (or ties in the seventh and wins shortly thereafter), the teams will go ahead and play a third game just to provide the playing opportunity, Stone said.
 
The following story was written Monday night when it appeared that the Pittsfield 14s had sewn up the District title via a forfeit:
 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- For now anyway, the Pittsfield Babe Ruth 14-year-olds are the District 1 Champions.
 
Pittsfield was trailing, 7-5, in the bottom of the seventh inning on Monday evening when visiting Westfield was forced to forfeit the game and gave Pittsfield a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-three district playoffs.
 
The forfeit occurred when Westfield's second pitcher of the night was ejected with one out after beaning Pittsfield's Ryan Gaudette.
 
The visitors were without an available substitute and could not, by rule, finish the game with eight players on the field.
 
As the sun set on Deming Field, there was a long delay while the umpires sorted things out, consulting with their supervisor by cell phone before finally informing both teams that the game was over.
 
"It's a cheap way to win," Pittsfield coach Eric Stone said. "It happened to me last year when I screwed up the pitching eligibility in the Regionals. But a win's a win.
 
"You want the kids to earn it on the field. But, saying that, it was 7-5, and we had a runner on."
 
And Pittsfield had been battling from behind all night, although never quite was able to erase the 2-0 lead Westfield grabbed in the top of the third.
 
For the record, Westfield plans to continue appealing the forfeit ruling, so nothing is set in stone as far as the District title is concerned.
 
Pittsfield could have to travel to Westfield on Friday to play the completion of Monday's game and an "if necessary" Game 3.
 
The good news for Westfield is that whatever happens, its season will continue. Pittsfield and Westfield are the only two teams in District 1 in the 14-year-old age bracket and therefore will have both the district's berths in the Western Mass State Tournament no matter the result of the District playoffs.
 
That said, both teams certainly played like this one mattered.
 
After Pittsfield's Hayden Harrington worked out of a couple of jams in the first and second, Westfield broke through in the third inning thanks to a few Pittsfield miscues and a Cam Davignon RBI single to give his team a 2-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the inning, John Halse doubled and scored on Ian Benoit's single to make it 2-1.
 
Westfield stretched its lead to 4-1 in the top of the fourth. Pittsfield responded in the bottom when Joe Woronick walked, stole second, went to third on a ground ball and scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-2.
 
Westfield tacked on one in the top of the fifth; Pittsfield answered with two in the bottom of the fifth to make it 5-4. This time another wild pitch allowed one run, and Gaudette's sacrifice bunt plated the other.
 
Westfield made it 6-4 in its half of the sixth. Pittsfield struck back when Zack Barnardo drew a bases loaded walk to get his team within a run.
 
Westfield scored on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the top of the seventh.
 
Pittsfield never got to complete its comeback bid in the bottom of the inning.
 
But the spirit Pittsfield displayed all night was encouraging to Stone.
 
"Our kids are resilient," he said. "The keep fighting, fighting, fighting. We just had too many mistakes tonight, too many walks, too many good pitches on good counts -- 0-2, 1-2 counts. As a pitcher, you can't do that."
 
One of Pittsfield's five pitchers on the night -- Halse -- did have a hand in the defensive highlight of the game.
 
In the fifth, Westfield had second and third with one out when Bailey Collier hit a single to center field.
 
Carter Matthews fielded the ball and hit the cutoff man, Halse, who relayed to Cedric Rose at the plate to nail the trailing runner. Rose then fired down to shortstop Joe Traversa to catch Collier attempting to advance on the throw for an unlikely double play.
 
Offensively, Halse, Benoit and Harrington each went 1-for-2 for Pittsfield.
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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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