Pittsfield Tops Taconic to Repeat as Western Mass Champion

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Jack Reed hit a walkoff single to propel the Pittsfield High baseball team to a 3-2 win over Taconic and the Generals’ second consecutive Western Massachusetts Championship on Tuesday.

 

Taconic and Pittsfield faced off at historic Wahconah Park as a neutral site for Tuesday’s Western Massachusetts Class B Final.

 

Morrie Fried drew a one-out walk to start the winning rally in the eighth inning.

 

He then stole second ahead of Reed’s RBI single up the middle to win it.

 

Taconic pitched Quentin Christopher. Pittsfield threw Simon Mele, who struck out five and allowed no earned runs but was not around for the decision.

 

Christopher went the distance for the Thunder, striking out nine in 7-plus innings of work.

 

Christopher came into Round 3 of the city rivalry this season allowing two runs in 14 innings against Piitsfield this season.

 

Meanwhile, Mele pitched four innings of shutout ball in Pittsfield’s 11-inning win over the Thunder the first time they met this spring.

 

“Quentin really has stepped it up this season for us, and he deserves all the credit and respect in the world for that,” Taconic coach Ben Stohr said.

 

“Facing this team has gone both ways all season, and sometimes things just happen and that’s the unfortunate part of baseball.”

 

Pittsfield picked a lot of their momentum off Taconic’s mistakes.

 

Two of those happened in the middle of the game on passed balls.

 

Taconic struck first in the third inning.

 

A single, a walk and an error loaded the bases before Gavin Maffuccio earned a two-out walk to drive in a run and give the Thunder a 1-0 lead.

 

Following this, Pittsfield responded after a pitch that got to the backstop allowed Jack Abel to score and another brought home Fried.

 

Though Pittsfield held a 2-1 lead, that only held up until Taconic’s next turn at bat

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Christopher hit a sac fly to score Evan Roccabruna, who had reached on a leadoff single.

 

Matthew Burega came on to pitch the top of the eighth for the Generals and kept it a tie game until Reed settled the issue in the bottom of the frame.

 

“Their team is good and they put up a good fight tonight and the past two games, Mele threw a good game and Christopher threw another great outing for Taconic,” Pittsfield coach Drew Pearce said.

 

“With this win we look forward to the States starting on Saturday. But we won another year of Western Mass. Now our focus shifts.” 

 

Through the full three games – and 26 innings – the inner city rivals played this season, Taconic outscored Pittsfield 17-12, but Pittsfield went 2-1.

 

“It was a slow start for me today on the mound, but me and my team rallied together with our team chemistry to pull through these types of games,” Mele said.

 

“I know they have my back no matter what happens, I just do my job as a pitcher and my team gives it everything they got.”

 

Both Taconic (11-9) in Division 3 and Pittsfield (17-4) in Division 4 learn Wednesday who they will face to open State Tournament play.