Taconic Tops Cardinal Spellman in D3 State Tourney

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Quentin Christopher struck out 13, and Ed Ferris homered and drove in three runs Friday to lead the Taconic baseball team to a 3-1 win over Cardinal Spellman in the preliminary round of the Division 3 State Tournament.

 

Christopher allowed just two hits and no earned runs as the No. 27 Thunder (9-11) earned a date with No. 6 Fairhaven (16-3) in the Round of 32.

 

After starting the season 2-6 and ending the Western Massachusetts tournament with a home loss to county rival Wahconah, Taconic gets to carry some momentum when they hit the road for a game on Monday.

 

“I feel like, as a team, we’re more together, and we’re just trying to turn the page,” Ferris said. “We want to go right into states with a new outlook and a new mentality and get it going.”

 

Friday’s state tournament opener got going in the right direction for the visitors from Brockton when Brady Flaherty crushed the game’s first pitch to left field for a double.

 

Christopher was undeterred.

 

“I knew I felt fine in the beginning of the game,” he said. “I just left a fastball hanging, and he hit it. And then I settled in. After the second batter, I was fine from there.”

 

Christopher struck out that second batter, and after a walk, he struck out the next two to strand two runners in scoring position.

 

And he did not allow another hit until the top of the seventh inning.

 

“It starts with Q,” Taconic coach Ben Stohr said of the win. “The first pitch of the game was probably the hardest hit ball of the game. He’s got good stuff. He’s really worked hard to get himself back out here. So I’m really proud of how he’s come back this season. He wants games like this, so it was good to see him do that.”

 

And his battery mate was not too bad either.

 

“I definitely want to recognize Cam Reynolds, who has caught every inning for us this season – every inning we’ve played. Sometimes, that goes unseen or unheard. He’s just done a really good job of calling pitches, working back there. And for a first-year catcher that’s been great.”

 

Spellman scratched out the game’s first run in the top of the third.

 

An error allowed the leadoff hitter to reach, and he scored second and third bases before a wild pitch allowed him to make it 1-0, visitors. But Christopher struck out the side for the second time in the game to limit the damage.

 

And his offense gave Christopher all the support he needed in the bottom of the inning.

 

Gavin O’Donnell hit a one-out triple to right-center to bring up Ferris, who hit a towering shot to left field to make it a 2-0 game.

 

“I was just looking for a pitch to drive,” Ferris said. “I saw the first pitch. I didn’t like it, it was a little low. And then he hung a curve ball over the middle, and I sat back and swung. At first, I thought it was just a pop up because I didn’t hit it the greatest. But it just kept carrying, and it was enough today.”

 

Two innings later, a pop-up was enough.

 

Tyler Arseneau drew a one-out walk and went to third on O’Donnell’s second extra-base hit of the game, a double to right center. Ferris then followed with a fly ball deep to centre field to bring Arseneau home and make it 3-1.

 

Spellman got its second hit of the game to lead off the seventh inning, and a walk put runners at first and second with nobody out.

 

But Christopher got the next hitter on a called third strike, and Reynolds threw to third on the pitch to catch a runner attempting to steal, leaving the Thunder one out away from ending the game.

 

Fittingly, Christopher ended the game with another called third strike one batter later.

 

Taconic heads to Fairhaven as the winner of four of its last six games.