Recap for the game: Belchertown vs Drury on Jun 05
Preite, Dassatti Power Devils Past Orioles
Staff reports
11:49PM / Sunday, June 05, 2011
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The strength of the Drury baseball team this year was supposed to be its talented and deep pitching staff. While you can't argue with the success of the Blue Devils' arms this season, it's also time to acknowledge the efficiency and power of the top of Drury's lineup.
The top two hitters in Al Marceau's order certainly made an impact in the Blue Devils' 13-5 win over Belchertown in the quarterfinals of the Division 2 Western Massachusetts Baseball Tournament on Sunday. Seniors Peter Dassatti and Chase Preite, who hit first and second in the Drury lineup, were absolutely impossible to get out, combining to go 6 for 6 with six runs scored and five RBI. They also both walked in the first inning, meaning Dassatti and Preite reached base in all eight of the times they came to bat.
Dassatti ended up going 3 for 3 with an RBI triple and four runs scored, while Preite was even more impressive at the plate, batting 3 for 3 with a single, triple and a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning that went nearly 400 feet before landing behind the center-field fence at Joe Wolfe Field. In all, No. 2 Drury outhit No. 10 Belchertown 14-6 in the game and had five different players with at least two hits apiece.
The Blue Devils (14-7) now advance to the Western Mass. semifinals against either No. 3 Wahconah or No. 11 South Hadley, which play at 4 p.m. on Monday afternoon. The time, date and location of the semifinal game will be determined once the final two quarterfinal games are played on Monday.
"Offensively, we really knocked the ball around today," Marceau said. "We went into the game with a good approach, and it really worked out. We were determined to be patient, get good pitches to hit and we executed very well. Chase and Pete really set the tone at the top of the order, and [Ryan] Ouimet really delivered out of the No. 8 spot. Everyone contributed either a walk or hit to the effort.
"I thought we did an excellent job with situational hitting as well. We bunted runners over and had a sacrifice fly. I'm really happy with the five two-out runs we scored. Those are crucial during the tournament and tell me that we are confident at the plate right now."
Add in the production of Tyler Benoit and Max Quinn, Drury's No. 3 and 4 hitters, and the top four batters in the Devils' lineup combined to go 10 for 13 with eight runs batted in on the day. Benoit, who also picked up the victory on the mound, went 2 for 4 with one RBI and two runs scored, while Quinn hit an RBI single in the first inning and an RBI triple in the third inning to finish 2 for 3 with two runs scored.
Quinn got the ball rolling for the Drury offense with his single in the first inning. Benoit, who struggled with his control early on in the game, pitched through a couple of jams in the first three innings of play to hold the Orioles scoreless. The Blue Devils then put up five runs on the board in the third inning, chasing the Belchertown starter Mike Tommila out of the game. Orioles' reliever Zach LeBeau was greeted by Quinn, however, who roped a triple to deep center field to score Benoit and give the hosts a 4-0 lead. Two more runs would later score when an apparent foul ball down the third-base line by sophomore Cody Primmer bounced back into play and past the Orioles' third baseman.
It was that kind of day for Belchertown (8-14), which came back to score two runs in the top of fourth frame to cut the lead to 6-2. Just as they were starting to blow wind back into their sails, however, Preite quieted the comeback by drilling the first pitch he saw in the fourth inning over the fence in center to spark another five-run inning for Drury. The Orioles scored three more times in the top of the fifth, only to see the Blue Devils answer back with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame.
"We made a couple of defensive blunders that contributed to Belchertown runs, but I think having a decent lead caused us to let down a little," Marceau said. "I was very happy with the way we responded to our miscues with the bats. Each inning Belchertown scored, we came out and scored in the bottom half of the inning."
Ouimet helped bolster the bottom of the Drury lineup by going 2 for 4 with a double and three RBI. Benoit wasn't his normal self on the mound, possibly due to the fact that he hasn't pitched in nine days, but he did plenty enough to earn the win. The senior captain lasted five innings, giving up four earned runs and five walks while striking out six to improve his season record to 5-1. Quinn pitched two scoreless innings to close out the game, something he could be doing a lot of should the Blue Devils make a deep tournament run this postseason.
"Max threw two excellent innings, and he will be our primary reliever during the tournament," Marceau said. "It was nice to get him some work today for that reason. Max just doesn't beat himself with walks, which makes him a very nice option to have out of the pen."
"We beat a very good, well-coached, very classy Belchertown team today. They would not quit, and I'm very happy with the effort we put forth to beat them."
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