Westfield State Sweeps MCLA Baseball

By Jamie MorrisonMCLA Sports Info
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WESTFIELD, Mass. — Westfield State swept the Trailblazers on Tuesday by scores of 3-2 and 9-0.

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts drops to 11-22 and 2-10 in the conference. Westfield improves to 17-15 overall and 9-3 in the MASCAC.

In the opener, southpaw Roman Mondalto threw a complete-game four-hitter with nine strikeouts and no walks in improving his record to 3-1 and lowering his ERA to 1.80.

Daniel Gaines pitched well in defeat for MCLA. Gaines went the distance allowing just three runs on eight hits. Gaines had good command as he didn't walk a batter and struck out two.

Westfield took a 1-0 lead in the opener when hot-hitting Kevin Greene led off the second inning with a double and scored on a single by Josh Blair.

MCLA tied the score in the fourth when Joe Duncan led off with a single up the middle, stole second, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on Cody Weaver's RBI ground out.

The Owls scored two big runs in the fifth to take a 3-1 lead. With the bases empty and two outs, Matt Kelly singled and scored on freshman first baseman Dan Rokitowski's double down the left field line. Freshman designated hitter Nick Champeau followed with an RBI single.

MCLA scored a run in the sixth when Duncan singled and advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt. He scored on Weaver's two-out double to right field. Rory Slattery came up representing the go-ahead run but flied out to center-field to end the rally.

Westfield collected eight hits with Greene the only Owl with multiple hits; he was 2-for-3 with two doubles.

Duncan was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Weaver was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

In the nightcap, sophomore Tommy Carroll hurled the first five innings, allowing three hits and no walks in boosting his record to 4-3.

Westfield scored three runs in the first, two in the second and single tallies in the third and fourth to take a commanding 7-0 lead.

The Owls out-hit the Trailblazers, 12-4. Blair went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs.  Junior catcher Andrew Medeiros was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Cody Weaver took the loss for MCLA in game two. Slattery had two of MCLA's four hits. Joe Duncan stole his 20th and 21st bases of the season for MCLA. Duncan is now the school record holder for stolen bases in a single season.

MCLA will be home Saturday versus Framingham State at 1:00 pm.
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Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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