Archies tripped up in bid for state crown
WORCESTER — Archbishop Williams’ run to its first state championship in 22 years came up just short last night at Fitton Field in Worcester.
Playing in the Division 4 state final, the Bishops fell behind by five runs to St. Mary’s (Westfield), then battled back in the last of the sixth inning to cut the deficit to two before running out of outs and losing in heartbreaking fashion, 5-3.
“I have absolutely no regrets with this group,” Bishops coach James Dolan said. “We talked about playing as much baseball as we could together; we got to the final game; we took a final bus ride and the score didn’t go our way, but we battled and we never quit.”
The Bishops (20-6) fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning when Matt Masciadrelli (3-for-3, two runs) led off with a single off Archies starter Myles McDermott before later coming around to score from third base on a wild pitch.
The Saints (23-2) added to their lead in the fifth inning on a RBI double by Jack Butler, which scored Masciadrelli, to make it 2-0. And in the sixth, St. Mary’s tacked on three more runs to make it 5-0 on run-scoring base hits by Masciadrelli and Butler.
The Archies, as they have all postseason, made a spirited comeback attempt in the sixth when Tim Chase doubled and took third on a one-out single by Casey Earle. Ben Murphy then looped a RBI single to left to score Chase and John Rega followed with a two-run double to make it a 5-3 game.
But the Saints escaped further trouble, and Nate Bonini retired the Bishops in order in the seventh to hand St. Mary’s the program’s first state championship.
For Dolan and his coaching staff, the final outcome does not take away from what his team accomplished this season: 20 wins and a South sectional title.
“The (seven seniors) who are leaving have laid the groundwork for the expectations in this program moving forward,” he said. “These kids are best friends and we are a family, no doubt. I am sad to see the seniors go, but I couldn’t be more proud of all of them.”