WORCESTER, Mass. – Only one team in the MIAA was undefeated at the start of the state tournaments. After Saturday's championship action, that remains the case as No. 1 Pioneer Valley outlasted defending champion No. 2 Boston English, 6-5, in eight innings to win the MIAA Division 5 state title.
Alex McClelland walked it off with a bases-loaded grounder to English second baseman Many De Jesus, who sent an errant throw to home as Jack Glazier scored to seal the comeback win.
Pioneer Valley trailed, 5-4, entering the bottom of the eighth. Brody Welcome sparked the rally with a single before taking second on Ben Werner's sacrifice bunt. Glazier drove Welcome in with a single to right to tie it. After Evan Tsipenyuk and Jackson Campbell walked, McClelland needed just two pitches to drive in the winning run.
Werner got the start for the Panthers, giving up one unearned run on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts over four innings. Glazier surrendered four runs (three earned) on two hits and five walks with one K in four innings. Tsipenyuk and Ethan Mauthe each drove in a pair of runs, while Evan Quinn had two doubles and two runs. Campbell also had a pair of hits.
Luis Mejia got the nod on the mound for English, going 5⅓innings as he struck out three and gave up three earned runs on six hits and one walk. Anyer Gomez went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI while Matthew Guerrero drove in a pair as well.
