Defending champion Frontier still survives
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GREENFIELD - The Frontier Regional baseball team has now defended its title for seven straight games.
On Saturday, the Red Hawks will face one more opponent looking to dethrone the champs.
Frontier advanced to the Western Massachusetts Division 3 Tournament championship game with an 8-3 victory over Hopkins Academy in the semifinal round Thursday at Veterans Memorial Field.
At one point the Red Hawks were 6-10 and faced the possibility of missing the postseason for the first time since 1995.
Now 13-10, the No. 7-seeded Red Hawks will face No. 8 St. Mary (20-3) at 3 p.m. at Szot Park in Chicopee in the final on Saturday. St. Mary, which beat Frontier earlier in the season, beat McCann Tech 6-1 in the other semifinal Thursday.
"We're real good, a lot better than 6-10," Frontier senior Gary Grandonico said.
Frontier is seeking its fifth sectional title since 2000.
"We're a good team - I don't care what our record says," Frontier coach Aaron Campbell said. "Our kids have played hard and worked hard. We've battled through adversity and right through a 6-10 start."
Sixth-seeded Hopkins Academy finished the season 15-8. The Golden Hawks reached the semifinals for the first time since the early 1990s.
They were seeking their first appearance in the final since 1990.
"They are here all the time and find a way to get it done," Hopkins coach Pat Lemieux said. "We haven't been here in a real long time and I think the pressure got to us a little bit."
Hopkins received good news on the bus ride to the game. Sophomore Garrison Banas, who had right-knee surgery 13 days ago, got an OK from his doctor and was allowed to pitch.
Banas, who had 30 percent of his meniscus removed, battled but was hurt by errors. Banas had two throwing errors to first base in the first inning and one wild pitch as Frontier took a 3-0 lead. He had a third throwing error in the second inning but it didn't cost Hopkins.
"He was pitching on heart for the seniors," Lemieux said. "You can't ask for anything more. He's tough and a gamer."
Hopkins battled back with single runs in the third and fourth to pull within 3-2. A two-out RBI single by Burke Bonneville (3-for-4) plated Bryan Pelchat with the first run. Pelchat's two-out RBI single in the fourth scored Zach Hunter.
However, the Golden Hawks left the bases loaded in the third and fifth. They also left two men on base in the fourth. Hopkins left a total of 10 men on base.
"We put the ball in play but they made the plays," Bonneville said. "Leaving runners on, that hurt us a lot."
Grandonico was not sharp, but the senior worked his way out of the jams.
In the third he induced Scott Fournier to fly out to end the threat. And Grandonico got Karl Kapinos to fly out to end the fourth. He then got Hunter to ground out in the fifth.
"Unfortunately I got us into those jams so I have to learn how to not get us into those jams and throw strikes early," Grandonico said. "It's reflective of how we've been playing as a team. Once our backs are against the walls or guys are on base, we seem to get out of it."
Frontier meanwhile blew the game open in the bottom of the fifth. Stephen Wojtowicz (double, three runs) reached on an error to start the inning. Grandonico (two runs) walked and Chris Williams (2-for-3, run) was intentionally walked with one out to load the bases.
Anthony Laurenitis then came through with the big hit, a bases-clearing triple on a 1-0 fastball to the left-field gap. The hit gave Frontier a 7-2 lead and Banas was lifted.
"I told Anthony he has no place to put you, so you'll see something straight," Campbell said. "He was sitting dead-red fastball. He took advantage of what he knew was coming."
Kyle Mish was 2-for-4 and Chris Leveille was 2-for-3 for Hopkins.
It was the final game for Golden Hawks seniors Pelchat, Bonneville, Hunter, Mish, Ryan Goff, Andy Blajda and Nick McKenna.
Mike Moran can be reached at mmoran@gazettenet.com.
