Ziomek fires perfect game

Amherst Regional junior lefty Kevin Ziomek struck out 18 and threw a perfect game, beating Northampton 3-0 Friday night in Amherst in the first round of the Western Massachusetts Division 1 Tournament.

Ziomek was superb, throwing fastballs, curves and sliders. He threw 92 pitches, 68 for strikes. Only one ball left the infield, a Jimmy Laizer fly in the seventh.

Here is my scorebook. The single lines at the top of the second, third, fourth and seventh innings are foul balls with two strikes:

Western Massachusetts Baseball Seeds

Baseball
Division 1
1. East Longmeadow (19-1)
2. Westfield (15-5)
3. Cathedral (17-3)
4. Amherst Regional (13-7)
5. Chicopee (13-7)
6. West Springfield (13-7)
7. Pittsfield (13-7)
8. Taconic (13-7)
9. Holyoke (10-10)
10. Sci-Tech (13-7)
11. Agawam (10-10)
12. Minnechaug (9-11)
13. Northampton (9-11)
14. Ludlow (5-15)
First round
Thursday, May 28
Game 1: Minnechaug at Chicopee, 4
Friday, May 29
Game 2: Holyoke at Taconic, 4
Game 3: Sci-Tech at Pittsfield, 4
Game 4: Ludlow at Cathedral, 4
Game 5: Agawam at West Springfield, 4
Game 6: Northampton at Amherst, 6
Quarterfinals
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Game 1 winner at East Longmeadow, 4
Game 8: Game 3 winner at Westfield, 4
At higher seed
Game 9: Game 2 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 4
Game 10: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 4
Semifinals
Wednesday, June 3
Place, time TBA
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 7 winner
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner
Finals
Saturday, June 6
At Szot Park, Chicopee
Semifinal winner, TBA

Division 2
1. Greenfield (16-4)
2. Belchertown (11-9)
3. Mt. Greylock (12-8)
4. Drury (12-8)
5. Mohawk (14-6)
6. Palmer 12-8)
7. Hoosac Valley (12-8)
8. Wahconah (11-9)
9. Monument Mountain (11-9)
10. South Hadley (6-14)
First round
Friday, May 29
Game 1: Monument at Wahconah, 4
Game 2: South Hadley at Hoosac, 4
Quarterfinals
Monday, June 1
Game 3: Mohawk at Drury, 4
Game 4: Palmer at Mount Greylock, 6
Game 5: Game 1 winner at Greenfield, 6
Game 6: Game 2 winner at Belchertown, 4
Semifinals
Wednesday, June 3
Place, time TBA
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Finals
Saturday, June 6
At Szot Park, Chicopee
Semifinal winner, TBA

Division 3
1. Ware (19-1)
2. Mt. Everett (15-4)
3. Pioneer Regional (15-5)
4. Monson (11-9)
5. Mahar (13-7)
6. Hopkins Academy (13-7)
7. Frontier Regional (10-10)
8. St. Mary (17-3)
9. Gateway Regional (11-9)
10. Westfield Voke (14-4)
11. Granby (15-5)
12. McCann Tech (15-5)
13. Sabis (12-8)
14. Franklin Tech (11-9)
15. Lenox (6-14)
First round
Friday, May 29
Game 1: Gateway at St. Mary, 4
Game 2: Sabis at Monson, 2
Game 3: McCann at Mahar, 4
Game 4: Lenox at Mt. Everett, 4
Game 5: Franklin at Pioneer, 7
Game 6: Granby at Hopkins, 4
Saturday, May 30
Game 7: Westfield Voke at Frontier Regional, 1
Quarterfinals
Monday, June 1
Game 8: Game 1 winner at Ware, 4
At higher seed
Game 9: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4
Game 10: Game 4 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 4
Game 11: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, TBA
Semifinals
Wednesday, June 3
Place, time TBA
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner
Finals
Saturday, June 6
At Szot Park, Chicopee
Semifinal winners, TBA

Athletes of the Day

Mike Walkowicz of Smith Vocational baseball struck out 11 for the third time in four starts as the Vikings beat Smith Academy.

Emma Mendoker of Amherst Regional softball posted her fourth one-hitter in her last five games as the Hurricanes beat Belchertown. She also had one on Tuesday against Northampton and would have been the AOTD if we posted one last night.

Sam Kabat of Hampshire Regional softball also threw a one-hitter as the Red Raiders beat Greenfield.

Athlete of the Day

It's a good bet that on the day Kevin Ziomek of Amherst Regional pitches, he's probably going to earn the AOTD Award.

Mike Moran headed to Agawam to see him pitch Monday. Here's the story.

Athletes of the Day

EMMA MENDOKER, Amherst Regional girls softball — The sophomore handed Agawam its first loss, 3-0, behind a three-hit, nine strikeout performance in Amherst.

KRAIG BURKE, Granby baseball — The junior hit a two-run home run and finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored as the Rams defeated McCann Tech 13-9 in North Adams.

Athlete of the Day - March 31

Amherst junior pitcher Kevin Ziomek is the Gazette Athlete of the Day after striking out 18 in a seven-inning complete game shutout against Minnechaug Tuesday.

Here's the link.

Saturday's WMass Finals

Here are the results for the three WMass title games featuring GazetteLand school:

Baseball
Frontier 15, Smith Academy 6

Softball
Amherst 6, Minnechaug 1

Boys tennis
Longmeadow 5, Northampton 0

Make sure to see Monday's Gazette for complete coverage of the entire weekend.

Updated Tourney Brackets

Western Massachusetts Tournaments
BASEBALL
Division 1
Semifinals
Thursday, June 5
Agawam 3, Longmeadow 0
Westfield 4, Cathedral 3 (9)
Final
Saturday, June 7
Szot Park, Chicopee
Westfield (No. 2, 18-4) vs. Agawam (No. 8, 14-9), 12

Division 2
Semifinals
Thursday, June 5
Monument Mountain 5, Belchertown 1
Hoosac Valley 12, Greenfield 10
Final
Saturday, June 7
Place TBA
Monument Mountain (No. 2, 18-4) vs. Hoosac Valley (No. 4, 14-8), 1

Division 3
Semifinals
Thursday, June 5
Frontier 9, St. Joseph 5
Smith Academy 18, Sabis 3
Final
Saturday, June 7
Szot Park, Chicopee
Smith Academy (No. 1, 21-1) vs. Frontier (No. 5, 15-8), 3

SOFTBALL
Division 1
Final
Saturday, June 7
At Elms College
Amherst (No. 2, 20-2) vs. Minnechaug (No. 1, 20-2), 3

Division 2
Semifinals
Thursday, June 5
Wahconah 6, Hampshire Regional 4
Drury 4, Monson 0
Final
Saturday, June 7
At Elms College
Wahconah (No. 7, 15-8) vs. Drury (No. 1, 19-3), 1

Division 3
Final
Saturday, June 7
At Elms College
Turners Falls (No. 1 19-2) vs. Mount Everett (No. 3, 17-4), 5

BOYS LACROSSE
Final
Saturday, June 7
Roberts Field, Holyoke
Longmeadow (No. 1, 18-2) vs. Minnechaug (No. 2, 14-4), 7

GIRLS LACROSSE
Final
at Westfield State College
Thursday, June 5
Longmeadow 12, Minnechaug 4

BOYS TENNIS
Division 1
Semifinals
Wednesday, June 4
Longmeadow 5, Amherst 0
Friday, June 6
Game 10: Northampton (No. 3, 15-2) at Chicopee (No. 2, 16-2), 3:30
Final
Saturday, June 7
Time, place TBA
Longmeadow (No. 1, 16-2) vs. Game Winner

Division 2
Final
Friday, June 6
Lee High School
Belchertown (No. 1, 16-0) vs. Mount Greylock (No. 2, 16-0), 4

GIRLS TENNIS
Division 1
Semifinals
Wednesday, June 4
Longmeadow 5, East Longmeadow 0
Thursday, June 5
Taconic 3, Amherst Regional 2
Final
Saturday, June 7
Forest Park, Springfield
Longmeadow (No. 1, 17-1) vs. Taconic (No. 3, 16-2), 3

Division 2
Final
Friday, June 6
Forest Park, Springfield
South Hadley (No. 2, 17-1) vs. Lee (No. 1, 18-0). 4

Baseball, Softball Tournament Seeds

Western Massachusetts
Tournament
Baseball
Division 1
1. East Longmeadow (18-2)
2. Westfield (16-4)
3. Cathedral (16-4)
4. Northampton (16-4)
5. Longmeadow (15-5)
6. Taconic (17-3)
7. Chicopee (12-8)
8. Agawam (11-9)
9. Amherst (10-10)
10. Minnechaug (9-11)
11. Sci-Tech 10-10)
First round
Friday, May 30
Game 1: Amherst at Agawam, 4
Game 2: Minnechaug at Chicopee, 4
Game 3: Sci-Tech at Taconic, 4
Quarterfinals
Monday, June 2
Game 4: Game 1 winner at East Longmeadow, 4
Game 5: Game 2 winner at Westfield, 4
Game 6: Game 3 winner at Cathedral, 4
Game 7: Longmeadow at Northampton, 4
Semifinals
Wednesday, June 4
At Szot Park, Chicopee
Game 8: Game 7 winner vs. Game 4 winner, TBA
Place, date TBA
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 5 winner, TBA
Finals
Saturday or Sunday, June 7-8
Place, time TBA
Semifinal winners

Division 2
1. Greenfield (19-1)
2. Monument Mountain (16-4)
3. Southwick (12-8)
4. Hoosac Valley (12-8)
5. Mohawk Trail (12-8)
6. Belchertown (9-11)
7. Hampshire (10-10)
8. Wahconah (10-10)
9. Mount Greylock (9-9)
10. South Hadley (3-17)
First round
Friday, May 30
Game 1: Greylock at Wahconah, 4
Game 2: South Hadley at Hampshire, 4
Quarterfinals
Monday, June 2
Game 3: Game 1 winner at Greenfield, 4
Game 4: Game 2 winner at Monument, 4
Game 5: Belchertown at Southwick, 4
Game 6: Mohawk at Hoosac, 4
Semifinals
Time, Date, Place TBA
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Finals
Saturday or Sunday, June 7-8
Place, time TBA
Semifinal winners

Division 3
1, St. Joseph (15-3)
2. Smith Academy (19-1)
3. St. Mary (17-3)
4. Ware (14-6)
5. Frontier Regional (12-8)
6. Dean Tech (14-6)
7. Westfield Vocational (12-8)
8. Smith Vocational (12-8)
9. Hopkins (10-8)
10. Mount Everett (11-9)
11. Easthampton (10-10)
12. McCann Tech (10-10)
13. Granby (9-9)
14. Sabis (9-11)
First round
Friday, May 30
Game 1: Hopkins at Smith Vocational, 3
Game 2: Mt. Everett at Westfield Voke, 4
Game 3: Sabis at St. Mary, 4
Game 4: Granby at Ware, 4
Game 5: McCann at Frontier, 4
Game 6: Easthampton at Dean Tech, 4
Quarterfinals
Monday, June 2
Game 7: Game 1 winner at St. Joe’s, 4
Game 8: Game 2 winner at Smith Academy, 4
At higher seed
Game 9 : Game 6 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 4
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 4
Semifinals
Time, date, place TBA
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 10 winner
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner
Finals
Saturday or Sunday, June 7-8
Place, time TBA
Semifinal winners

Softball
Division 1
1. Minnechaug (18-2)
2. Amherst Regional (18-2)
3. Agawam (17-3)
4. Westfield (17-3)
5. West Springfield (13-7)
6. Chicopee (12-8)
7. Ludlow (12-8)
8. Taconic (12-8)
9. Longmeadow (11-9)
10. Chicopee Comp (10-10)
First round
Thursday, May 29
Game1: Chicopee Comp at Ludlow, 3:30
Game 2: Longmeadow at Taconic, 4
Quarterfinals
Friday, May 30
Game 3: West Springfield at Westfield, 3:30
Game 4: Chicopee at Agawam, 4
Date, time TBA
Game 5: Game 1 winner at Amherst
Game 6: Game 2 winner at Minnechaug
Semifinals
At Elms College, dates, times TBA
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Finals
Saturday, June 7
At Elms College
Game 9: Semifinal winners, TBA

Division 2
1. Drury (17-3)
2. Palmer (16-4)
3. Hampshire Regional (14-4)
4. Monson (16-3)
5. Mount Greylock (11-7)
6. Southwick (13-5)
7. Wahconah (12-8)
8. Monument Mountain (12-6)
9. Easthampton (11-7)
10. Greenfield (11-9)
11. South Hadley (8-12)
12. Mahar (11-9)
13. Belchertown (8-12)
First round
Thursday, May 29
Game 1: Easthampton at Monument Mountain, 3:30
Game 2: Belchertown at Monson, 3:30
Game 3: Mahar at Mount Greylock, 3:30
Game 4: Greenfield at Wahconah, 3:30
Game 5: South Hadley at Southwick, 4
Quarterfinals
Dates, times TBA
Game 6: Game 1 winner at Drury
Game 7: Game 2 winner vs Game 3 winner
Game 8: Game 4 winner at Palmer
Game 9: Game 5 winner at Hampshire
Semifinals
At Elms College, dates, times TBA
Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner
Game 11: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner
Finals
Saturday, June 7
At Elms College
Game 12: Semifinal winners, TBA

Division 3
1. Turners Falls (17-2)
2. Pioneer Regional (17-3)
3. Mt. Everett (15-4)
4. Ware (15-3)
5. Franklin Tech (14-6)
6. Pathfinder (15-5)
7. Smith Vocational (10-8)
8. Putnam (10-10)
9. Westfield Voke (10-10)
First round
Thursday, May 29
Game 1: Westfield Voke at Putnam, 3:30
Quarterfinals
Dates, times TBA
Game 2: Game 1 winner at Turners Falls
Game 3: Franklin Tech at Ware
Game 4: Smith Voke at Pioneer Regional
Game 5: Pathfinder at Mt. Everett
Semifinals
At Elms College, dates, times TBA
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 7: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Finals
Saturday, June 7
At Elms College
Game 8: Semifinal winners, TBA

Baseball Bubble Watch

A look at where teams stand for the postseason. Records are through Tuesday's games. 

QUALIFIED
Smith Academy (13-1) — Potential for a top seed again.
Northampton (11-4) — Blue Devils are playing now for a solid seed. Top five seed is not out of the question.
Hopkins Academy (9-7) — In for the first time since 1999.
South Hadley (3-11) — Qualified via 70 percent rule.

NOT THERE YET
Amherst Regional (8-7) — Needs only two wins but has games remaining against Longmeadow, Westfield, Holyoke and Cathedral (twice).
Belchertown (6-9) — Needs to win four of final five to reach .500. Can also qualify via 70 percent rule. In the latter all they need to do is beat South Hadley or Palmer.
Frontier Regional (7-8) — Needs to go 3-2 over final five. Went 1-3 against four of those teams. Finishes with nonleague game vs. Hampshire Regional.
Gateway Regional (5-8) — Has 17-game schedule so they need to go 4-0 down the stretch.
Granby (7-7) — Rams need three wins.
Hampshire Regional (8-6) — Red Raiders have lost five of seven but still needs two Ws to qualify.
Holyoke Catholic (6-8) — Gaels have six games left and need four wins. Finishes the season with four games in five days.
Smith Vocational (9-6) — Can clinch with a win vs. Granby Wednesday.

NO CHANCE
Easthampton (5-11) — Has no shot at .500 record or second place in the league.