Belchertown Post 239 baseball drops to Chairman's Cup losers bracket, falling to host Hudson

HUDSON — Belchertown put enough runners on base at Guidotti Field but didn’t bring enough home.

 Post 239 fell 7-1 to Hudson Post 100, the host team, in the Chairman’s Cup state tournament winners bracket. Belchertown left eight runners on base after eight hits and two walks.

“We’re scrapping to get runs,” Belchertown coach Jeff Gladu said. “We were going to have to do a lot of little things to make big things happen. You have to find ways to keep the merry go round going.”

Belchertown lead off hitter Austin Endelos began the bottom of the first with a bouncing single. He then stole second and third base, sliding awkwardly into the hot corner and clutching his shoulder afterward.  It didn’t hamper him jogging home when Ty Gladu blooped an RBI single into shallow right center amidst three charging Post 100 players to gain a 1-0 lead. 

“It was the right place, right time,” Ty Gladu said. “I was trying to put the ball on the bat with two strikes.”

Belchertown threatened to add to its lead in the bottom of the third. Jack Feltovic cracked a triple to deep center field, sliding into third for emphasis more than safety. He popped up screaming and clapping after comfortably beating the throw. Ty Gladu and Tyler Laramee walked behind him with one out to load the bases. Both worked eep into the count, fouling off pitch after pitch to try and find one to drive. Laramie dropped what initially appeared to be perfect squeeze bunt down before it rolled just foul.

“It was unselfish. You have professional hitters on our teams far as kids that have played the game for a long time understand that you’ve got to make the pitcher work,” Jef Gladu said. “The name of the game is execution and we weren’t bale to come through with that big hit.”

They all stayed put after a sharp grounder to Hudson third baseman James Borsari that let him step on the base for an out and whip it to first to end the inning.

“Tremendous play, Major League play,” Jef Gladu said. “That inning goes by the wayside.”

Hudson capitalized immediately. Aidan Hallsworth cracked a one-out double, then Borsari brought him home with a single that tied the game. Belchertown threw Borsari out at home after a relay throw from Jordan Talbot in right to Ty Gladu at first.

Connor Salmon then dropped in a go-ahead single to make it 2-1.

Post 100 tacked on four more runs in the top of the fifth. Brady Stuart roped a two-run triple after the first two batters singled. Peter Ward brought another run home on a fielders choice, then Hallsworth poked an RBI single. A lineout to Belchertown short stop Andrew Ciaglo that he flipped to Laramee at second ended the inning.

Marshall Kehlhem added an insurance run for Post 100 in the seventh. He singled after taking a borderline pitch for a ball with two strikes. Khelhem then stole second and went to third on a groundout before striding home after a wild pitch that made it 7-1. 

Belchertown will face familiar foe Aldenville in an elimination game Tuesday at a time and place to be determined. All other tournament games were played in Hudson, but they could be allowed to play the game in Western Massachsuetts. That decision was made after press time. Post 239 has seen Aldenville five times already this season.

“You don’t need a scouting report for them, and they don’t need one for us. We’re practically sitting at the Thanksgiving Day table with them,” Jeff Gladu said. “They got hot at the right time I was proud of them coming out here and beating an Eastern Mass team. That’s the name of the game of us Western Mass guys. Sometimes we get slighted.”