ATHOL — With the Athol varsity baseball team needing at least one win within the final two games of the season, the Red Raiders couldn’t pick a better time to turn in the best game of their season.
The team used 14 hits and seven walks to defeat Mohawk Trail Regional High School 14-2 on Tuesday, while Mark Ferrari pitched all seven innings, striking out 15 batters and giving up only two hits on Tuesday.
“I would say this is our best game, total package,” said Athol coach Josh Talbot. “There were still some things we could do better, but we played really good baseball, Mark played a great game and we hammered the ball around the park.”
The Red Raiders (9-10) qualify for the Western Massachusetts Division III playoff tournament after clinching at least the second spot in the Hampshire East with a 6-3 record in league play. The top two teams in each division automatically qualify for the tournament as well as each team that wins at least 10 games throughout the season. A win on Thursday against Easthampton High School would clinch the league title for the Red Raiders.
“It’s a great day, obviously,” said Talbot. “You honor five seniors before the game and you tell them, ‘We’re playing for these guys’ and our guys went out there and played great baseball.”
On “Senior Day” to honor the seniors playing in their final regular season home game, Ferrari, a sophomore, honored his teammates by generating 11 strikeouts, including one dropped third strike from the fourth inning into the seventh inning. Ferrari had six straight strikeouts between the fourth and fifth innings.
“I felt kind of dominant on the mound, but my team let me feel that way,” said Ferrari. “They were great. The teammates are keeping me up the whole time and the whole season. They’re the ones that do everything out here. I just come out and pitch. They do everything behind me.”
Athol catcher Kris Selanis threw out a Mohawk runner trying to steal second in the top of the sixth inning, which prevented Ferrari from making it 11 straight strikeouts. The only offense Mohawk created in the final four innings was three walks, one in each of the fourth, sixth and seventh.
“Mark pitched a gem,” said Talbot. “(The non-seniors) went out there and performed for those five seniors who they love — it’s a great group of guys — and they went out there for one-another, stuck together and played a great baseball game.”
Ferrari also had a bases-loaded triple in the sixth inning to put his team up 13-2 in the sixth inning. His hit was part of a seven-run sixth that included hits from seniors James Laford and Joey Lehtomaki as well as a double by Keegan Lutz, single by Nicholas Bousquet and walk by senior Robbie Nelson.
Ferrari had five RBIs on the day.
“I felt great on that,” said Ferrari about his triple. “Just to get a hit in there, I’ve been up and down hitting the ball all season, so that was just great to get that in there.”
Laford went 3-for-5 with three runs and one RBI, while Nelson went 0-for-1 with three RBIs, two runs, two walks and one sacrifice fly. Lehtomaki went 2-for-3 with two runs, one walk and one RBI and Selanis went 2-for-3 with one RBI, one run and one walk on senior day. Dakota Williams, the team’s final senior, had one RBI.
Laford had two important hits and runs early-on in the ballgame. He hit a double and reached third when the Mohawk right fielder misplayed the ball, scoring Bousquet to tie the game in the first inning. He later scored to put his team up 2-1.
Laford then singled in the third inning and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Nelson to put his team up 4-2.