BROCKTON – The Westfield Starfires finished a home-and-home sweep of the Brockton Rox in Futures Collegiate Baseball League action, winning 4-2 at Campanelli Stadium on Sunday.
Westfield is now 3-2 on the season.
The Starfires grabbed a two-run lead in the second inning. Brendan Edvardsen and Luke Stephens each singled to put runners on, and Aaron Cole and Jack Kent followed with two more hits to drive in the runners.
Brockton rebounded in a big way in the third on the strength of a two-run home run by Owen Davis.
However, the pitching of Tim Krol and Mike Furgalack was nearly untouchable from there, as the duo went the rest of the way, allowing just a single runner each. Furgalack, in particular, was strong, not allowing a hit and fanning five over the final 3.1 innings.
Westfield’s offense came back to life in the eighth.
Kobe Mentzer was hit by a pitch, and Cole then singled. Kent was also hit, loading the bases for Josh Frometa. The Chicopee native and American International College star slashed a single through the left side, bringing Mentzer and Cole home to put the Starfires ahead for good.
The Starfires return home against the Pittsfield Suns on Monday at 1 p.m.
The team will wear its special 104th Fighter Wing jerseys for the Memorial Day ceremony. Additionally, the Ground Zero Flag – flown both at the Port Authority Police Department Command Center at Ground Zero of the World Trade Center as well as in the rubble of the South Tower from the week following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 – will be on display during the game.
Participating in the pre-game ceremonies will be Keith Gamage, retired Marine and retired Greenfield Firefighter who was sent to Ground Zero, Commander of the 131st Fighter Squadron at Barnes Air National Guard Base Johnny “Rocket” Koegel Ilka, and Scott Halliday, who are Gold Star parents, as well as Brian Miller, a U.S. Marines Gulf War Veteran who served in the Army National Guard during Operation Enduring Freedom, and Chapter Director of the Massachusetts Chapter of Honor and Remember.