BROCKTON, Mass. ---- Massasoit Community College will host the Region 21 Baseball Tournament set to start Friday, May 12 through the weekend.
The Warriors captured the No. 2 seed, finishing 12-3 in league play and 16-12 overall for the regular season and will face No. 3 seed Quinsigamond at 3:30 PM on Friday, with the game being held at Strong Field in East Bridgewater, Mass.
The other matchup on the first day of the tournament features top seed Northern Essex against No. 4 seed Holyoke, set to start at 3:30 PM at Colombo Field on Massasoit's Brockton campus.
Tournament Field
#1 Northern Essex (21-11-1, 14-0-1)
#2 Massasoit (16-12, 12-3)
#3 Quinsigamond (7-10-1, 7-7-1)
#4 Holyoke (6-14, 4-11)
Tournament Schedule
Friday, May 12th
Game 1: #1 Northern Essex vs #4 Holyoke – Colombo Field (Brockton, MA) – 3:30 PM
Game 2: #2 Massasoit vs #3 Quinsigamond – Strong Field (East Bridgewater, MA) – 3:30 PM
Saturday, May 13th
Game 3: G1 Winner vs G2 Winner – Colombo Field (Brockton, MA) – 11 AM
Game 4: G1 Loser vs G2 Loser – Strong Field (East Bridgewater, MA) – 11 AM
Game 5: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner – Colombo Field (Brockton, MA) – 3 PM
Sunday, May 14th
Championship
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – Colombo Field (Brockton, MA) – 11 AM
Game 7 (if necessary): 40 minutes after the conclusion of Game 6
WARRIOR NOTEBOOK
Tale Of Two Seasons
Massasoit struggled to start the 2017 campaign, posting a 1-6 record during its spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. Since returning the New England, the Warriors have gone 15-6, including a 12-3 record in divisional play. In fact, the Warriors lost their first three games back in the Northeast and closed out the regular season winners of 15 of 18 games.
Tournament History
The Warriors have won the Region 21 Tournament 11 times in program history, with the last championship being claimed in 2007.
Season Series vs Quinsigamond
During the regular season, Massasoit topped Quinsigamond in all three meetings, by scores of 14-4, 10-9 and 9-5.
Warrior Offense
As a team, Massasoit hit .315 as a club with five players hitting .346 or higher. Shortstop Bryan Dwyer (Abington) topped the team with a .433 hitting clip, scoring 29 runs, knocking in 26 and roping 10 extra base hits.
Catcher Dylan Ashburn of Norton hit .395 for the regular season, with 18 RBI, followed by CF Luke Lewando of Brockton (.367, 32R, 23RBI, 7XBH), OF Jack DeCoste of East Sandwich (.364, 20R, 13 RBI) and 2B Luis Ramirez of Dedham (.346, 20R, 22RBI).
Massasoit also hit 13 homers on the season, with DH Ricky Sherlock (Whitman) tying for the Region 21 lead with five homers. The five round trippers marked the most by a Warrior since Joe Walsh clubbed five during the 2014 season.
Warrior Pitching
Massasoit boasts a deep pitching staff, with 10 pitchers tossing 10 or more innings in 2017. RHP Jake Morris of Bourne topped the Warriors in innings pitched (33.0), strikeouts (36) and wins (4). LHP Luke Lewando went 3-0 in four total appearances, registering a microscopic 0.86 ERA for the regular season. RHP John Tinker (3-1, 3.52 ERA) of Weymouth, RHP Kasey Kirby (3-1, 4.29 ERA) of Dedham were also valuable starters.
Out of the bullpen, RHP Tim DeCouto (2-3, 2SV, 9APP) of Whitman and RHP Tom Merrick (0-0, 1SV, 3.14 ERA, 6APP) of Brockton were key contributors.