WESTFORD — What’s the best way to get over giving up a couple runs in the late innings of a playoff baseball game?
For Westford Academy senior Donny Metznik, the answer was to spark a rally of his own at the plate.
After surrendering two runs in relief in the top of the sixth and allowing King Philip to tie the game 3-3, Metznik singled to lead off the bottom of the inning and was eventually pushed across for the go-ahead run, and the Ghosts hung on for a 4-3 win in the round of 32 of the MIAA Division 1 tournament.
“These tournament games are one-run games,” Westford coach Mike Parent said. “I told them all week preparing for this: very rarely is a tournament game won by a three-run homer. It’s won by doing the little things, moving runners over, getting clutch hits.”
Metznik would finish the job in the top of the seventh to earn the win, escaping a jam after a pair of two-out singles put the tying run in scoring position.
“Metznik came in and just threw strikes, and we made the plays,” Parent said.
“Guys like Metz just grind and get the job done,” said Ghosts starter Jake Cullen, who did not factor into the decision after five innings of one-run ball.
Cullen had runners on base throughout his outing, walking five and allowing four hits, but he was at his best in the game’s biggest moments.
He struck out back-to-back batters with runners on second and third to escape a dicey first inning, and followed it up with another clutch strikeout to leave the bases loaded in the second, one of his six in the game.
“He weathered the storm. He definitely struggled early on,” Parent said. “But he’s a gamer, and he made pitches when he had to. He had runners on base all game, but he bears down … he found a way. He gutted it out.”
The teams traded runs in the first inning before both starters settled down. The Ghosts (19-2) would eventually break through in the fourth, using a pair of walks to help load the bases before two runs scored on Ryan Snow’s sacrifice fly to right.
Max Robison and Drew Herlin had a pair of RBI singles to rally the Warriors (11-10) and tie things up in the sixth before Westford finally took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning.
King Philip junior Nate Pennini took the loss despite a strong outing in which he went six innings, struck out five and allowed four runs, only two of them earned.
The Ghosts will await the winner of Monday night’s contest between Leominster and Saint Paul Diocesan in the round of 16.
