Donahue Tosses No Hitter as Part of Doubleheader Sweep of Mass. Maritime

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State junior pitcher Ryan Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) tossed the Owls seventh no hitter in program history to lead Westfield to a 3-0 game one victory, then the Owls rallied from three runs down to eventually walk off Mass. Maritime 7-6 in game two to sweep the twin-bill set on Saturday afternoon from Hagan Field in Westfield, Mass.

Donahue (W, 2-2) was sharp from the start of the contest, finishing with a complete game shutout with ten strikeouts and three walks. For Westfield, it was the first no hitter since 2022 where the Owls used three separate arms to no hit Johnson & Wales in Davenport, Fla. Individually, it is the first time since 2019 that a single Owls pitcher fired a no hitter since John Gegetskas did so against Framingham State in the conference semifinals.

After a masterful pitching performance from Donahue in game one, another dramatic conclusion followed in the second game as the Owls drew four consecutive walks with Trey Faulkner (Springfield, Mass.) punctuating the walk off by working a seven-pitch walk to send home the winning run.

The Owls have now won both of their regular season series against Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference opponents, improving to 4-2 in the conference and 8-11 overall. The Buccaneers drop to 12-10 and 2-4 in the league after today's games.

GAME 1:

Owls sophomore Nick Marshall (Reading, Mass.) supplied the majority of the offense for Westfield in game one, scoring Robison Guerrero Baez (Dominican Republic) on a single into left field to put the Owls on board in the first inning.

With two outs in the third inning, Marshall delivered a two-out single up the middle to plate Baez and John Nickerson (Chelmsford, Mass.) for his second and third RBI of the game.

Donahue entered the seventh inning around the 100-pitch mark and forced a ground out to Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.) to begin the frame. After a walk to John Tropea (East Sandwich, Mass.) the righthander fanned Aidan Henderson (Hanover, Mass.), then secured the no-no with a grounder to Slattery to wrap up the victory.

Brodey Tinkham (Norton, Mass.) got the nod in game one for the Buccaneers, firing a complete game of his own while allowing three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts.

GAME 2

With Westfield trailing 6-3 entering the bottom of the sixth, the Owls mounted a comeback starting with Dan Burnett (Granville, Mass.) who lofted a fly ball into foul territory down the line in right that was deep enough to send home Marshall to cut the deficit to two runs.

With two out in the frame, Nolan Florence (Chicopee, Mass.) laced a ball into the 5-6 hole which was corralled by shortstop Zach Sylvia (Brockton, Mass.) but the throw was late, keeping the inning alive and allowing for Ethan Day (Meriden, Conn.) to score.

Sean Clark (Dudley, Mass.) followed and mashed a fly ball over the left fielder's head and to the fence, scoring Florence easily to tie the game at six runs apiece.

Joe Fischer (Avon, Mass.) and Joe Espinola (Plymouth, Mass.) combined for a scoreless seventh inning, setting the table for Westfield's second walk off win of the season.

The Owls rallied from two separate multi-run deficits in the game, as Mass. Maritime jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Brett Velzis (Cypress, Texas) opened the scoring with a double into the right-centerfield gap, then Tropea singled through the right side for the second run of the frame.

Westfield responded to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Day launched a sacrifice fly to center, then with two outs, Burnett lashed a single to left to plate two more runs to put the Owls up 3-2.

The Buccaneers once again answered with a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth innings as Velzis and Tropea both collected consecutive run-scoring hits to retake the lead. Chris Perito (East Falmouth, Mass.) doubled home a run in the sixth and another run came home to score on an error to extend the Bucs lead to three runs.

Westfield's game two starter Luke Mathewson (Eastford, Conn.) covered the first 5.2 innings, surrendering six runs (four earned) on nine hits with three strikeouts. Espinola (W, 2-1) recorded the win.

Hunter Dean (Plymouth, Mass.) started game two for Mass. Maritime, pitching into the sixth inning where he eventually coughed up the lead. He allowed six runs on nine hits with seven punchouts. Brenden Baiardi (Harwinton, Conn.) was tagged with the loss after walking four and recording one out.  

Westfield State will stay home for their next game as the Owls host Trinity (Conn.) in a non-conference game on Tuesday at 3:30 P.M. Mass. Maritime will travel to Mitchell College for their next game on Wednesday at 4:00 P.M.