Greenfield Post 81’s win over Belchertown Post 239 on Tuesday during the American Legion District 3 Junior tournament held more meaning than anyone knew.

Greenfield earned the No. 2 seed in the District 3 Junior Tournament and came away with a 2-0 win over Belchertown in the semis. Post 81 was set to play the winner of Pittsfield Post 68 and Sheffield Post 340 in the district finals, but that semifinal game was postponed due to weather on Tuesday. 

With the season needing to be completed by Thursday, and rain in the forecast that day, Pittsfield — the top seed in the tournament — was given a free pass to the finals, as the game would not be rescheduled and they advanced as the higher seed. 

Greenfield and Pittsfield were set to play for the championship and a spot in the state tournament on Wednesday, but after a District 6 team dropped out of the state tournament, it was decided that Greenfield and Pittsfield would not play the championship game, and both teams would move on to the state tournament.

As it turns out, Greenfield and Pittsfield will square off on Saturday in the opening game of the state double-elimination tournament. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m. at Middleboro High School.

“It worked out really well,” Post 81 coach Alex Siano said. “At first we were concerned it was going to be us who wouldn’t be able to go to states. When we came together at the beginning of the year our goal was to qualify for states. We felt we had the players to do that when we picked the team. It’s a strong group. We had to beat a good Belchertown team [Tuesday] and earned a spot in the state tournament.” 

To add to the confusion of the week, early in the season Greenfield Post 81 was working under the assumption that the top two finishers in the district would qualify for the state tournament.

That changed during the season, when they were informed that only one team would be able to go to states.

“At first we thought we would just have to finish in first or second,” Siano said. “We were told we didn’t have enough numbers for two teams to qualify. [Tuesday’s] game was big.” 

Greenfield had the same option as Pittsfield to earn an automatic spot in the finals after weather postponed their original semifinal matchup on Monday. Post 81 opted to still play the game a day later on Tuesday, and while the club didn’t know the game would end up being for a spot in the state tournament, it was still a meaningful playoff game that both teams needed to win to stay alive. 

Getting that victory gives Greenfield added confidence going into the weekend. 

“We played loose out there,” Siano said. “It was win or go home no matter what. We threw our best pitcher and had the guys out there to get the job done. Now we’ll just go out there, play and see what happens. I said all summer that we can’t control the weather. Getting that game in against Belchertown worked to our advantage. A lot of people said we shouldn’t play and just get the bye. By doing the right thing and playing the game it ended up working out in the long run.”

Caleb Thomas went the distance on the mound against Belchertown, scattering just two hits. Due to pitch count rules he is ineligible to pitch against Pittsfield on Saturday but will be available for Post 81’s Sunday game.

Thomas, along with Jackson Campbell, Luca Siano, Arthur Fitzpatrick and Malik Moore, all started for Greenfield during the varsity season and have had strong years with the Post 81 Junior squad.

Add in Mohawk Trail’s Logan Moore, Pioneer’s Ethan Mauthe and Ben Werner and Franklin Tech’s Tyler Yetter, and every player who started against Belchertown in the semis played varsity ball during the high school season. That, along with the chemistry they’ve developed, has helped lead to success on the field this summer.

“Even though we're a Junior Legion team, we’re almost all varsity players,” Siano said. “They’re the younger varsity players but just about all of them got varsity experience this spring. We knew we’d have a pretty good team. This team gets along pretty well. People always say that but it’s true with this team. In the dugout nobody is mad at each other. They seem to enjoy being together. It’s a fun team to coach.”

With multiple games being postponed with all the rain that has pummeled the area, as well as the natural distractions that summer brings, it’s hard to keep players’ concentration throughout the entirety of a Legion season.

Since the postseason has begun, Siano said he’s seen a team that is focused and wanting to extend the season as long as it can.

“There’s been a little bit of excitement here,” Siano said. “The season is hot and some of the games weren’t as competitive. It’s easy for the kids to lose some interest. They’re back now and rejuvenated. Some of these kids got to play in the state tournament in the high school season so I’m excited to see how they play in this tournament.”

In a state tournament environment, it’s rare to have much info on the team you’re playing. That won’t be the case when Greenfield and Pittsfield square off on Saturday. 

The two played a doubleheader on July 18, and Pittsfield won both games by one run (2-1, 4-3). 

As for the rest of the tournament, Siano said he hopes to see his team compete well against the best teams in the state. 

“We know the competition will be stiff,” Siano said. “What I’d really like to get out of this is to be competitive. We want to represent Franklin County as best as we possibly can. Hopefully when the kids leave the field they feel they played well and did their best.” 

]]>