SOUTH DEERFIELD — An excellent pitching performance along with timely hitting gave the Frontier Regional School baseball team a 5-1 win over Athol High School in the quarterfinal round of the WMass Div. 3 tournament on Monday at G.T. Valiton Field.
The second-seeded Red Hawks advanced to the semifinals at Earl Lorden Field on the campus of UMass, set for Wednesday against No. 3 Wahconah.
Skipper Chris Williams said the Red Hawks will need to play better moving forward.
“It was enough to get the job done,” Williams said. “It wasn’t a championship performance. I think that at the same time it leaves kind of a sour taste in our guys’ mouth. They know if we don’t play our best game, we won’t accomplish what we are trying to do.”
Wahconah defeated Monson, 12-11, in other quarterfinal action, Monday.
Dylan Apanell pitched six innings to earn the win on the mound for the Red Hawks. He did not allow a run.
“We have some big games ahead of us,” Apanell said. “I was mixing pitches well, sticking away with the fastball low. Using the curveball and off-speed pitch at the right time. Making the hitter guess.”
Apanell struck out nine while allowing four hits.
“Definitely pleased with Appy,” Williams said. “Came out and did exactly what we all knew he would do which is shut them out. That’s his expectation moving forward.”
A couple RBI hits by Matt Hildreth provided the offense for the Red Hawks. Hildreth went 2-for-3 with four RBI.
“We are going to make sure we have a good feel going into Wednesday at UMass,” Williams said.
The No. 7 Red Raiders (14-8) hosted their first playoff game since 2005, when they knocked off Easthampton, 1-0, in last week’s first round.
“We went 7-7 over our last 14 games,” Athol coach Josh Talbot said. “The season is over. You never want to lose. But it’s over.”
Athol graduates just one senior in Anthony Oro.
Oro was on base three time with a hit, a hit by pitch and a walk. Oro came out for pinch runner Vincent Gordon, who scored Athol’s lone run on an infield single by Bryce King.
Athol starter Nick Bousquet gave up four hits with eight strikeouts and five walks.
Athol loaded the bases in the fourth inning when Keegan Lutz and Noah Pottinger singled before Oro’s plunking.
Apanell got out of the inning with two consecutive strikeouts.
Xavier Santiago pitched the seventh for the Red Hawks, giving up a walk, a single with a strikeout.
The Red Hawks loaded the bases in the first inning when Bryan Baumann, Kiernan Freeman and Corbin Blight drew walks with one out.
Bousquet fanned Jacob Bryant before giving up a single to Hildreth that scored two runs for the Red Hawks.
Another run scored on a passed ball to give the Red Hawks a 3-0 lead.
Hildreth came up with runners on second and third and delivered another two-RBI single for Frontier in the third inning.
Frontier 5, Athol 1
Athol ............................. 000 000 1 — 1 4 0
Frontier ....................... 302 000 x — 5 4 0
Hits: (A) King, Oro, Pottinger, Lutz. (F) Baumann, Hildreth 2, Barnes.
RBI: (F) Hildreth 4. (A) King.
WP: Apanell (6ip, 9k, 1bb) Santiago (1ip, 1k 1bb).
LP: Bousquet (6ip, 8k, 5bb).