Spartan Baseball Mercies Blue Devils

The Spartans senior night couldn’t have ended better.

The bottom of the fifth inning saw the Spartans score their tenth run of the game from an RBI by senior Isaiah King and run scored by senior Cade Boydston. 

They had scored six runs in the fourth inning to push their lead to 7-0, and added on three more in the fifth before the umpires declared the game over.

Keeping the game scoreless on the mound was senior Conner Robidoux, who has been a solid and consistent starting pitcher for the Spartans all season. Robidoux only allowed four hits in his outing.

The Spartans starting pitching has been led this season by Robidoux and junior Traigh Skiffington.

Robidoux, one of eight seniors on the varsity roster, batted second in the lineup behind the leadoff hitter, senior Brady Dobek. 

Other seniors that got at-bats in the game were Jack Woodward and Connor Donovan, with Dylan Grasso subbing in defensively.

It was an all-around effort that celebrated the seniors’ contributions to the team.

“This is a great group,” head coach Craig DiFranco said. “They’ve led us all year, so it was great that they could get a big, convincing win today.”

DiFranco also had some high praise specifically for his senior starter.

“Conner has been fantastic,” DiFranco said. “You always know exactly what you’re getting. He goes in, throws strikes, and does his job. He never has an off day.”

This game meant more to the senior on behalf of not only himself, but his senior teammates as well.

“We played a complete game and it was a great way to send off this senior class,” Robidoux said. “While the rest of the regular season ended with two close losses, we still feel we have good momentum carrying into the playoffs.”

Also acknowledging the two losses that followed this win against the Blue Devils, Dobek explained that the team was able to “celebrate with our families and get a nice win on senior night” but also had to “quickly prepare for the remainder of the week, which would lead us into the playoffs.”

From now on the Spartans are putting all of their focus into the Western Mass tournament.

“We don’t want our season to end early, so our seniors are going to be playing every game from here on out like it is their last,” Robidoux said. “We know the underclassmen are going to give us that same type of fight and effort.”

“We are not a high seed, however we have been competitive with all the top teams,” Dobek said. “The only thing that’s holding us back is mental and physical errors. Come playoff time we need to eliminate all those mistakes and continue to play disciplined baseball. Playing a full 7 innings is the most important thing.”

“We want to finish the regular season strong, start making a run at the Western Mass title, and deal with the state tournament when that comes,” DiFranco said.

The Spartans face off against West Springfield this afternoon in the Western Mass Quarterfinal Round.