Dazzling D'Agincourt Not Enough for Post 320

Westwood American Legion Post 320 came just shy of winning its third straight game, climbing back from a 4-run first inning before falling to Medfield 4-3 Thursday night in a game called due to darkness in the sixth inning.

Medfield was tacking on some insurance runs in the sixth, however once the game was called all stats from the bottom of that inning were negated.

Matt La Vita, a 16-year-old rising junior at Xaverian Brothers High School, got the start for Westwood, however was quickly relieved after allowing four runs on four hits in just 1/3 inning.

His replacement, and Friday's scheduled starter, 19-year-old Greg D'Agincourt, was lights out. The Oberlin College sophomore kept the Medfield offense scoreless over the next 4 2/3 innings while striking out five.

"I was a little less loose but it wasn't too bad," said D'Agincourt after his unexpected relief appearance.

Medfield had runners on third base in both the second and fourth innings but D'Agincourt found ways to escape unscathed on both occasions.

"I got a lucky on some balls I guess, and I seemed to focus a little more," he said after the game.

Connor Doonan, who contributed offensively against Medfield with a triple from the DH spot, will now get the start tonight at Needham with Post 320 coach Dick Paster one win shy of 300.

Westwood jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first, as cleanup hitter John Mullen drove T.J. Manning home on a sac fly. Xaverian senior Gerard Florentino continued his hot-streak by driving a fastball over the left field wall in the fourth, cutting the deficit to 4-2.

"I knew it was gone when I hit it," said Florentino. "We have a pretty small fence in left and I thought I hit it hard enough to get it over."

In the top of the fifth, Westwood High School senior Brendan Skehill made it 4-3 with a sacrifice fly of his own, driving home second baseman Mike Uradnik. That would be all Westwood would scrounge together however, in front of a primarily Medfield crowd.