WORCESTER – No one expected GNB Voc -Tech’s boys ’baseball team to reach the state semifinals this year.
But the Bears are not themselves.
So it was very bitter at the end of the No. 1 season. 2 Voc-Tech on Monday night with a 3-0 loss to No. 3 Westfield in Div. 2 Fourth runner at North High School in Worcester.
“Going to the last four in the state Div. We have a lot of 2 games for us,” said Voc-Tech senior Ethan Fagundes. “Some people were skeptical of us. Although I was skeptical of my team and myself at the start of the season we pulled it off and I am proud of where it came from. ”
Voc-Tech junior Curran Farnworth, a first-year player, added, “The first day I started training, I didn’t think this was possible.”
In what was supposed to be a new building year, the young and inexperienced Bears finished with 18 wins, captured the State Vocational and South Alliance tournaments and won three MIAA tournament games to make the semifinals. state for the first time in at least 16 years.
“This is not a loss we can put our heads on,” said GNB Voc-Tech head coach Richie Gomes. “Life is another valuable gift. They will learn from it. It hurts a little and that’s good, but we can’t imagine it because they worked so hard. That’s the bottom line of the message from everyone. What they have accomplished this year, you can’t take away from them and we are very proud.
“It’s an encouragement. Two weeks ago, you didn’t think of this. We can’t put our heads down. That team (Westfield) got us and we fought as hard as we could and we were about to turn the corner in the third set. This team fought until the end in every game and they had to raise their heads.
It was the second time in three seasons that Westfield had gone to the state end. The Bombers beat Natick 3-0 to win the 2019 Div. 1 state tournament.
“While you can say we’re used to this level, there are a lot of new players, more than the last two years,” said Westfield head Tyler Wingate. “They were so hungry to have another chance and now we have one more game to see what we can do.”
Against a better and more experienced Westfield team, the Bears can’t be together on long runs. The Bombers lead almost the entire game, but the Voc-Tech players continue to fight.
In the third set with the Bears after 18-17, Cody Raposa jumped high outside the boundaries to try to dig the ball. He couldn’t make the game, but Gomes tilted his head up and down to admit he was happy with the speed and intensity of his team.
“This is probably the first time it’s been over and I’m not angry at the way we played at a loss,” Gomes said. “The work is there. They know better than we do and that’s what’s happened and that’s what’s going to happen in the games.
Gomes said his senior class has left a strong legacy for the future and is starting now.
“They have established themselves in a place of history in Voke,” he said. “They are good leaders and they have set a precedent for the underclassmen.
“For the youngsters, their preseason starts tomorrow. Being one of the most embarrassing games in the state tournament would not only starve the youth, but also starve the coaching staff. I haven’t been here since I played. “
The Bears are seven seniors, including starters Fagundes, Alberto Gomes and Ethan Nunez.
“The old people we’re missing are the big pieces?” said coach Gomes. “Sure, but there’s a big reason behind them being ready to do that next thing and there are a lot of young people waiting their turn. They have to continue what the old people left and see what happens. where to go for the next two years.
THE WORK
The Bombers led the entire first set, rising to nine (20-11) on a strikeout by Vitaliy Samoylenko. Westfield won 25-16 on a shot by Nicholas Gonzalez.
After a close start in the second set, Westfield turned a 4-3 lead to a 23-12 win at the beach in a 25-15 win.
The Voc-Tech team came out strong in third and no more than four. With the set tied at 22, the Bombers picked up three of the next four points to pull off a 25-23 win to seal the game and advance.
What it means: With a loss, the Bears ended the season with an overall record of 18-4. … The Bombers, improving to 23-1, will face top North Quincy (18-1) at 6:30 pm on Wednesday at North High School in the Div. 2 last states. North Quincy’s only loss this year was against GNB Voc-Tech.
WINGATE in front of VOC-TECH: “We’ve played a lot with these guys over the years. Coach and I are good friends. We haven’t been able to play for the last two years. I enjoy playing them. We often express how good we are to each other. It’s a very good competition. ”
GOMES ON THE UNDERCASSMEN: “Most of them have trained with us since the end of the JV season and they show up at dawn and they stay small and do everything they can to continue to improve and for this top team. Fight they really are.
STATS WESTFIELD: Samoylenko led his team with 12 kills and Cole Davignon with eight kills and three blocks. Michael Collins and Gonzalez were seven murderers.
VOC-TECH STATS: Eight Fagundes and Farnworth were killed for leading the Bears and Nunez to three blocks. Gomes provided 19 assists. Colin Stuessi was in the team’s top 10 and Tayshaun Andrade added six and Evan Fagundes added four. Dontay Jones was cut with two murders.