The Uxbridge baseball team gave top-seeded Pittsfield everything it could handle but fell just short in a 4-3 quarterfinal loss that ended their playoff run. The game, suspended earlier in the week due to rain, resumed with the score tied 1-1 and quickly turned into a dramatic finish. Uxbridge struck first after play resumed, with Willem Haker and Zack Veneziano driving in runs to give the Spartans a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning. The Spartans were in control until Pittsfield’s bats awoke in the sixth and seventh. Morrie Fried homered in the sixth to trim the deficit to one. Then, with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Uxbridge walked Fried, setting the stage for Jack Reed’s walk-off two-run home run that sent Pittsfield to the semifinals and ended Uxbridge’s season. The Spartans chose to walk Fried, which was understandable after his earlier homerun and 3-3 game, but Reed made them pay dearly. Despite the heartbreaking finish, the Spartans, seeded ninth, pushed the tournament’s top team to the brink. Seniors can take pride in a deep run, and the underclassmen will look to build off this year’s success in seasons to come.
