GREENFIELD — With a spot in the Western Mass. American Legion semifinals on the line Monday, both Greenfield Post 81 and Wilbraham Falcons struggled to put runs on the scoreboard. 

Neither squad produced a hit through three innings before Wilbraham’s Liam Shea knocked the opening base knock of the game in the fourth. The  fifth-seeded Falcons managed to score in the fourth before adding a run in the sixth to take a 2-0 lead. 

Fourth-seeded Post 81 got on the board in the seventh but was unable to get the tying run in from second, as Wilbraham advanced to the semifinals with a 2-1 victory at Vets Field. 

The Falcons will play at top-seeded Belchertown in the semifinals on Tuesday. 

“Playoff baseball is about pitching and defense,” Greenfield coach Alex Siano said. “We had good pitching and they had good pitching. They just hit a little better than us today.” 

Greenfield managed just four hits off Falcons ace Sam Przybyl, who tossed all seven innings. While Przybyl didn’t allow many hits, his fielders did the job behind him. Post 81 struck out just four times and put the ball in play often, though the ball continued to find its way right to a Wilbraham fielder. 

“Our kids hit some balls really hard at times, it just went right at people,” Siano said. “We had a few situations  where if it was a few feet to the right or a few feet to the left it changes the game a little bit.” 

Conversely, both Ian Simpson and Caleb Thomas did their jobs to limit the Falcons lineup on the hill. 

Simpson tossed the opening three innings for Post 81, didn’t allow a hit and struck out four. After a runner reached on an error and worked his way to third following a steal and a wild pitch to open the third, Simpson struck out the next three batters to get out of the jam. While he was rolling, Simpson suffered a blister on his throwing hand which forced him out of the game. 

Thomas came on in relief and threw the final four innings, allowing four hits and walking two. 

“Ian Simpson came out firing,” Siano said. “We had to take him out after he had the blood blister. Caleb Thomas came in and did the job.” 

After Shea cracked the opening hit of the game in the fourth, Matt Nordstrom sent a grounder to the infield. The throw got Shea at first but an error on the double play throw to first was offline, putting Nordstrom at second. 

A single up the middle from Nick Burns scored Nordstrom from second, giving the Falcons the opening lead of the game. 

Hugh Cyhowski knocked Greenfield’s first hit of the game to open the bottom of the fifth. Sam Connors came on as a pinch runner and stole second, but Post 81 was unable to get him home. 

Wilbraham added to its lead in the top of the sixth. Shea singled, stole second, reached third on a wild pitch and scored after Vince Chiarizio blasted a hit in the gap between short and third, giving the Falcons a 2-0 lead. 

The Greenfield bats began finding life in the sixth. Daniel Bussard and Logan Moore singled to put a pair of runners on but Przybyl worked his way out of it, producing a pair of flyouts to get out of the inning unscathed. 

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Shane Bussard demolished a double in the left-center gap to give Post 81 life. 

Dylen Richardson put the ball in play to the infield and used his speed to put pressure on Wilbraham, resulting in an errant throw that scored Bussard and cut the lead to 2-1. 

With Richardson on second, Przybyl was able to get a ground out to end the inning and send the Falcons through to the semifinals. 

The loss ended Post 81’s season, as Greenfield closed the year with a 13-6 overall record. 

“It was a good season,” Siano said. “Shane’s double in the seventh was huge. We get the run when Dylen Richardson beats out the throw. It’s too bad we just couldn’t get a few key hits at the right time because this is a great group of kids. There’s always next year.” 

Greenfield reached Monday’s quarterfinal game after knocking off Easthampton, 6-1, in the tournament’s opening round on Sunday at Vets. 

Cyhowski went the distance on the hill for Post 81, striking out six and allowing just two hits. Jackson Campbell tallied a hit and drove in three runs, Richardson finished with a pair of hits and RBIs while Daniel Bussard, Moore, Cyhowski and Ben Werner hit safely in the win.