The Westport High School baseball team survived three West Bridgewater runs over the final two innings and stranded the tying run at second base in the final frame to escape with a 5-4 triumph Monday afternoon in Westport.

"Just barely," Westport coach Glenn Lincoln said. "It seems like we'd get a couple runs and then give one up. Then we'd get another and give up a couple. It was back and forth."

Westport pitcher Nick Friar breezed through the first five innings allowing just an unearned run and two hits while striking out eight. Then in the sixth, with the Wildcats up 5-1, West Bridgewater batters slugged a line single and two doubles off of high fastballs and scored two runs.

Westport, which managed just four hits and benefited from five West Bridgewater errors, didn't score in the sixth leaving it up to Friar in the seventh.

"He was probably getting a little tired," said the Westport coach. "But I wasn't going to take him out. I've got a four-game week and I've got to save pitchers as much as I can."

The visiting Wildcats sent the top of their order to the plate in the seventh. Leadoff hitter Andrew Nercessian immediately got into a nine-pitch battle with Friar that the pitcher eventually won with a strikeout.

But Greg Pigeon lined a single to right field sending up Ryan Webby, the No. 3 hitter. Another battle ensued between pitcher and batter and again Friar prevailed when he fanned Webby with a fastball up near his eyes.

"I left a couple up and they definitely hit them," Friar said. "I saw them out there today when they hit those gap shots. That's what killed me. I gave them some gifts and they repaid me. That's how I think of it."

Tense moment

Friar still wasn't out of the woods with Pigeon standing on second thanks to a wild pitch and cleanup hitter Ryan Tartaglia at the plate. Tartaglia, who singled the previous inning, this time line a double to the left-center gap that scored Pigeon to make it a one-run game.

Friar seemed determined and continued to throw hard to No. 5 hitter DJ Jamieson. The hitter got his bat on the ball and sent a sharp roller to second baseman Jordan Carvalho. The fielder had the ball bounce off his chest but he recovered it and threw to first in time to nail Jamieson for the final out.

"I think I wasn't as sharp as I was at the beginning but I just kept my confidence going," Friar said. "I think that helped me out in the end. I just thought I'm going to bear down and do this thing.

"I've got to throw strikes and let my guys make the plays like they did in the end. My team played real good defense behind me and my catcher called a real good game. Everything fell into place."

Westport scored twice in first inning on three errors, a passed ball and Corey DaSilva's run-producing, fielder's choice grounder. DaSilva reached on an error in the fourth and scored on Carvalho's booming triple. Chris Rosa singled, Steve Araujo doubled and each scored on a wild pitch in the fifth to complete the Westport scoring.

"We got good production for our four hits," Lincoln said. "And Friar gutted it out. I'm really glad he was able to gut it out."

By Steve Rogers

srogers@eastbaynewspapers.com