Sunday May 22
Tri-Town Trojans 5 Torrington Rebels 3
Temperatures at the Tri-State Baseball League opener at Fuessenich Park Sunday night felt like March. Baseball, for the most part, looked like mid-June. The Tri-Town Trojans split the difference in a 5-3 win over the Torrington Rebels in nine innings. “I was impressed with both teams,” said Tri-Town coach Ryan McDonald. From the beginning, pitching and fielding were the difference makers.
Torrington jumped on two Tri-Town errors in the first inning for part of a three-run lead, along with two hits. Those were the only hits by either side for the first four innings.
Torrington left-hander Brandon Cordani (6 innings, 3 earned runs, 3 hits, 5 strikeouts, 1 walk) carried his no-hitter through the first out in the fifth inning. Then Tri-Town’s Jon Smart (2-for-4, 2 runs scored) shattered it with a double to right center field.
In a game with just nine total hits (5-4 Tri-Town), each one was a treasure to be nurtured.
The Rebels worked on that principle in the first inning. Matt Harrington led off with a broken-bat single. Two Tri-Town errors and a fielders choice got him in for one run. Then Cody Santore (2-for-4, 2 RBI) blasted the first of his two doubles for two more runs. As it turned out, Rebel runs were then or never.
Tri-Town starter Miles Scribner (6 innings, 1 earned run, 4 hits, 8 strikeouts, 3 walks) found his groove, sailing through the next four innings with no more damage than a single walk in the third. Meanwhile, in the bottom of the fifth, Smart’s double stopped Cordani’s no-hitter. A Torrington error and a sacrifice fly by Connor Murray ended Torrington’s shut-out hopes, 3-1. The next inning was the end of great starts for both pitchers. Trojan Kyle Osolin led off the top of the sixth with a drop-in single to left. Rebel left fielder Conor Bierfeldt made a great catch on a drive by Steve Price near the left field fence. Then the next Tri-Town batter, Landon Gardella, blasted one over.
Gardella was Cordani’s catcher for a year at Wolcott Tech several years ago; he’s been hitting against him ever since. “When you know someone as long as I’ve known him, you learn some of his tendencies,” smiled Gardella. With the score locked 3-3, the Rebels took their best shot at pulling ahead again in the bottom of the sixth. Nick Ross lined a one-out single. Santore hit another double. Scribner threw one more of his eight strikeouts to end the threat. “I didn’t pitch this spring, so I was a little tired,” said Scribner, who graduated from Western Connecticut State University last year.
Reliever Andrew Osolin was ready. In the next three innings, Osolin struck out five Rebels while forcing three ground-outs and a final pop-up to third. “We had two scrimmages, so I was ahead of my schedule,” Osolin laughed. “Usually, I’m not ready to pitch until July.” While Osolin sat on the lid for Torrington bats, Tri-Town turned to small ball. Smart led off the seventh with a single, got to third on a Troy Kobylarz single and Torrington throwing error, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Casey McDonald.
Next inning, Price put the bow on it, reaching second and third on errors, then scoring on a fielder’s choice by Smart. The Trojans were the league runners up last year. They’re ready to go again. “We’ve improved our team,” said Torrington player/coach Curtis Anthony, who wants to challenge. “Our pitching staff is one of our strengths and our lineup is improved.” Except for Sunday’s fielding errors, mid-summer-level baseball came to Fuessenich Park. Get your thermometers ready.
Bethlehem Plowboys 20 Lakeville Outlaws 0
Defending Tri-State Champion Bethlehem gave the Outlaws a harsh welcome to the league Sunday morning at Bethlehem’s Gallup Field. Five Plowboy pitchers, led by Jason Krajeski’s four-inning start, held Lakeville to three hits for the game in its return to the league after leaving in 1999. Bethlehem hitters made 14 hits go a long way. Eric O’Toole (3-for-6, double, 4 runs); Nick Chiovitti (2-for-4, 2 runs); Tony Geraci (2-for-2, double, 3 runs); Matt Parlato (3-for-3, 2 runs); Aaron Granahan (double); and Dan Goscinski (double) led the Plowboys to seven runs in the first inning, four in the third, two in the fourth and seven more in the sixth.
Watertown Blaze 4 Terryville Black Sox 1
Watertown’s Jay Spear kept the Black Sox to just three hits — two of them by Tyler Wenz — while striking out 16 in the Tri-State League’s opening Sunday at Watertown’s Deland Field. Terryville’s Billy Armstrong did almost as well, keeping the Blaze to six hits, but Watertown used their hits efficiently. Matt Consiglio drove in two runs with a single in the first inning; Chris Ayer had an RBI single in the third. Jim Caporale had two hits, as the Blaze scored their final run of the day on a passed ball in the sixth. Wenz drove in Terryville’s only run in the top of the ninth.
Wolcott Scrappers 4 Waterbury Wild 0
Justin Koutros and Eric Sehnal combined on a six hit shutout to lead the Wolcott Scrappers to an opening day victory over the Waterbury Wild. Adam LaCapra and Gary Miller each had two hits for the winners while Ryan Soucy and Ryan Andrade each drove in two runs. Fraz Kader had two hits for the Wild.
Thomaston Threshers 17 Burlington Hunters 11 (10 innings)
Game Recap coming soon…
Amenia Monarchs 13 Prospect Homers 1
Bob Chatfield was the winning pitcher for Amenia and recorded 11 strikeouts in 7 innings of work. Amenia’s Steve Lynehan had 3 hits including 2 doubles.
Winsted Whalers 3 Naugatuck Dogs 2 (10 innings)
Game Recap coming soon…