Tri-Town wins Tri-State crown in 'classic' game

Photo courtesy of Peter Paguaga  Register-Citizen  8/23/13
It was one of those games that the 200+ fans at Fuessenich Park will remember for quite a while as it took 12 innings to settle on a winning score in Game #3 of the Tri-State’s championship series between North Division Champion Tri-Town Trojans and South Division Champion Naugatuck Dogs. The Trojans took game #1 off a complete game performance by Miles Scribner. Naugy came back to win game #2 off a huge 3-run home run into the Naugatuck River by Kyle Murphy.
The Tri-Town’s Trojans finally ended game #3, 2-1, in the bottom of the 12th inning.
Landon Gardella (3-for-5, two runs scored) crossed the plate on an infield throwing error that would have been the third out for an iron-man contest between starting pitchers Miles Scribner (12 innings, one earned run, five hits, 11 strikeouts, five walks) for the Trojans and Lance Stevens (11.2 innings, one earned run, nine hits, 12 strikeouts, three walks, two hit batters) for the Dogs. Scribner finished the season with an amazing 18-1 personal record on the mound this season… surely the 18 wins has got to be a Tri-State record. Lance Stevens was just as impressive in the final game. Armed with a great fastball and curve, Stevens came to the Dogs six years ago after a trip to the minors and the Bridgeport Bluefish.
The championship was the final piece of the puzzle in Tri-Town’s (25-4) three-championship crown this year, with a Northern Division Championship, the state title in the Stan Musial Tournament (with a final win over these same Dogs) and now, the Trojans’ first Tri-State Championship ever in three trips to the final round.
Tri-Town started the scoring in the third inning, on hits by Gardella, John Callahan and Connor Murray (2-for-6, RBI). Naugatuck tied it in the fourth, on hits by Kyle Murphy and Mack Cianciolo (2-for-4), but a missed tag finally brought the run in for the tie. Nobody gave an inch for the next seven-and-a-half innings.
Landon Gardella (co-MVP of the World Series along with Scribner) led off the bottom of the 12th with a ground single up the middle. With one out, Callahan sacrificed him to second.  Murray hit a sharp grounder to short; the throw sailed over the first baseman and Gardella waltzed home where the Tri-Town party began.
Naugy forces Game #3 for Tri-State Crown
There will be a Game #3 Friday night at Fuessenich Park at 7pm for all the marbles. Tri-Town took a commanding 4-1 lead behind the pitching of Connor Murray through six innings. A sac fly by Joel Judson, RBI double by Casey McDonald, and infield error by Naugy, and an RBI double by Landon Gardella (one of the stars for Tri-Town in Game #1) had the Trojans sitting in the drivers seat. Then came the bottom of the seventh inning as the Tri-Town bullpen entered the game. Two singles for Naugy to start the inning set up Kyle Murphy who hit a blast that surely reached the Naugatuck river behind the left field fence to tie the game at four runs apiece, and just as importantly swung the momentum in Naugy’s favor. Ken Graveline settled down to retire the final sixteen batters of the game he faced and finished with twelve strikeouts in a complete game performance for the Dogs. Four more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning sealed the deal for Naugy, final score 8-4. We do it one more time for the Tri-State crown on Friday night – same place, same time!
Tri-Town Draws First Blood
Copyright Adam Baker Republican-American 8/20/13
In a rematch of the earlier Stan Musial championship, the Tri-Town Trojans defeated the Naugy Dogs, 2-0, in Game 1 of the Tri-State League World Series behind the pitching of Miles Scribner and timely hitting from Dan McCarty and Sam Shurberg on Wednesday night at Fuessenich Park.
Scribner tossed an eight-hit shutout, allowing six hits and walking three to lead his team in the opener of the best-of-three series.
“I felt good,” Scribner said. “I haven’t really had my best stuff lately.”
Some clutch hits don’t hurt, either.
The Trojans struck first in the sixth as Landon Gardella doubled to center and scored on
an RBI double by Shurberg. Before Gardella’s hit, Naugy pitcher John Soldinger had been perfect, but Gardella opened the door for the Trojans (30-5). Soldinger finished with eight strikeouts while allowing only four hits and two runs.
The Dogs (26-9) threatened in the seventh. After a strikeout, Jeff Rustico walked and stole second. After a flyout to center, Devin Murphy walked and executed a double steal with Rustico. Naugatuck, trailing 1-0, had runners on second and third.