Trojans outduel Ducks in Game 1 of semi-final

Tri-Town Trojans 1   Valley Ducks 0

Copyright Kevin Roberts Rep-American 8/5/23

TORRINGTON – It was Tri-Town Trojans baseball Friday night – pitching and defense – but it was taken to the extreme.

Tri-Town scratched across just a single run, but Miles Scribner, Connor Gannon and some solid defense made it hold up in a 1-0 win over the Valley Ducks in their best-of-three Connecticut Tri-State Baseball League semifinal series at Fuessenich Park. Game 2 is today at 2 p.m. at Wolcott High School.

“You can’t put one run up in this league and expect to win. We were lucky,” said Tri-Town player/manager Danny McCarty. Scribner was tremendous, yielding just four hits and a hit batter while compiling nine strikeouts. “Miles was lights out. He got out of two or three jams where they could have put some runs on the board,” McCarty said. “He kept us in the game.” And he did so after not being able to grip his circle change because of a comebacker that hit off his bare right hand. A one-out error in the ninth brought McCarty out to get Scribner and replace him with Gannon. The right-hander got fly outs to right field and center field to end the game. “I can’t say enough about Connor Gannon,” McCarty said. “He’s always been my late-inning guy. I feel very comfortable with him on the mound.”

Valley starter Zach Royka matched Scribner zero for zero until the bottom of the seventh inning. Evan Scribner led off with a single, then advanced to second base on Austin Patenaude’s well-placed sacrifice bunt. Brad Ellis blooped a single to right field to score Evan Scribner. It was the lone blemish in a terrific effort by Royka (8 innings, 3 hits, 11 strikeouts, 3 walks). “Zach Royka, he kept us off balance, that’s for sure. He pitched a hell of a game,” McCarty said. Tri-Town got the pitching, defense and good baserunning that are hallmarks of their winning ways on Friday night. McCarty would like to see more hitting in Game 2. “We have to be better at the plate,” McCarty said.

Before the first game of the Connecticut Tri-State Baseball League semifinal series between the Tri-Town Trojans and Valley Ducks, former Bethlehem Plowboys Aaron Granahan, Tony Geraci, Tyler Erickson and Dan Goscinski were inducted into the Tri-State Hall of Fame. Aaron’s late mother, Nancy Granahan Pietrunti, became the first fan to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held at Fuessenich Park in Torrington.