First Tri-State Summer Series at Dunkin a hit

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copyright Kevin Roberts Rep-American 7/17/24

Hunters Tri-State victory a slam dunk

HARTFORD – Strong thunderstorms passed to the north and south of Dunkin Park during Tuesday evening’s Connecticut Tri-State Baseball League game between the Burlington Hunters and Valley Ducks. The storms avoided the game, which was won by Burlington, 9-4. Both teams made sure the game started with a bang in their respective first at bats.

Kyle Daddona, Valley’s second batter of the game, launched a solo home run to left field. “It’s a blast hitting one here. I just missed one last month when I played here in the (Connecticut Twilight League with the Bristol Shock),” Daddona said after the game. “To come back and hit one here, that’s about as awesome as it gets.” Daddona said he turned on a high and in fastball from Taylor Donofrio and put good wood on it. In the bottom of the first inning, Burlington leadoff batter Chad Lavelle connected solidly with a Jacobi Bouchard offering and smacked it off the scoreboard in right field. The ball was just below the yellow home run line, and Lavelle legged out a triple. “He might be our best player, Chad Lavelle,” said Hunter player/manager Andrew Bunger. “He went to (American International College), has, what, three homers on the year? He has like 16 or 18 extra-base hits. It’s insane.” Lavelle’s blast was the beginning of a Burlington barrage that logged seven runs on the scoreboard through two innings, eight through three innings and nine through four innings.

The Hunters had seven hits against the Ducks, paced by two singles from Ty Morin. Morin also drove in a run, stole a base and scored twice. Three of the Burlington hits went for extra bases. In addition to the Lavelle triple, Josue Lopez had a two-run double and Tommaso Tolis tallied a double. Lopez was the lone multi-RBI man for the Hunters. Burlington, now 14-3, stole five bases in six attempts. “We have a lot of guys that can run. We have a lot of guys that put the ball in play and drive the ball,” Bunger said. “We’ve got a good thing going.”

Valley fell to 10-8 and fifth in the Tri-State standings behind the resurgent Amenia Monarchs (9-7). The top five teams avoid the first round of single-elimination wildcard games. Eleven of the 12 teams make the playoffs. The Ducks want to be one of those top five teams. “It’s all about pitching. It saves your pitching staff, and that’s the biggest thing,” Daddona said. “If you’ve got healthy arms, you’re good to make a deep run in the playoffs. That’s what I’m hoping for. We’ve got to grind, though.”

 

copyright Kevin Roberts Rep-American 7/18/24

HARTFORD – The Burlington Hunters played their second game at Dunkin Park in as many years on Tuesday evening, but it was also the first of two this season. Burlington took on the Valley Ducks in a league matchup that was billed as the 2024 Tri-State Baseball League Summer Showdown Series on the big scoreboard beyond the left field bleachers. The Hunters won the game, 9-4. Burlington plays Canton this evening at 6 o’clock at Dunkin. The teams met in the first game at Dunkin last season. Those teams are familiar with playing at Dunkin, but it was a first for Valley. Burlington player/manager Andrew Bunger hopes to make it a tradition.

“This is something I think we’re going to do every year, hopefully get the same two teams (Canton and Valley),” Bunger said after the game Tuesday. “They’re two teams that we know very well. We know they appreciate it as much as we do.” Bunger and Valley player/manager Ty Pelletier play in the same fall league together and have known each other for almost a decade. “We talked about it in the fall last year and said what the (heck), let’s do two games. We were able to do a bunch of fundraising, had a couple sponsors who helped out,” Bunger said. “Shout-out to Mid-Connecticut Dance Center of Southington and Hidden Valley mini golf. They helped pave the way.” Those sponsors were on the scoreboard all evening Tuesday.

Pelletier certainly enjoyed the atmosphere. “I am fully in agreement with Andrew that this should be a yearly event, possibly extending it throughout the entire league,” Pelletier wrote in an email Thursday. “It is an amazing experience for everyone, family and fans included.” Pelletier said that though his team would have liked to walk out of Dunkin with a win, it was “still a night at the ballpark that made you feel like a kid again.”