For Fourth year, Tri-Town and Bethlehem to play for Tri-State title
copyright by
For the fourth consecutive year, the Bethlehem Plowboys will challenge the Tri-Town Trojans for the Tri-State League championship with the best-of-3 series beginning on Friday night at Fuessenich Park in Torrington.
Both teams had to go to three games in their semifinal series with Bethlehem (21-4) winning game two and three to advance past Wolcott while Tri-Town prevailed in game three to eliminate Burlington. Tri-Town (21-4) has won the last four league titles and is looking to become the first team to win five straight since the current version of the Tri-State League was formed in 1968. In the last two seasons, it has taken Tri-Town three games to win the championship over Bethlehem. A year ago, the Trojans won game three by a 3-1 margin while in 2023, it was a 9-0 decision. Game one is Friday night at 7 p.m. in Torrington with game two on Saturday at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury at 2 p.m. Game three, if necessary, is Sunday at Municipal Stadium beginning at 2 p.m.
If you’ve watched these two teams over the past few years, you recognize the names. Some have changed but some remain on the diamond for their respective teams. The two teams split their regular season matches this summer with the Trojans racing out to a seven-run lead in June and hanging on for a 9-7 decision. On July 26, Bethlehem prevailed in 10 innings, 3-2. The one consistent in Tri-Town’s championship run is winning the opening game of the Tri-State championship series. In the last four years, they’ve earned decisive victories of 5-0, 10-2, 5-1 and 10-1, respectively. Will the Plowboys be able to generate enough offense?
Tri-Town’s pitching staff includes veteran pitchers Miles Scribner, Bobby Chatfield and Connor Gannon. Scribner has more than 100 career wins in the Tri-State League, won the league’s Cy Young award as the best pitcher last season and threw a no-hitter in July against Valley Kraken. Chatfield, who also has 100 career wins in Tri-State, played at Plymouth State while Gannon finished his senior season at Western Connecticut State this spring. The always-hustling Willy Yahn anchors the Tri-Town infield at shortstop. Colby Bunnell, Danny McCarty, Casey McDonald and the Troy twins, Matt and Tom, have been getting big hits throughout the season. Bethlehem is looking for their first championship since 2010 when they swept Tri-Town. Since 2010, Tri-Town has advanced to the Tri-State finals 12 times and has won six championships. Bethlehem’s pitching staff is anchored by Ty Boisvert, Kyle Banche and Austin Brown. Carsten Donovan has been pitching strong in relief in the playoffs. They’ve gotten big hits from 2023 league MVP Greg Campbell, Ryan Ponte, Isaiah Johnson, leadoff hitter 2024 league MVP Jon Wilson and catcher Jesse Swartout. The Plowboys had 11 straight wins before a game one loss to Wolcott in the semifinals. Bethlehem has won 13 of their last 14 games.
The last team to win four straight league championships was the Torrington Rebels from 1992 to 1995. The Rebels beat Amenia twice and swept Winsted and Lakeville in 1994 and 1995, respectively. Eleven different teams won the league championship from 2007 through 2019. There was no season in 2020 and Tri-Town began their amazing championship run in 2021 with a three-game win over the Terryville Black Sox. The last team to lose game one and lose the series was the Waterbury Wild in 2012. They won the opener 11-1 over the Litchfield Cowboys but lost the final two games of the series, 6-4 and 5-3.
Before game one, the Tri-State League will induct Kyle Osolin (Tri-Town), Marc Beaudon (Bethlehem), Kevin Pettit (Bethlehem), Lance Stevens (Naugatuck Dogs), Ken Kerski (Waterbury Wild/Terryville Black sox)), Adam LaCapra (Wolcott Scrappers), Adam Piechowski (Winsted Whalers) and Ricky Langer (Winsted Whalers) into the league’s Hall of Fame.
2025 Tri-State League championship series
Friday, August 15
Game 1: Tri-Town (21-4) vs. Bethlehem (21-4) at Fuessenich Park, 7 p.m.
Saturday, August 16
Game 2: Bethlehem vs. Tri-Town at Municipal Stadium, 2 p.m.
Sunday, August 17
Game 3: Tri-Town vs. Bethlehem at Municipal Stadium, 2 p.m.
Plowboys take care of Business to return to Tri-State Finals
copyright By RICK WILSON
Special to The Collinsville Press August 10,2025
BETHLEHEM, August 10, 2025 – Greg Campbell took care of the plate and Tyler Boisvert took care of the mound Sunday. More than enough to put the Bethlehem Plowboys in the Tri-State Baseball League finals for the fourth straight year.
Campbell was in his 2023 league MVP mode, driving in four runs with a pair of impressive home runs while Boisvert sparkled with seven innings of shutout ball, allowing just three hits and striking out five as Bethlehem posted a 5-2 win over the Wolcott Scrappers at Gallop Field to win the semifinal series two games to one. Bethlehem (21-4) will be facing a familiar nemesis with Tri-Town, a 4-3 winner over Burlington, waiting in the wings. The four-time defending champion Trojans will be making their fifth consecutive finals, having defeated the Plowboys the last three years, including in three games a year ago. The best-of-three championship series begins at 7 p.m. Friday at Fuessenich Park in Torrington. Game 2 is at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury at 2 p.m. Saturday and, if needed, Game 3 is Sunday at Municipal Stadium at 2 p.m.
Campbell, a sweet-swinging lefty, took the pressure off Boisvert early when he clubbed a three-run blast in the first inning. It would have been enough, but he added a little more. In the fourth inning he made it 4-0, with a titanic shot to right-center that nearly became a passenger in a car parked in the fire department lot. “My timing was there today and when I have that it makes me dangerous,” Campbell said. Campbell’s power display was all the hard-throwing Boisvert needed as he cruised along through six innings keeping the bases off-limits to the Scrappers. His one hiccup came in the seventh inning and shortstop Nate Cormier stepped up for him. The Scrappers loaded the bases with two outs and appeared to finally break through on a ground ball up the middle only to see Cormier make a diving stab near second base and throw the runner out at first to end the threat.
Bethlehem added a run in the eighth inning for a 5-0 lead. Wolcott managed to break a 20-inning scoreless drought with two runs in the ninth, but it was little too late. Son of former Plowboy Tri-State Hall of Famer (Jay Rocca) Drew Rocca had two hits for the Scrappers. The victory capped an impressive turnaround after a 5-3 loss to the Scrappers on Friday night. On Saturday, Bethlehem’s Austin Brown was overpowering on the mound pitching a two-hitter over seven innings with seven strikeouts while Jon Wilson drove in three runs highlighted by two-run triple in a 11-0 win. Campbell and Boisvert kept it going Sunday. “We just played Plowboy baseball,” coach Rich Revere said. “We knew every game was going to be tough, but we knew we would bounce back. Austin and Tyler Plowboyed up. They knew it was win or go home after Friday night.
2025 Tri-State League playoffs