Plowboys looking like team to beat; plot thickens in playoff race

While Bethlehem Plowboys remain the team to beat, plots thicken as Tri-State league playoffs approach

Copyright Peter Wallace Register-Citizen 7/27/24

It’s bulletin board time in the 12-team Tri-State Baseball League, the Northwest Corner’s premiere adult summer baseball league.

Its championship playoffs begin next Tuesday and every little bit of psychological fodder, plus or minus, will help the 11 teams that qualify in an especially juicy year for the ultra-competitive league full of current or past college players, MLB alumni and high school stars.

The juice begins at the top where the Bethlehem Plowboys, 18-1 as of Sunday, have dominated almost everyone, including the three-time defending champion Tri-Town Trojans (Litchfield), 16-3, in second place. “We don’t expect to lose this season,” said Plowboy manager Rich Revere, after coming away with the first win (3-2) of its two-game sweep over the Trojans on May 30.

Then came motivation for the rest of the contenders. The Canton Crushers, 6-14, put it all together for a win against Bethlehem July 12 after knocking the third-place Burlington Hunters (15-4) out of a tie for second with Tri-Town the game before. “The Hunters have always been good, but they improved their pitching this year,” said the Plowboys’ reigning league MVP Greg Campbell Sunday. Burlington also has a win over the Trojans, but lost 5-4 to the CT Sliders (Waterbury) Sunday. Juicy, yes, but the story still remains in Bethlehem until somebody rips it away for good.

Chances for that officially begin Tuesday with single-elimination games between the bottom six of the 11 qualifying teams, paring the field to eight teams for the best-of-three series that begin the following weekend. The top five teams in the regular-season standings get byes until the weekend (Aug. 3), but that’s where the excitement bubbles up again.

In the few regular-season games remaining before Tuesday, the Plowboys, Trojans and Hunters seem secure in their perch at the top, but the scuffle for the next two bye slots could raise a bigger local dust storm than that of the MLB’s wildcard race. A hot or cold streak by any of four teams – the Amenia (NY) Monarchs, 12-7; Valley Ducks (Wolcott), 11-9; Sliders, 11-9; and Winsted Whalers, 8-9 – could settle any of them into the best-of-three weekend series or move them up to Tuesday where a hot pitcher or home run could finally send them off on their summer vacations. “I think the Sliders, Whalers and Wolcott Scrappers (5-13) are going to make it through to the weekend,” said Campbell.

Put that on your bulletin board.

Meanwhile, the Plowboys were busy adding to their own crowded bulletin board Sunday with an 8-1 win over the Ducks in Bethlehem. The Ducks showed their chops with just a 1-0 deficit through 3 ½ innings on a solo home run by Plowboy Matt Mancini. Then, in the amount of time it took for a Wolcott fan to take his little girl to the bathroom and back, Bethlehem erupted in the bottom of the fourth. Jon Conlon parked a three-run homer way past the center field fence. A walk later, Jarrett Michaels sent a two-run homer past the same Gallop Field spot for a 6-0 lead.

Plowboy starter Keegan Daigle, a senior ace at Southern Connecticut State University, left after four innings with the win and one Valley hit and six strikeouts in his pocket, followed by three relievers in the next five innings. Kyle Daddona, the Ducks’ own ace, limited Bethlehem to three hits in the next four innings, but Bethlehem still pushed over two more runs before the Ducks broke the goose egg in the top of the ninth. The Tri-State playoffs have come down to Tri-Town and Bethlehem in the past two years and it may well feature the same pair in this year’s final best-of-three series scheduled for Aug. 16-18.

Nevertheless, one more piece of bulletin material might help rile the process in the meantime. The Plowboys lost both of those championship series. This year’s second Bethlehem win over the Trojans was an 8-3 pounding on July 13. Greg Campbell had a home run, double, single, four RBIs and two runs scored. Brett Devino almost matched him with a home run, double, single, two RBIs and two runs scored. Kyle Banche pitched eight innings, giving up one Trojan run on five hits.

Buckle your seatbelts. The Tri-State Baseball League playoffs are about to take off.