Thursday July 19

Bethlehem Plowboys  10  Tri-Town Trojans  2
After a 10-inning one-run cliff-hanger between these same two Tri-State Baseball League teams last Sunday, the Bethlehem Plowboys turned the tide on the Tri-Town Trojans Thursday evening in a 10-2 laugher that was over in the first three innings at Litchfield’s Community Field.
“We’re missing Danny McCarty in our infield and we’re not giving our pitchers as much help with the sticks as we have in the past,” said Tri-Town coach Ryan McDonald, whose team has been a league force for the last several years, but slipped to 9-9 so far this season. The Plowboys took advantage, beginning in the first inning. Tony Geraci (3-for-3, 2 runs scored) and Nick Chiovitti (2-for-4, RBI, 2 runs scored) got hits off Tri-Town starter Miles Scribner (3 innings, 6 earned runs, 6 hits, 2 strikeouts, 2 walks), blossoming into three runs with the help of three Trojan infield errors. Bethlehem seemed bent on matching the Trojans in the bottom of the inning, giving up two runs on two errors and a walk, no hits.
Miles and Bethlehem starter Jesse Darcy (6 innings, 1 earned run, 4 hits, 4 strikeouts, 1 walk) skated through the second inning, then parted fates in the third. Plowboys Jon Conlon (RBI, run scored); Chiovitti; Ted Gravel (double, 2 RBI, run scored) and Rob Geraci (2-for-4, RBI, run scored) hit the ball hard. Tony Geraci and Pat McGee (2 runs scored) drew walks. Brad Boschen (run scored) and Eric O’Toole were on with the final two Trojan errors. When the smoke cleared, Bethlehem had seven more runs and the game well in hand.
Wayne Brewington (2 innings, 3 hits, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks); Joel Judson (1 inning, 0 hits, 3 strikeouts, 0 walks) and Connor Murray (1 inning 1 hit, 1 strikeout, 1 walk) held the Plowboys in check for the rest of the game. Bethlehem’s Darcy returned the favor on his own for three more innings before Mike Johnston (1 inning, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts) closed up shop for the Plowboys. “We’re traditionally a second-half team,” said Ryan of his team’s hopes for the rest of the season. “We have a good pitching staff.” The Plowboys (15-2), one game behind Litchfield for the league’s Northern Division lead, is there now.
Darcy, a Long Island native who pitched four years for Division I Manhattan College, then spent three years in the Tampa Bay Rays organization (high A), is enjoying his first year with Bethelehem. “Pitchers are a key. You can always find hitters,” smiled Bethlehem player/coach Tony Geraci. Darcy is in the process of moving to Bristol; Tri-State teams are allowed a quota of out-of-town players. They find them any way they can. In this case, Plowboy Pat McGee’s wife was the connection with Darcy, attending the same high school on Long Island. The rest is already Bethlehem history.
Torrington Rebels  3  Winsted Whalers  1
The Torrington Rebels haven’t used Austin Poucher as a pitcher much this season but they might want to consider the possibility after Thursday’s performance.
Poucher allowed just one run and just three hits and the Rebels did just enough offensively to pull out a 3-1 Tri-State Baseball League victory over the Winsted Whalers on Thursday evening at Fuessenich Park. Poucher walked three and struck out two and really was only in trouble in one inning. Considering he had an extended time away from the mound, Poucher was pretty effective in helping the Rebels (7-11) pick up an important win. “It’s been all hands on deck and we’ve been shorthanded so I’ve been playing the field a lot,” Poucher said. “I don’t think I’ve pitched for somewhere around three weeks, so I was pretty happy with how things went tonight.”
Torrington was coming off a 10-9 loss to the Brass City Brew on Tuesday and needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The bats weren’t quite as lively as they were in Waterbury, but the Rebels found a way to scratch out enough runs and Poucher made them stand up. The game was scoreless until the third when Greg Bodnar had an RBI single and Alan Fredriksson scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. The Rebels extended the lead to 3-0 in the when Chris Beck plated Fredriksson with an RBI single.
That was enough for Poucher, who was finally touched for a run in the top of the sixth when a leadoff walk turned into a run after Darrin Gould ripped an RBI single down the first-base line with two outs to cut the deficit to 3-1. Poucher struck out Chester Warner to end the threat in the sixth with runners on the corners. He then retired the first two batters of the seventh before allowing a single but ended the game with a strikeout. It looked pretty easy, but Poucher admitted that looks can be deceiving. “I was really just using my fastball, moving it in and out and mixing in a curve ball every now and then,” Poucher said. “I felt some pressure at times, just trying to find it after being off for so long, but I got it going when I needed to.”
Mike Dew took the loss for Winsted. He scattered nine hits and got some help from his defense as the Rebels had two baserunners thrown out at home and another thrown out at third.
Thomaston Threshers  4  Ansonia Valley Vikings  3  (8 innings)
The Thomaston Threshers picked up a 4-3 walkoff win over the Ansonia Valley Vikings in a Tri-State Baseball League game at Thomaston High School.
Nick Urso ripped a two-run triple to tie the game at 3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, then Brian O’Leary knocked home the winning run on a single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth. Scott Bellemare scored on an error in the fourth inning for the other Thomaston run. Mike Musselli was the winning pitcher for the Threshers (6-12). Musselli threw a complete game, scattering three hits. He struck out four.
Two of Ansonia Valley’s three runs came on a two-run, inside-the-park home run by Ryan Skelly in the top of the second inning. The other Viking (4-11) run scored on a throwing error in the top of the fifth.
Amenia Monarchs  11  Burlington Hunters  2 
Amenia scored 11 times in the first three innings in a win over Burlington at Doc Bartlett Field in Amenia. Dave Mosher doubled and drove in three runs while Tom Downey added three hits, including a double. Caleb Huff also doubled for the Monarchs (9-8), who scored five times in the first inning, then added one in the second and four in the third. Andrew Wolinski picked up the win for Amenia.
Ty Morin doubled for the Hunters (8-9) in defeat. Alex Hansen took the loss.
Brass City Brew  4  Terryville Black Sox  0
Gary Novakowski tossed a 4-hit shutout striking out seven as the Brew blanked the Black Sox. Eric Rovinetti had an RBI double with Justin McCulloch and Drew Jones both had RBI singles. Kevin LaRose and Tom Notchik both had hits for Terryville.
Litchfield Cowboys  2  Bristol Greeners  1
Chris Beach had a two run single in the top of the sixth to score Drew Gauvain and Adam Claire, and back the combined four hit pitching of Quentin McKenna and Joey Serafin at Muzzy Field. Beach finished with two hits, and Ed Pequignot and Dylan Stiles also singled for the Cowboys (15-1). McKenna gave up 3 hits and fanned 6 in 5 1/3 innings. For Bristol (10-7), Justin Talnelli fired a four-hitter.
Naugatuck Dogs  1  Waterbury Wild  0
The Dogs scored in the first inning on Devin Murphy’s one-out RBI single, plating Sean Miller-Jones, and Jeff Sturm made the run stand up by pitching a two-hitter with seven strikeouts at Rotary Field. Naugy is 15-3. Waterbury is 12-6.