Tuesday July 19
Bethlehem Plowboys 2 Bristol Greeners 1
Taylor Searless stoled home in the top of the 7th inning with the go ahead run as Bethlehem edged Bristol 2-1. Bethlehem scored one run in the first inning while Bristol tallied a run in the fifth inning. Searless starred for Bethlehem going the distance on the mound and adding two hits and two runs scored at the plate. Eric O’Toole had two hits for the Plowboys. Dan Rosa had two hits (double, triple) for Bristol.
Wolcott Scrappers 4 Thomaston Threshers 2
The Thomaston Threshers entered Tuesday evening’s Tri-State League game against the Wolcott Scrappers needing a win to keep their position in the hunt for one of 12 spots in the playoffs.
Wolcott, looking for a place among the top four teams, wasn’t about to hand anything over. The Scrappers, who have struggled at the plate, got a timely two-run single from Adam LaCapra in the top of the sixth. Eric Sehnal fired his second straight complete game, and the Scrapper defense — mainly third baseman Eric Soucy — came up big, time and time again in a 4-2 win at Thomaston High School. Wolcott improves to 13-4 with the win. Thomaston falls to 7-9 with the tough loss.
Soucy’s biggest defensive gem came at the end of the game. With two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the seventh inning, Kevin MacCallum worked the count to 3-2, meaning that the runners were on the move with the pitch. MacCallum smashed the next pitch from Sehnal down the third base line. MacCallum and the Threshers thought they had a hit and possible tie ballgame. Soucy had other ideas. The third baseman dove toward the line, snared the sharp grounder, and tagged third for the final out of the game. “I’m usually hot corner all the time,” Soucy said, referring to the common nickname that is given for third base. “I usually just try to keep the ball in front of me.”
Soucy did keep the ball in front of him on three separate occasions Tuesday. In the third inning, Soucy dove and corralled a rocket from Andy Romano, then tagged the bag for the final out of the inning. In the fifth, Soucy frustrated Romano again, snaring another hot smash before throwing to first for the out.
“I’m glad they went your way and not mine,” joked first baseman Adam LaCapra, Soucy’s teammate. “Those guys were painting the lines all day.” While Soucy made the big plays in the field, the steady-swinging LaCapra made his impact at the plate. Thomaston starter Ramon Santiago got one out in the top of the sixth, but Ryan Andrade (leadoff walk), Justin Koutros (error at second base), and Sehnal — hitting for the first time in the game — found their way on, loading the bases. After Sehnal reached on his single, Thresher manager Trevor Bellemare brought in Kenny Martinik, and Martinik got the second out of the inning on a fly out to right.
LaCapra worked the count to 3-2, then smacked a Martinik offering the other way to left field. The hit scored Andrade and Koutros to give Wolcott a 4-2 lead. “To be honest, I was trying to go up the middle,” LaCapra said. “Three-two [count], two outs. He was going to come in with a strike.” “That’s why we had the best guy up in that spot,” Scrappers manager Ryan Soucy said. LaCapra bats leadoff for Wolcott. On the mound, Sehnal worked his way through trouble in almost every inning. “I just try to slow down, relax, and let it fly,” Sehnal said.
Thomaston struck for the game’s first run in the bottom of the first. Rob McHugh led off with a single and came home to score on a two out single to left by Will Sirotnak. Wolcott evened the game at 1 in the fourth. Jason Miller led off with a walk and came around to score on a single to left by Andrade. The Threshers retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Jay LaFontaine worked a leadoff walk, then stole second. After a sacrifice bunt by Brian O’Leary moved LaFontaine to third and Eric Baba (walk) to second, LaFontaine scored on a wild pitch to give Thomaston a 2-1 lead. McHugh looked to add to the lead, but his smash up the middle was caught by Sehnal, who threw to third to double off Baba and end the inning.
The Scrappers rallied to tie the game again in the fifth. Mike Vaccarelli was hit by a pitch with two outs. Vaccarelli stole second, then scored from the same base when a low throw to first on a grounder by Miller got away. After LaCapra’s heroics in the sixth, the Threshers attempted one last rally in the seventh. McHugh ripped a one out single to center. Sehnal got the second out of the inning on a strikeout, but Tim Collins worked a walk, putting runners on first and second. That set up Soucy’s best play of a spectacular defensive day at third base.
Wolcott continues its march toward a high seed Thursday night with a 7:45 home game against the Naugatuck Dogs at the BAW Complex. The Scrappers end the regular season at home on Sunday at 6 p.m. against the Bethlehem Plowboys. Thomaston looks to keep its postseason hopes alive with games against the Waterbury Wild (Thursday, 5:45 p.m. at Waterville Park) and the Naugatuck Dogs (Sunday, 11 a.m. Thomaston High School).