Burlington Hunters 4 Torrington Twisters 3

The Burlington Hunters defeated the Torrington Twisters in a back and forth game, 4-3.  Ty Morin got the start for the Hunters and earned the win throwing 5 innings, scattering 3 hits, 0 earned runs, and striking out 6.  Taylor Donofrio notched the rare 6 out save, surrendering 1 hit and striking out 3.  Steve Martinez got the start for the Twisters and kept the Hunter bats quiet until the bottom of the third when Zack Martin drove in 2 runs on a ground-rule double.  The Hunters would then score 2 runs in the bottom of the fourth on a pair of RBI singles from Andrew Bunger and Frank Ferrentino.  Jheremi Rosado also had a nice day at the plate for the Hunters (2/3, 2B), but was robbed of an RBI thanks to the lack of speed of Zack Martin who ran like a wounded Buffalo with 3 legs. 

Other game highlights include: Joe Tonon sets a Tri-State record for most positions played in the field during a game by someone under the height of 5”5, Zack Martin kept his error streak alive by dropping a routine pop-up, Veteran pitcher Alex Hansen is still no where to be found, and Tyler Doyle brought the energy with an excellent pregame playlist. 

Canton Crushers 6 Valley Ducks 5

Copyright Gery DeSimas Collinsville Press 6/28/22

Canton’s Jim Spirito was 2-for-4 with a double, triple and three RBI to lead the Canton Crushers to a 6-5 win over the Valley Thunder Ducks Tuesday in Tri-State League baseball action.

The win snaps a five-game losing streak for the Crushers, who improve to 3-6 on the year.

Tied at 5-5, Canton took the lead in the top of the seventh inning. Jeff Mulhall led off with a single to left field and moved to second base thanks to a one-out error. A walk to Jake Bryant loaded the bases before Spirito reached base on an error that allowed Mulhall to score from third base for a 6-5 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, Crusher hurler Matt Rose struck out two to secure his first win of the season. Rose pitched three innings, gave up one hit and fanned three.

Canton took a 5-1 lead with four runs in the third inning thanks to a RBI double from Bryant, a two-run triple from Spirito and an RBI double from Rose.

The Thunder Ducks (6-7), whose home field is in Wolcott, scored twice in the fourth on a RBI double from Kyle Dadonna and an Canton error. The Ducks added another run in the fifth on an unearned run. In the sixth, the Ducks tied the game at 5-5 when Steve Mariano was hit by a pitch and stole second base. He took third on an infield ground ball out and scored on another infield out to tie the game.

Ben Sullivan was 2-for-4 for the Crushers. Rose and starting pitcher James Michanczyk, who pitched the first four innings, combined to allow four hits and strikeout eight.

The Crushers dropped a 4-2 decision to Bethlehem last Thursday at Mills Pond Park field as the Plowboys Jarrett Michaels hit a three-run home run in the third inning. Sean Allaire had a double for Canton while Rose took the loss on the mound.

Canton returns to action on Thursday when they host the Brass City Vipers at Bowdoin Field beginning at 5:45 p.m.

Bethlehem Plowboys 12 Burlington Hunters 2

Plowboys got the W over the Burlington Beaver Hunters 12-2 on a steamy Sunday morning at Lewis Mills high. Dan Keckler got the start for the Plow going 5 strong striking out 5 while surrendering 2 runs (1 unearned) breaking his perfect ERA through 5 games. The plowboys were fueled by the long ball as Joe Fainer popped a 3 homer in the first and Greg Campbell hit a grand slam as part of an 8 run 6th inning. Every plowboy starter reached base at least twice as well. Steve Caruso swung a hot bat for Burlington going 3-4 with a run scored while Ty Morin scored the second on a Caruso double. Shoutout to Burlington for being great post game hosts inviting Bethlehem to a cookout so both teams could enjoy a nice Sunday afternoon hangout.

Amenia Monarchs 6 Brass City Vipers 2

On Sunday the Amenia Monarchs travelled to the infamous Waterville park to take on the Brass City Vipers. Amenia would ask veteran flamethrower Travis Hyatt to to take the bump on a hot afternoon. The old boy showed some youth tossing 5 solid innings holding Brass city to 1 run on 7 hits. Brass city’s Bryant Bonilla got the lone run off of Hyatt with a HR into the trees at Waterville in the bottom of the 2nd. Amenia would tie the game immediately in the 3rd when Chris Reed would single, steal 2nd and 3rd, then be singled home by Tyler Smith. Game would remain 1-1 til the 5th when Colby Dunlop would single in Tyler Smith and Chris Reed. Ken Shufelt would add another run with a RBI single making it 4-1 Amenia. Zach Spencer would finish off the game for Amenia on the mound giving up 1 run in 2 innings of work. Monarchs would tack on 2 more runs in the 7th for
a final score of 6-2. Chris Reed and Tyler Smith each had 2 hits on the day and Ken Shufelt added a hit and an RBI.

Naugatuck Nightmare 5 Blasius Chevrolet 4

Naugatuck came out Hot right out the gate to take a 2-0 lead thanks to an early rally off the bats of Angel Valentin (1-5), Josh Bologh (2-5 2b 2RBI) and by a Man we call Juny (1-5 2b). Matt Venable took the mound for the Nightmares, even after he was stung by a bee in his pitching elbow during pre-game. Blasius would tie the Game up at 2-2, before Naugatuck would jump back out to a 5-2 lead behind more clutch hitting from Richie Aviles (3-5), Anthony Abate (2-5) and Matt Morello (1-5). Matty V would throw 3 solid innings before Jordan Carreira would come into relief in the middle of a jam to fend off the Blasius bats and keep the lead at 5-4. Carreira would work hard until the 6th inning where the 1st 2 runners would get on base and in came Angel Valentin into relief with runners on 1st and 2nd nobody out. Valentin would keep the bats at bay and hold Blasius without allowing a run, thanks to great situational defense all around by the Nightmares. The 7th and 8th inning would cruise by until the top of the 8th inning with 1 out, Richie Aviles stood on 3rd and Josh Bologh hit a fly ball to Center Field which looked like a sure thing sacrifice fly… Connor Goggin had other plans as he threw an absolute seed that left a smoke trail because it was thrown so hard to home on a perfect throw to turn a double play which got the tagging runner. Key play for Blasius to keep the game tight.  Bottom of the 9th with Valentin still on the mound, Blasius came with their 2-3-4 due up… with a runner on 1st 1 out, they attempted a steal to get in scoring position, but BigTime Bologh threw a perfect shoot down the second where Abate placed the tag down. 2 away !  A fly ball to right would follow Nightmare pick up win #2 on the season. Honorable mention to Blasius Pitcher Dave Alacorn who went the distance and threw all 9 innings, very Solid performance on the mound in the 90 degree heat.

Valley Ducks 5 Torrington Twisters 4 (10 innings)

The Valley DUCKS came out on top in a back and forth battle with the Torrington Twisters 5-4 and in 10 innings. Matt Kozlowski went 6 1/3 innings, Kyle Daddona went 2 2/3, and Tyler Pelletier got the win throwing 1 inning for the quack. Kyle Matthews threw the entire game for the Twisters, striking out 6. Matthews also had a great game at the plate with 3 hits and 2 rbis. The ducks only had 4 hits, but manufactured 5 runs via walks, hit batters, and some small ball. In the 10th, the quack had a sac bunt by Shane Fusco, and a walk off error by Ryan Shiel.  

Wolcott Scrappers 7 Southington Gamecocks 5

Game recap coming soon…

Tri-Town Trojans 8 Winsted Whalers 4

Game recap coming soon…

 

Copyright Kevin Roberts Rep-American 6/26/22

The defending Connecticut Tri-State Baseball League champion Tri-Town Trojans are off to a good start again this season.

Tri-Town (8-1) grabbed a 6-1 comeback victory over the Valley Thunder Ducks on Thursday evening at Wolcott High School. The Trojans had to piece together a lineup to an extent, but those young pieces fit well. Joey Grantmeyer, 21, who was a catcher at Northwestern High, was in right field while Max Quinn, 21, who played at The Hotchkiss School, was behind the plate. Connor Gannon, 20, normally a pitcher at Western Connecticut State University, was inserted at second base. “I stuck him out there because I was missing my starting second baseman and starting center fielder,” Tri-Town player/manager Danny McCarty said. “He’s an athlete, and he had one hell of a game. Two hits, two stolen bases, and he had something like six assists.” Who plays for each team could very well depend on whether the game is during the week or on the weekend. “For weekend games, you might see more guys that can show up,” McCarty said.

Things have changed for McCarty, 34, and Tri-Town since it celebrated a championship on the diamond at Municipal Stadium. Longtime catcher Landon Gardella moved to Vermont. “I’m missing Landon because of his leadership, but skill-wise we have great people behind the plate,” McCarty said. “We’re always going to miss Landon because of his leadership and his experience. His presence was unmatched for sure for anybody in the league.” The league itself has also changed since last year. There are just 13 teams in a league that once had as many as 19. The Torrington Rebels folded, and the Terryville Black Sox left for the Connecticut Twilight League. Less teams mean more games against top competition, McCarty said. “Now with the shorter league, we play some of the top teams twice, so hopefully we can split against people and maybe take a series against people, and that will help,” McCarty said.

One of those top teams is the Winsted Whalers (8-2). Winsted is young but has some solid players, McCarty said. Player/manager Chester Warner is happy with the team he has put together, according to McCarty, who knows him well. “He’s pretty proud of this team that’s been put together, and they’re no joke,” McCarty said.

Tri-Town’s loss was to the Bethlehem Plowboys (6-3) by a score of 1-0 on Tuesday. McCarty said Bethlehem has strong hitters and is a fundamentally sound ballclub. The Amenia Monarchs (5-3) are just a win behind the Plowboys. “There’s still a good top eight teams that are still pretty good in this league, and it’s anybody’s ballgame, I think,” McCarty said. “It’s about finishing in the top six this year for the playoffs so you can get a bye, then you go to best-of-three series.”

Tri-Town will be in the mix because of the starting pitching it gets from Miles Scribner, Bobby Chatfield and Dan Livingston. There’s also veterans in the lineup like McCarty, Austin Patenaude and Casey McDonald who will help keep the Trojans going in the right direction.

Copyright Register Citizen Peter Wallace 6/25/22

TORRINGTON — Summer baseball.

For many in the Northwest Corner and across the country, the words are still synonymous. It’s as if summer and baseball were made for each other, with summer’s long languid days interspersed by occasional wild excitement and a game that can sometimes play out the same way. C’mon, we’ve got time, right?

So what better way to approach this weekend’s official start of summer than back-to-back long languid lunches with two of the pillars of baseball in the area: Tri-State Baseball commissioner Eddie Gadomski and Torrington American Legion Baseball general manager R.J. Poniatoski.

Gadomski came first, last Tuesday. Nobody represents baseball better than Eddie. “I let baseball take over my life,” he says at one point in our conversation at Torrington’s 99 Restaurant, praising his wife Lori for being the kind of woman willing to give and take the opportunities to “live our own lives” amidst the challenges and pleasures of a growing family and careers.

The fact is, despite ruing a few missed family opportunities as a result, Gadomski fell in love with baseball long before he fell in love with Lori, growing up playing baseball with sticks and tennis balls with friends on a Naugatuck funeral home parking lot. “The amazing thing is, people would actually come to watch us play,” he laughs.

For Gadomski, the crowds kept growing as he grew up to co-captain a three-year league championship run at Kaynor Tech after his parents, John and Donna, immigrants from Poland, relented in his sophomore year, allowing him to play for the Panthers if he kept up his grades. Learning to hit with a stick and throw a 12-6 curve with a tennis ball (too many broken windows with a baseball)? Training tools not many kids or their parents would go for today, but they served Gadomski well enough, along with old-school parental academic discipline, to earn an offer from Princeton. But Gadomski chose Mattatuck Community College (now Naugatuck Community College), where he again led his school to a championship in his first year.

From there, the love affair went to the Tri-State League and several other area adult leagues where he led Tri-State’s Thomaston Spoilers to a league championship along with his own MVP for hitting and pitching. “I played five games a week between the leagues,” Gadomski says. “I was the guy who held on. I played Tri-State until I was 41, then in the over-40 league until I was 49 — until my knees finally gave out.”

In the midst of that span, 2003, the same year he won the league MVP as a player, his peers elected him commissioner, where he led Tri-State from a six-team beer-league to a well-organized, disciplined high of 19 teams across the Northwest Corner and back to its current 13 after five of them dropped out in the COVID years. “All our teams are filled up and we’re still the biggest adult league in the state,” he says. “I get calls all the time from people wanting to play and we have one team, maybe two, ready to enter the league.”

Despite Gadomski’s longevity as a player, make no mistake. Tri-State has no bearing whatsoever to your dad’s recreational softball league. “It’s gotten younger lately — high teens to mid-20s,” Gadomski says while stipulating that newer teams and players are in it to learn from the veterans who still rule the league’s win/loss columns. “Some of our players — college veterans, ex-minor leaguers and even some ex-major leaguers are reliving the glory days. Some of the younger ones are using it as a stepping stone. Scouts have told others (like recently-released former Oriole prospect Willy Yahn) to stick around so they can keep an eye on them. “I played with (ex-major league Watertown star) Rico Brogna. His dad always told him, ‘You gotta play with the older kids.’ He was drafted in the first round by Detroit.”

And still, amidst all the league’s talent and hard-driven play, there’s the essence of summer baseball for most of them to consider. “As you get older, life changes,” Gadomski, the veteran baseball lifer says. “Marriage…children…work…Baseball is a chance to get away from life and its problems and just be a kid again, having a good time and enjoying the camaraderie. When I played, knowing I had a game that night made work much, much easier for me.” The joy and talent is on display most Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends across the area.

Tuesday, Gadomski texted a recap of a game between league leaders in which the Bethlehem Plowboys (7-3) delivered the defending champion Tri-Town Trojans (7-1) their first loss in a long regular season that runs until the playoffs begin in mid-August. The 1-0 Plowboy win at Bethlehem’s Gallup Field (seven innings on weeknights, nine on weekends) featured six no-hit innings by Bethlehem’s Matt Sibilia, then a gut-it-out Plowboy run in the bottom of the sixth on a pitch-to-the-shin for Jarrett Michaels, bunt single by Joe Rupe and RBI ground-out by Ricky Descoteaux. Yahn led off the final inning with a double for the Trojans, then got caught in a rundown before two more outs ended the game.

Thursday night under the Fuessenich Park lights, Torrington’s Matt Sokol and Blasius Chevrolet’s Brooks Belter, a former minor leaguer, traded no-hit first innings before the veteran Waterbury team (5-4) schooled the Twisters (3-6), one of the league’s youngest teams, 10-0. One of the joys of playing in the highly-competitive Tri-State League is getting back together with old friends in the dugout every summer.

Regardless of the final score, a cool breeze at Fuessenich Park in twilight, the smack of the ball on catchers’ mitts and wooden bats, the calls of the umpires..It was hard to think of a better place to be.

Some call that the essence of summer, at any age.

Bethlehem Plowboys 4 Canton Crushers 2

Plowboys win 4-2 over Canton on a beautiful day for a ball game that started with Cantons field being double booked so we had to move down the road to play some ball. Old reliable Justin Koutros started for the plow going 4 innings striking out 6 and giving up 2 runs on the day. The Plowboys did their damage in the top of the 3rd when Jon Wilson lead off with a single and stole second and third which led to a Joe Rupe RBI single. 3 batters later Jarrett Michaels hit a 3 run homer to put the plow up 4-0 and that was all they needed. Jimmy Spirito and Sean Allarc had the 2 Canton RBIs. Isaiah Johnson got the save for the Plowboys pitching the last 3 innings going 9 up and 9 down with 3 strikeouts.

Amenia Monarchs 3 Wolcott Scrappers 2 (8 innings)

The Monarchs improve to 6-3 on the season with a tough 3-2 win over the Scrappers Thursday night. Both Amenia and Wolcott’s pitchers controlled the night as Monarchs starter Nick Reilly threw 5 great innings scattering 3 hits, striking out 4 and giving up 2 runs. For Wolcott Tyler Boisvert would go all 8 giving up 3 runs on 4 hits with 9 K’s. Monarchs would score first with 2 runs in the 2nd inning on a single by Shane Callahan. Callahan would finish the day 2-2 with 2RBI’s. The Scrappers would score 1 in the 3rd on a Sac fly by Brandon Clark and then even the game at 2 in the 5th with a RBI single by Ron Losacano. Colby Dunlop would take the ball for Amenia in the 6th allowing just 1 hit and striking out 9 through the remainder of the game. Amenia would score in the top of the 8th on a throwing error and hold on for the win.

Southington Gamecocks 7 Brass City Vipers 3

The Gamecocks improved to 6-4 Thursday night in Waterbury with a gutsy 8-4 win over the newcomer Brass City Vipers. The gamecocks trailed the majority of the game finally getting their first lead of the game with the help of a lead off triple by Nate Crocker in the top of the sixth followed by base hits by Matt Hochberg, Tyler Fernandes, and Aj Lorenzetti. The vipers struck back in the bottom of the sixth scoring two more to retake a 4-3 lead running Southington starter Christian Peterson out of the game after a 5 2/3 innings of battling on the mound. The gamecocks then exploded for a five run seventh inning with hits by Dan Neal , Matt Hochberg, Eric padden, and Pat Raymond. Coach Pat Smith stepped up striking out 3 out of 4 vipers to end the game and picked up the win on the mound. For the vipers, Collin Hajjar added two hits and joe Kwaak homered. The gamecocks face Wolcott Sunday looking for 3 straight wins

Blasius Chevrolet 10 Torrington Twisters 0

Game recap coming soon…

Burlington Hunters 8 Naugatuck Nightmare 0

The Burlington Hunters defeated the Naugatuck Nightmare 8-0.  Taylor Donofrio got the start on the mound for the Hunters and earned the win throwing 6 shutout innings and striking out 7.  Donofrio had a no-hitter going until the 4th inning when Angel Valentin (2/3, SB) laced a line drive into left field.  Nathan Hockley made his Tri-State debut and pitched a perfect 7th inning, striking out 1 to close out the game.  The game was 0-0 until the 5th inning when the Hunters broke open the game thanks to offensive performances by Andrew Bunger (2/4, 2RBI, 2R, 2B) and George Zaruba (2/4, 3RBI, 2R, HR).  Jheremi Rosado also contributed with a double and a sac fly, as well as Owen Leander, who also made his Tri-State debut going 1/3 and driving in a run. 

Game highlights include Zack Martin doing his best Brian O’leary impression getting hit by a pitch in back to back at bats, Thanks to Joe Cardaropoli being removed from the defensive lineup, what is being referred to as the “managerial move of the year”, The Hunters for the first time in 7 years played an entire game without committing a single error, Tyler Doyle kept his best book yet, and finally, teammates and fans were concerned when they could not find George Zaruba after the final out, turns out he was somewhere behind the left field fence looking for his homerun ball so that he could place it on his mantle.

Tri-Town Trojans 6 Thunder Ducks 1

Game recap coming soon…