Travelers will headline big week in sports

This a big week in area sports highlighted — obviously — by the Travelers Championship PGA Golf Tournament at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.

On top of that, the area American Legion Baseball season is heating up with meaningful games for both Middletown and RCP, the team that draws from Rocky Hill, Cromwell and Portland.

RCP, which is the two-time defending state champion, has four Zone 7 games this week, including home games with New Britain Monday and Plainville Friday, and road games at New Britain Wednesday and Plainville Thursday.

Prior to Sunday’s game with Newington, coach T.J. Grande’s team was 5-0 in the Zone and 7-0 overall.

Middletown was 8-0 in Zone 3 and 11-2 overall prior to Sunday’s double header at Meriden. The Post 75ers have a very big week. Not only was Meriden unbeaten

before the Sunday twinbill, but Middletown has a double header at home with Madison Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and has two road games at defending Zone 3 champion Cheshire Thursday and Saturday.

Middletown, while unbeaten through eight games and has won the games it should win, will find out a lot about itself this week as the quality of the opposition is significantly better than the teams it has faced so far.

Xavier award winners

Here are the awards handed out to the spring student-athletes at Xavier.

Baseball: Coaches Award, Rory Sherban and Justin Wilson; Highest Batting Average, Luke Garofalo; Most Valuable Defensive Player, Tim Dickson; Most Valuable Pitcher, Joe Vail; Senior Award, Ryan Famiglietti.

Crew: Rookie of the Year, George McGarry; Most Improved, Gian Civitello; Coaches Award, Zach Gordon; MVP, Jack McKenna; Senior Award, Kyle Higgins.

Lacrosse: Most Improved, Mike Ford; Coaches Award, Collin McCarthy; Most Valuable on Offense, Austin Reid; Most Valuable on Defense. Ethan Telford; Most Valuable, Owen Gonzalez; Senior Award, Brett Reid.

Track and Field: Freshman of the Year, Osiah Wiggins; Most Improved, William Curran; Most Valuable in Track, Owen Lally; Most Valuable in Field, Matthew Wyzykowski; Coaches Award, Pierre Sylvain; Senior Award, Dan Hettrick.

Sailing: Most Improved, Francis Brown; Coaches Award, Michael Dellaripa and Francisco Quintana; Most Valuable, Stewart Gurnell; Senior Award, Brian Tiernan.

Tennis: Most Improved, Eddie Basauri; Sportsmanship Award, Ian Thompson; Coaches Award, D.J. Ciampi; Most Valuable, Rich Ciamarra and Hieu Ton; Senior Award, Mike Nanfito.

Ultimate Frisbee: Most Improved, Owen Cordes; Spirit of the Game Award, Brendan Rizza; Coaches Award, Andrew Taylor; Most Valuable, Gunnar Jackson; Senior Award, Albert Ackerson.

Volleyball: Most Improved, Ryan Vynalek; Coaches Award, Ryan Ji; Most Valuable, Joseph Cosme; Senior Award, Max DeLucia.

The awards for the school’s state championship golf team will be announced at the sports banquet this summer, according to Xavier AD Tony Jaskot.

Middletown CCCSouth All-Conference

Baseball: Mike Gaboury. Softball: Alex Giardina, Sam Pizzonia, Kelsey White, Dominique Highsmith and Rachel Thompson. Girls tennis: Kim Chambers, Jessica Hart, Moriah Monroe and Lisa Tipton.

Boys tennis: Pasquale Giardina, Joel Morales, Dylan Myers, Scott Santos and Payton White. Boys golf: Derek Frame. Girls golf: Logan Frame. Boys track: DeShaun Bradshaw, Nico Cavaliere, Jalen Coleman, Garrett Dandridge, Dylan Drescher, Tyshaun James, DeAaron Lawrence, Matthew Lecky, DaJaun Lomotey, Justin McMillian, Osbourne Richards and Jaymin Torres.

Girls track: Jennifer Barbour, Syleena Daniels, Nasharie Davis, Jhada Eddy, Veronica Meyer, Chelsea Perrotta, Brielle Wilborn.

Strange baseball

The Wallingford at Middletown Legion game Thursday was a bit goofy. Middletown won the game in walk-off style, 3-2, on a bases-loaded single by Cole Neidmann. But that’s not what made it, unhhh, strange.

Wallingford started the silliness in the third inning. With one out, No. 3 hitter Sam DeMaio lined a shot to the wall in rightcenter. It was a sure triple. But for some reason, coach Mike Thomann at third waved him home on a try for an inside-the-park home run.

DeMaio was out from here to Eternity. That’s with the number 4 and 5 hitters coming up, mind you.

In the home third, Wallingford continued helping out the home team. With one out and a runner on second, Keith LaChance hit a bouncer up the middle that was fielded right next to second base by the second baseman. Coach Tim D’Aquila, coaching at third, gambling the throw would go to first, sent the runner from second.

The second baseman, however, didn’t do as D’Aquila had hoped and threw home. The runner would have been out by 25 feet.

Except the pitcher inexplicably cut off the throw, then turned it threw it off the backstop. I have never seen a pitcher cut off a throw that traveled, oh, maybe 50 feet.

Wallingford, by the way, tied the game 2-2 when, with two outs, a batter dropped down a bunt with a runner on third base. Base hit, RBI. On a bunt.

They say you can see something new at a baseball game every day. Got that right.

Oh, in Saturday’s 4-2 Middletown win over Wallingford, Thomann was tossed by the home plate umpire. His first complaint was on a play at the plate in which his runner was called out. Thomann yelled long and loud which was perplexing because his runner appeared to be out by, oh, from here to the Bronx.

He got tossed when the plate umpire called a shot down the third base line fair — which is certainly looked to be. Maybe he had a bad angle from the dugout, but my goodness, Thomann was apoplectic and if anyone earned a toss, he did. He will have to sit the next game.

Not the most artistic two games, but entertaining indeed.

Here and there

Middletown Legion coach Tim D’Aquila confirmed that his shortstop/ pitcher Luke Garafalo has transferred from Xavier to Coginchaug Regional for his senior year ... Garofalo received the Xavier award for highest batting average and is a pretty good pitcher, too.

Middletown High’s Veronica Meyer placed fourth on the hammer throw in the CIAC girls heptathlon with a personal best throw of 127 feet ... Meyer is a junior ... the Brandon Reeve Memorial Golf Tournament is this Saturday at the Quarry Ridge Golf Course in Portland ... the tourney benefits a scholarship at MHS and is held in memory of Jim and Pam Reeve’s son Brandon, an MHS athlete who died as a result of a motor vehicle accident ... it’s late, but the Reeves will accept late entries ... call them at 860347-3573 for information.

The Middletown Legion held Little League Day Saturday at Palmer Field ... the kids got to see the Legion game and afterwards ran the bases ... pretty good stuff for the Little Leaguers.

Pretty cool the city had three state champions this spring ... Xavier’s golf team, Middletown’s boys track team and the MHS Ultimate Frisbee team ... congratulations to all.

From the Penthouse to the Outhouse Dept . ... the New York Yankees were 15 games over .500 and had won six in a row through last Monday ... then reality set in and they stumbled and bumbled their way through five losses to the Trout-less Angels and Athletics, looking awful in the process.

They ran the bases like this was a new experience, starters did not pitch well and the relief pitching, low-lighted by the awful Tyler Clippard, poured gasoline on the fire night after night ...in two of the losses, the Yankees led late ... win those, then it’s not a bad left coast swing ... but the alleged relievers conspired to make sure that didn’t happen. Baseball ... funny game. The Sawks have pitching woes ... Rick Porcello seems determined to lose 20 games, David Price is about as popular in Boston as a case of the gout and scoring runs for Chris Sales is an alien concept.

Then the Mets played the Washington Nationals ... say good night, Metsies.

Still, it’s June 19, much too early to worry about the standings ... bring on the golf.