The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Post 75 clinches spot in playoffs
GLASTONBURY — Now, it’s on to the playoffs.
Middletown Post 75 qualified for the American Legion state tournament with authority Tuesday night, totaling 13 hits and riding the dominant sixhit pitching of Tyler Lemay to a 90 win over Glastonbury at Riverfront Park.
Facing a winandgetin scenario after failing the first time to qualify with a 148 loss Monday to this same Post 56 team, the 75ers avoided the sticky situation of likely needing help from other zone teams, as well as a convoluted system of tiebreakers, had they not come through Tuesday.
“We felt the sting (Monday) night and were hungrier tonight,” 75ers shortstop Nico Kulpick said. “We talked about it before batting practice.”
Yes, the 75ers checked in at Pat Kidney Field in Middletown for some midafternoon BP before heading off to Glastonbury, where they scored four runs in the third inning and never looked back.
“We wanted to put a stamp on the end of our season and we got it done,” said Kulpick, who finished a home run short of the cycle, drove in three runs and scored twice after having his share of struggles at the plate recently.
Middletown wrapped up its regular season with a 1210 record in Zone 3 and, like last July, was propelled by a second straight hot July to reach the tournament.
The 75ers are assured of the fifth and final seed out of Zone 3 and will begin sectional (pod) play Saturday at a site to be determined. Final seedings and pairings will be determined in the next few days.
“I told the kids before the game, if we go out and score eight we’ll win. And we got nine,” coach Jay Famiglietti said. “Hitting at Pat Kidney beforehand
shows the kind of commitment they’ve given to me all summer. We’re riding the blue wave right now.”
Lemay was fantastic in the completegame victory, walking one and striking out seven. Glastonbury (148) touched him for the six hits (all singles) in only two innings, the second and the fourth. He got out of both basesloaded jams without an issue.
“This all goes back to last year,” said Lemay, who brought a 0.84 ERA and 0.84 WHIP into his start. “I was pitching last August to get us into the final eight (of the state tournament) and it didn’t happen. It’s haunted me every day.
“I used that to drive me this season. I feel like I pitched the game of my life tonight.”
The 75ers stung the ball off Glastonbury starter RJ Graff. Post 56’s defense did not help him, either.
In the third inning, the 75ers’ TJ Isleib reached on an infield single, stole second and came around when Giancarlo Genovese’s grounder to short was thrown away at first base.
Cal Pitruzzello followed with a walk and Connor Cardi, who had two hits and drove in two runs, singled to left to score Genovese. When the ball was misplayed in the outfield by Charlie Tryon, Pitruzzello scored. Lemay capped the barrage with an infield hit that scored Cardi.
The 75ers broke it open in the third inning. Kulpick crushed a tworun double over the head of Matt Propp in right field, and Cardi’s line single to center scored Kulpik from second.
“I was trying to focus on making good contact tonight,” Kulpik said.
Pitruzzello had two hits, scored twice and stole a base, and Lemay and DJ Arnold also had two hits apiece, making that five 75ers with a multihit game.
“It was a total team effort today,” the righthander said. “Today we came in with the mentality that we needed to win or it would all be over. Coach made a good point about it and it got me fired up.
“From the beginning, I definitely wanted to finish the game. When I got in those jams, I just put the ball in the zone and trusted my teammates to make the plays. I’m just glad the season is not over yet.”
After leaving the bases full of Glastonbury players in the fourth, Lemay retired the side in the fifth, Isleib started a 543 double play to end the sixth, and Lemay got the side in order in the seventh to finish right around the 100pitch mark.
“Tyler Lemay commanded the strike zone and he got ahead of hitters consistently,” Famiglietti said. “We needed that kind of outing from him. We played with urgency and we got big hits. I loved the effort.”
The 75ers scored twice more in the sixth inning. Kulpik crushed a triple over the head of Jake Hendricks in center to score Genovese, and Cardi followed with a sac fly.
Rocky HillCromwellPortland (148) and Glastonbury (148) also have qualified out of the zone’s South Division, with RCP looking like the top seed based on winning the season series against Glastonbury and having the best record versus playoff qualifiers.