The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Winsted battles first-place Avon
Tie game after nine innings will resume next Thursday
WINSTED » Sometimes moral victories are so good, you actually do feel like kissing your sister.
Winsted pitchers Ryan Sholtis, Jakob Shpur and Mike Oley and their defense battled for nine innings in an American Legion baseball with Zone I first-place Avon with nothing to show for it but respect in a 0-0 game postponed by darkness at Walker Field Thursday evening.
Nevertheless, the respect piled high for the fourth-place team (out of nine in the zone), just 2.5 games back of the leaders.
“We dodged so many bullets today. They won that game hands down,” said Avon Coach Donny Annicelle.
Most of the bullets came from Sholtis, a Gilbert graduate headed for Amherst College this fall.
The 6-foot-9-inch fireballer struck out the first four batters he faced, carrying a no-hitter into the fourth inning against a team that regularly pounds Zone I’s all-star opponents into submission. He gave up one more hit in his seven innings, striking out 12 and walking two.
“All three of my pitches were working today (fastball, curve, changeup,” he said. “My velocity was good and I was able to get it up and in. It was my best start this year.”
If Avon’s big hitters thought they’d catch a break after the regulation seven innings, they were wrong.
Jakob Shpur started the eighth, got two outs while walking a batter, then gave way to lefty Mike Oley for the inning’s final out. Shpur was back for two strikeouts and a pop-up in the top of the ninth.
Meanwhile, Post 43 batters had one chance after another to knock off the Zone I king.
Tony Pacino (2-for-3 with 2 walks) was onto Avon starter Kyle Emery from the beginning, blasting a double to right center field in the first inning, then sending Cam Goulet to third base with a single in the third inning after Goulet drew one of Emery’s seven walks.
In the fourth, walks loaded the bases with two outs before Connor Toffey lined out on a screamer to second.
Dodging bullets? Emery and his defense left nine Winsted runners hanging in Emery’s five innings while giving up just Pacino’s two hits.
“I’m just trying to do the job for the team,” said Pacino, an incoming sophomore at Florida Southwestern State College. When Justin Olson took over for Emery in the sixth, Pacino was on base again in the ninth with an intentional walk.
That was part of Winsted’s last, best chance for the win on Thursday. Oley and Toffey hit back-to-back oneout singles in the bottom of the ninth. After a strikeout and a steal by Toffey, Olson loaded the bases with Pacino. A groundout sent the game to next Thursday at Avon.
“Our pitching and defense are fine. We have to do a better job on offense,” said Winsted Coach D.J. Reese.
Nevertheless, if respect counts, rest assured nobody in Zone I takes Winsted Post 43 for granted.