Winsted wins opener in Legion tournament

Post 43 scores shutout win in first tournament game in 13 years

ENFIELD » Winsted Post 43 celebrated the end of its 13-year American Legion baseball state tournament drought with a 2-0 first-round win over Enfield Saturday afternoon at Fermi High School.

Originally presuming it had also captured its first tournament home game since 1993, percentages sent Winsted to Enfield instead, facing a team that’s won first-round state tournament games for the past three years.

But this year, Post 43 had 6-foot-9 Gilbert ace Ryan Sholtis on the mound and a lineup of CIAC tournament-tested kids from Northwestern and Housatonic behind him.

Sholtis, who gave up just three hits in 6 2/3 innings and struck out seven, and Enfield pitcher Kyle Menaker — 7 innings, seven hits, six strikeouts — might have dueled to a standstill without the Northwest Corner experience behind Sholtis.

Northwestern graduate Tony Pacino came through with an RBI double in the fourth inning. Housatonic’s Jakob Shpur brought the ice with an RBI single in the sixth.

“There were two very good pitchers out there,” said Enfield Coach Tom Owens “(Winsted) came up with the big hits; we didn’t. But we had our chances.’

“Ryan didn’t let them hurt him,” said Winsted Coach D.J. Reese.

Enfield’s first chance came in the bottom of the first inning, touched off by an uncharacteristic two Winsted errors in a row.

Unshaken, Sholtis, headed for Amherst College in the fall, posted his first strikeout. A fielder’s choice caught Enfield’s Jeff Falk at the plate. Sholtis gathered in a popup to end the threat.

“It’s the same game (despite the excitement of a tournament start),” said Sholtis. “We knew Enfield would be

a good team because Connecticut is a good baseball state. You just play your game.”

That game was good enough for Winsted, 17-8, to finish fourth among Zone I’s nine teams. Enfield, 12-91, was third among Zone 8’s eight teams.

Neither a 0-0 faceoff for the first three innings nor Winsted’s need to create its own breaks came as a surprise. An infield error to leadoff batter Shpur handed Winsted a chance in the top of the fourth inning. Coach Reese and Pacino jumped on it.

Pacino and Shpur took Reese’s hit-and-run signal and made it pay. Pacino slammed a double to deep right center field. Shpur was off with the pitch, all the way in for the game’s first run.

“When the hits start flowing, the runs start flowing and we win,” grinned Pacino.

Lukas Gryniuk (2-for2) threatened to make it worse for Enfield with his second hit of the game, but “worse’ had to wait two innings while Sholtis and his defense worked a few more great escapes.

Catcher Chad Closson threw from his knees to nip Enfield’s Elisha Swanson trying to steal third in the bottom of the fourth inning. Sholtis weathered a hit batter and an error in the fifth with three infield pop-ups.

Mike Oley started Winsted’s final drive in the top of the sixth with a leadoff single, along with an extra base on a throwing error. He was safe at third on Connor Toffey’s groundout and home on Shpur’s single down the first base line.

All that remained was a couple of defensive gems on each side in the seventh.

Jayson Reola doubled in the top of the inning, reaching third on an error to Closson. Enfield catcher Christian Pasini and second baseman Falk handled Closson’s lure off first perfectly, gunning Reola down at home on the would-be steal.

In the bottom of the inning, Winsted right fielder Oley made a perfect throw to second to snuff out Dan Neal’s attempt to stretch a single into a double along with Enfield’s hopes for a rally.

“It was a great play by Mike Oley,” beamed Coach Reese.

Post 43 is likely to need more of them today in the single elimination phase’s second round at Waterford High School, 1 p.m.

Coach Reese, an assistant coach at Class M runnerup Lewis Mills this spring, knows Waterford all too well. The high school team beat the Spartans for the Class M title.

With a background of wins over some great Zone I teams in the regular season, Sholtis’ words might become today’s Post 43 motto: “just play your game.”

PHOTO BY PETER WALLACE Ryan Sholtis gave up just three hits as Winsted Post 43 beat Enfield in an American Legion first-round tournament game on Saturday at Fermi High School.