The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Torrington rallies past Terryville
Teams on pace to meet in playoff opener on Friday
TORRINGTON » The best thing about Torrington’s 8-7 win over Terryville Monday evening at Fuessenich Park is that these same teams might have a chance to do it better at the beginning of the Northwest Connie Mack playoffs this Friday.
Lining up Monday as the No. 4 and No. 5 teams in the five-team league, the last two seeds play each other in a single-elimination game Friday, the winner playing the winner of a No. 2 vs. No. 3 playoff on Sunday. Torrington could change its standing with three more makeup games to play in the regular season in a nightcap Monday and doubleheader Tuesday, but all five league teams have a shot.
“Friday’s game is kind of a wild card play-in,” said Terryville Coach Travis Bonhomme.
Monday’s game was a wild card in itself, playing much like the field. With heavy rains Monday morning, it was another Torrington Park Department miracle that it was in the good shape it was.
So went the game. With a combined five errors, eight walks and numerous base-running errors, the miracle was the hitters made a tight game of it.
“We’ve been hitting the ball; the defense is the problem,” said Torrington Coach Scott Tucciarone, whose team climbed to 6-8 with the win.
“We were 3-1 in our last four games,” said Bonhomme, at 4-10-1.
Marcus Bloom, 3-for-3, with a triple and 3 RBIs and Riley Shreders, 2-for-3 and a double were the big hitters for Torrington. Riley Zappone had a two-run double for Terryville.
Both sides needed all their hits as D.J. Reynolds trucked all the way on Torrington’s mound while Terryville tried three pitchers.
The first inning was a triumph for both starters as Reynolds and Mike Ticia zipped through three-up, threedown on both sides.
The mud hit the fan in the second.
Ticia and Connor Tyrin led off on an error and walk for Terryville. Brandon Oakes singled them in for a 2-0 lead.
Torrington came back for three runs in the bottom of the inning on five straight hits, by Jimmy Lamana (2for-3, 2 runs; Bloom (2 runs), Sam Lavoie and Mason Condriet (2 RBI, run) and a sacrifice fly by Ajay Prindle.
They added two more in the third on hits by Reynolds, Shreders and Bloom, plus a Terryville error.
But a 5-2 lead was only an invitation to mayhem on Monday.
Terryville accepted, pouring five runs across in the top of the fourth, on doubles by Ticia and Zappone, singles by Frank Trino, Aaron Hunt and Sal Triglia plus two Torrington errors and a walk.
Then, just like the field, Torrington came out sparkling.
Reynolds settled down to no-hit pitching for the last three innings.
Torrington batters came through with three runs in the fifth on a Terryville error, a double by Shreders, an infield hit from Lamana, a two-run triple by Bloom and an RBI groundout by Condriet.
“We’ve had games with more errors than hits,” Tucciarone grimaced.
Not this time, as Torrington rallied with a 12-5 lead in hits and the one-run win.
Look for better from both sides Friday.