ONE MORE STEP
Cumberland American secures spot in District IV Majors Division final
CUMBERLAND — The upstart Scituate/Foster Major Division All-Star team received superb pitching from righty Demetri Sampalis and solid defense, but there's a reason Cumberland American won the 11-yearold state title last season.
After being held to just one run through the first three innings of Saturday afternoon's District 4 winners' bracket final, CALL used back-to-back home runs from Joey Cote and J.J. Sanzi to give starting pitcher Charlie Tarara all the run support he would need.
Tarara allowed one run in 4.1 innings of work, while Sanzi finished a triple short of the cycle (3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored) in a 6-1 victory at Garvin Field.
“Being in a close game really makes you focus on the catcher's glove a lot more,” Tarara said after striking out eight Scituate/Foster hitters and allowing just six hits. “My curveball was really breaking well and my fastball was at its best.”
“That was a great game and I knew it would be,” CALL coach Tony Tarara said. “I think I said it after last game, but they have a decent program. They came and they executed, but we didn't hit to our potential again until the fourth inning. It just goes to show you the resiliency of this team. We hang around long enough and put things together with our backs against the wall.”
While Scituate/Foster drops to the losers' bracket to play in the losers' bracket final Thursday night against an opponent to be determined, CALL is headed to Burrillville's Peck Field Saturday night for the district final and a spot in the state tournament in Johnston.
Tarara will have all of his pitchers available for the contest, including ace Jack LaRose and Charlie Tarara.
“To quote my favorite coach [Patriots coach Bill Belichick] there are no days off,” Tony Tarara said. “We're going to be on the field doing scrimmages and introducing different pitchers at them who throw curveballs, just to get them to see different speeds and different looks. We know we're going to see a great team because we've played all the teams left except North Smithfield. Burrillville, Lincoln and Smithfield are all great teams.”
Scituate/Foster was led offensively by catcher Mike St. Angelo, who was 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. St. Angelo cut his team's deficit to 3-1 in the fifth inning when he scored on a single to left field by Andrew Del Santo. Tarara was removed after
the hit in favor of Andrew Mastin, who quickly set down Sampalis for the second out of the inning.
With the game-tying run at first base, Mike Scalzo looped a single to center field. Instead of having the bases loaded, S/F tried to cut the deficit in half, but Andrew Ray threw out Matt Moreau by 20 feet to end the inning.
CALL responded with three insurance runs in the fifth inning. Tarara, who reached on an error, and Jack LaRose both scored on a passed ball before Joey Cote scooted home on a single to left field by Sanzi.
“Those runs were great because I was getting a little nervous at that point,” Tarara said. “I wanted to get to my closer and give me some comfort when he came into the game. I want to mold these kids into understanding that when the game's tight, they're going to have to step it up.”
After an error to start the sixth inning, closer George Sukatos struck out a pair of batters to secure the win.
While Tarara was mowing down every Scituate/Foster hitter not named St. Angelo early in the game, CALL was struggling to barrel up offerings from Sampalis. CALL went down quietly in the first inning before Sanzi hit an opposite-field double with one out in the second. Andrew Ray scored the catcher with a single.
“J.J. is just a great batter and fundamentally he is just right on it,” Tarara said. “My top 7, to be quite honest, can hit that way. J.J. is just mechanically sound and he's my smartest player, that's why he's the catcher.”
CALL finally made solid contact against Sampalis in the fourth inning when Cote led off the inning with a home run to left field and Sanzi followed with a solo shot of his own three pitches later.
“It was a fastball away and since I had two strikes, I just put it that way,” Sanzi said of his opposite-field homer. “Ya, it felt good. I was a little surprised by this game, but I expected it to be a battle.”
Tarara, who only allowed three hits through the first four innings, ran into trouble in the fifth, as the first four S/F batters reached base. Sanzi helped out his battery mate by throwing out A.J. Detri at second base before St. Angelo's third hit.
“He did a really good job. He gets pumped up for games like this,” Tarara said of his 12-year-old son. “It's fun to be there and go through this really great journey with him.”
Scituate/Foster 000 010 —1 7 2 Cumberland American 010 23x — 6 6 3 Charlie Tarara, Andrew Mastin (5), George Sukatos (6) and J.J. Sanzi; Demetri Sampalis, Mike Scalzo (5) and Mike St. Angelo. 2B – S/F St. Angelo; CA, Sanzi; HR – CA, Joey Cote, Sanzi.