Collette downs champs
Post 10 advances to winners’ bracket final
WEST WARWICK – Brenden Aldridge still had something left in the tank, a point that was conveyed to Collette Post 10 head coach Jim Russo prior to the sixth inning of Tuesday’s R.I. American Legion Senior Division winners’ bracket contest against defending state champion Upper Deck Post 86/14.
Pitchers are permitted to throw a maximum of 120 pitches per outing. Aldridge, a St. Raphael graduate/righty, needed to throw 111 pitches to record 15 outs. It may have not been the most economical performance, but Aldridge proved quite effective with five shutout innings.
“I talked to him and he said he wanted to close out strong,” Russo said.
Aldridge did just that, retiring the first two batters he faced in the sixth on a groundball and a pop-up. He departed with 5.2 scoreless innings and 121 pitches – a pitcher can exceed his pitch count if he reaches the maximum in the middle of a batter – as Collette rolled to a 92 victory over the defending state champs at McCarthy Field.
The two Blackstone Valley entries will return to West Warwick today. Upper Deck will face the loser of the
“He had a good fastball and his curveball was as good as it’s been. He wasn’t missing by much. The key was that he battled. He never quit.” – Jim Russo on Brenden Aldridge
other winners’ bracket tilt – Navigant Post 85 vs. Gershkoff Post 20 – at 5 p.m. Collette draws the winning team in the nightcap.
The fact that Aldridge lasted as long as he did could be viewed as a minor miracle. He walked seven and seemed to run into trouble every single frame. To Aldridge’s credit, none of those free passes came back to haunt him.
Upper Deck left the bases loaded twice over the opening five innings. They stranded 10 baserunners over the same span against Aldridge, who struck out six and allowed three hits.
“He pitched out jams every single time,” Russo said. “He had a good fastball and his curveball was as good as it’s been. He wasn’t missing by much. The key was that he battled. He never quit.”
All the run support that Aldridge would need came in the fourth. Collette third baseman Pat Fleming snapped a scoreless game with a two-run single. Adam Duarte, the shortstop, plated the inning’s third run when he scooted home on a wild pitch.
Meanwhile, Upper Deck’s bats remained silent despite having one golden opportunity after another. Aldridge issued three walks in the fifth, but nothing came across.
Collette tacked on some insurance in the eighth and ninth innings. The lead grew to 5-0 behind a two-run single by centerfielder Matt Conrad that came with two strikes. Two Upper Deck errors contributed to a fourrun ninth for Collette with Conrad once again factoring with a two-run double that made it 9-1.
Ray Aponte, the first baseman, finished 3- for- 4 with a walk and two runs while Fleming added two hits. Jared Cardoza took the pitching baton from Aldridge and worked 2.1 innings of one-run relief for Collette.
Upper Deck starter Nick Crowe went seven innings plus two batters, allowing three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and one walk. The team’s first run scored on a double-play while the second run came on an infield single by Trevor Marques in the ninth.
“We didn’t get that big hit when we needed it and that was the difference in the game,” said Upper Deck assistant coach Mike Murphy. “We told the guys that after they walk out of here, don’t think about what happened. It’s double-elimination so there’s another game to get ready for.”
“We told the guys that after they walk out of here, don’t think about what happened.” – Mike Murphy