Back to the great outdoors

Sutman, No. 7 Waterford survive elements and hand Montville first loss

Montville — It will be one month ago Wednesday that Walker Sutman played his last basketball game. And there he was, the big redhead, hoisting the championship trophy for all to see at climate controlled Mohegan Sun Arena.

And then it was Tuesday afternoon and Sutman traded the basketball duds for the baseball uniform of Waterford High School, the starting pitcher in the next chapter of the rivalry with Montville.

One problem: Game time temperature: 46 degrees.

"It's been diffi- cult," Sutman, the Fairfield-bound left-hander, said. "We've been inside for a lot of practices. But our team was tough today."

None tougher than Sutman, who struck out 12 over five shutout innings, leading the Lancers to a 6-1 Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II win on the frozen tundra.

Sutman also finished 3-for-3 with two RBI, two stolen bases and a run scored.

"He competed," Waterford coach Art Peluso said of Sutman. "When he was in the strike zone, they struggled to make contact."

Sutman wasn't always in the strike zone. He walked seven — one intentionally — but escaped two different bases-loaded predicaments.

"There are some things I'm trying to tweak," Sutman said. "But I need to keep my mind clear."

Sutman left with a 2-0 lead. Trevor Yeomans' RBI single with two outs gave the Lancers a 1-0 lead in the second. Sutman's two-out RBI double in the top of the sixth made it 2-0.

"Huge hit there by Trevor," Sutman said.

Reliever (and starting shortstop) Jared Burrows worked out of a based-loaded jam the sixth, keeping the score 2-0, much to the delight of Peluso.

"He was unphased by the situation," Peluso said. "It didn't matter the bases were loaded. Same approach. He's a sophomore. The other

kids see how he reacts. There's a snowball effect."

The Lancers (4-1, 1-1), ranked seventh in the latest GameTimeCT.com state poll, scored four times in the seventh, highlighted by Sonny Pezzello's two-run single.

The 6-1 final didn't do justice to the five innings from Montville freshman Griffin Pontbriant, who allowed four hits and struck out five. "A very good pitcher," Peluso said. "I couldn't be happier with him," Montville coach Steve Stonoha said.

"A fantastic job in his second varsity start."

Stonoha knew the Indians (3-1, 1-1) were a timely hit away from staying unbeaten.

"They were able to get the clutch hit and we didn't," he said. "You take away all the runs they scored with two outs and it's a 1-0 ballgame."

Montville's run came in the seventh on John Domijan's RBI single. m.dimauro@theday.com