The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Torrington beats Litchfield 7-3
Torrington takes down Litchfield Tri-town
TORRINGTON >> Torrington Sports Palace beat Litchfield Tri-Town 7-3 in a Northwest Connie Mack baseball game that ebbed and flowed like the rain at Fuessenich Park Monday night.
It was a pitcher’s duel between Torrington’s Ryan Reynolds (6.2 innings, three earned runs, six hits, six strikeouts, two walks, three hit batters) and Litchfield’s Matt McCarthy (six innings, four earned runs, eight hits, five strikeouts, seven walks) for four innings.
Sports Palace led 2-1 after four, but Reynolds gave up just two hits on the way, McCarthy four.
Reynolds took charge with a three-run homer in the fifth, spurring his teammates to two more in the sixth.
And just when Torrrington thought it had the game and the rain under control, Tri-Town stormed back for two runs in the top of the seventh.
“We hurt ourselves before (the homer),” said Litchfield coach Mark Bovat, whose 4-14 team won’t make the league’s six-team playoff cut, but plays tough against every-
one.
“One or two errors beccome big runs in a hurry,” he said.
That’s how Torrington (11- 6) charged to a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
McCarthy walked two and struck out three in the first inning after Litchfield went down in order.
Tri-Town did it again in the top of the second when Reynolds found his touch for two strikeouts.
“I think it was a mixture of the curve and my cut fastball that kept them off balance,” said Reynolds, who throws six different pitches, including a knuckleball.
Adam Fuoco started Torrington’s second inning with a single up the middle, P.J. Kilmartin lay down a great sacrifice bunt. An infield error gave Matt Baril life on second base, but the throw home beat Fuoco trying to stretch it to the plate.
A wild pitch and another error, instead of ending the inning, scored Baril, and put Ben Thompson on second. Aaron Baker (2-for- 3, two RBI) smashed a line drive to left center field. Thompson got home, 2-0.
Torrington’s lone error of the game set up a Litchfield run in the fourth. Nick Ganio opened the inning with a single. A wild pickoff throw blew him all the way to third.
Reynolds got a strikeout for one out.
Then Matt Rollins pinch hit in a must-do situation.
Coach Bovat called for a squeeze bunt. Ganio charged down the third base line with the pitch. Rollins got his bat on it perfectly, the run was in, 2-1.
Torrington’s Thompson led off the fifth with a single.
With two outs, another error set up the final blow for Lichfield’s hopes. Following a bad throw, Thompson stood on third, Manny Rijo on first.
Reynolds, who had seven homers at Lewis Mills High School, parked a shot over the left field fence for his first in Connie Mack.
Fuoco and Keith Millum scored two more in the sixth, on two walks, a fielder’s choice by Thompson and a single by Baker.
Down 7-1, Litchfield was back in the top of the seventh with one-out hits by Steve Rosko, McCarthy (double) and Rob Whipple (2-for- 3, RBI). A ground-out scored another run, moving Whipple to second. A wild pitch gave him another base. Then Nick Brennan drew a walk that ended Reynolds’ night.
Torrington ace Cody Lemieux needed just one out for the save. He used four pitches, all strikes, including a foul ball, to whistle his fastball home for the final strikeout.
“We’ve made just three errors in our last five games,” said Torrington coach Bill Heintz. “That’s a big factor for us.”
Sports Palace is in a struggle with Amenia and Winsted for the league lead before next week’s playoffs begin. They play Amenia Wednesday, Winsted on Thursday.