Cerruto, Root power Red Raiders in regular-season finale

TORRINGTON - The wind blew out at Torrington’s Fuessenich Park Wednesday afternoon.

Cam Cerruto and C.J. Root tipped their hats to the breeze on three high fastballs good for three home runs between them in a come-from-behind 7-6 Torrington win over Waterbury Career Academy in both teams' final regularseason games.

Cerruto’s back-to-back blasts in the fifth and sixth innings piled his singleseason home run school record to 10. Root’s solo shot in the sixth was the slightly-built leadoff hitter’s first, in a 3-for-4 day in which he scored three Red Raider runs.

“It’s nice to bat in front of (Cerruto) because you know he’ll get you home,” said Torrington’s junior shortstop.

“C.J. has some juice in those arms,” grinned Cerruto, heading for West Point in the fall.

The big catcher also made the defensive play of the game – maybe the season – when he scrambled after a pop foul down the first base line in the second inning, dove for the catch, then doubled a Spartan runner off first with a throw from his knees.

The Red Raiders needed all the heroics they could get, trying to stave off a Class L play-in game this Saturday with what’s now a 9-11 record, 8-10 in the NVL.

Waterbury, now 7-13 and 6-12 in the NVL, is assured of a Class M berth thanks to the CIAC’s mandate for 32 teams in each tournament division, but they too came in with plenty of incentive to raise their ranking.

While Torrington used the long ball in its winning formula, the Spartans outhit the Raiders 10-9, including doubles by Celestino Toucet, Mark Cummings and Domenick Musco.

Waterbury completegame pitcher Toucet left the bases loaded with just one run scored on an error in the first inning, then carried a two-hitter through four-and-a-half while his offense took a 3-1 lead on his two-run double in the third and Jacob Torres’ sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth.

“He’s our only pitcher,” said Waterbury coach Joe Russo. “We have seven wins; six of them are his. We live and die with him.”

Wednesday, Torrington’s defense sometimes struggled while jockeying into new positions without two key starters, but Raider bats dove into the wind in the bottom of the fifth.

Root led off with a single; Toucet hit Casey Navin with a pitch. Then Cerruto, intentionally walked in the first inning in a no-out base-loading gamble, sent a fastball over the left field fence for a three-run homer. Mike Paniati and Ben Richardson paired up with hits to add another run and a 5-3 Torrington lead.

When Root and Cerruto worked more home run magic in the sixth, a 7-3 Raider lead looked insurmountable.

But Torrington’s seasonlong plague is late-inning rallies by the other team.

Wednesday was no exception.

Waterbury’s Jonathan Castro (2-for-2, 2 runs); Mike Matta (2 runs); and Toucet (3-for-4) loaded the bases in the top of the seventh on two hits and a walk. A fielder’s choice scored one run; an error

scored another; and a double by Domenick Musco drove in a third before a ground-out finally ended the game.