Cheshire Reaches SCC Baseball Semifinal

Cheshire lost twice to Amity-Woodbridge during the regular season and hadn't defeated the Spartans since 2009 before Thursday.

But the Rams, who have been playing particularly well of late, took an early lead and then held off the Spartans 6-2 in a Southern Connecticut Conference tournament semifinal baseball game Friday at Yale Field.

The Rams, who have won seven in a row, will play Fairfield Prep for the SCC Championship Saturday at Yale Field at noon.

Cheshire (17-5), which had 16 hits in the game, took an early lead when Dom Severino and Matt Jefferis each hit RBI singles in the first inning for a 2-0 lead.

After Matt Croteau (three hits, three RBI) hit a double in the second, Max Slade drove him home with a sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead. Croteau, with a single, and Tyler Robertson, a sacrifice fly, drove in two more runs in the third to extend the
Rams lead to 5-0.

The Spartans (16-6) scored two runs in the sixth, but Rams starting pitcher Ryan
Rougeot was in command for most of the game, scattering eight hits and walking
one despite being hit in the calf with a batted ball in the second inning.

The Rams had lost to Amity 11-5 at home on April 21 and 3-2 on May 9 in Woodbridge. It was only the second victory for Cheshire over the Spartans in nine years.

Cheshire defeated West Haven 5-0 in the quarterfinals Wednesday at Quigley Stadium in West Haven. Connor David had three hits, including a double and triple, and drove in a run, and Robertson had three hits. Slade, who gave up four hits and struck out six, earned the victory in the quarterfinal.

Cheshire, which lost 6-3 to Notre Dame-West Haven in its only SCC title game appearance in 1996,  has not played Fairfield Prep (15-7) this season. It will be Prep's first SCC championship game.