East Hampton's Gorgas Injured in Victory

It was the kind of game you would expect between two of the top baseball teams in the Shoreline Conference.

East Hampton scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning then hung on to defeat visiting Cromwell 2-1 on Friday in an early-season showdown between the two rivals.

The news was not all good for the Bellringers, however. Star sophomore Marvin Gorgas, who pitched a complete game three-hitter in his first varsity start on the mound, injured his left ankle on the game's final play.

“It puts a little damper on it. It definitely throws a little cold water on the win,” East Hampton coach Scott Wosleger said. “I think the kids felt the same way. We’ll go home and enjoy that we won and hold out hope that he is all right and that it’s a sprain and we get him back soon.”

Having scored a run in the top of the seventh to make the score 2-1, Cromwell's Kevin Radziewicz stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two out. The sophomore popped up along the first base line, then made contact with Gorgas, who was attempting to make the catch for the final out. The ball and Gorgas fell to the ground, with the pitcher grabbing for his ankle in pain. Contact appeared minimal, but Radziewicz was called out for interference to end the game.

Cromwell coach Lew Pappariella briefly disputed the call, but the plate umpire emphatically repeated that there was interference.

“I thought it was a tough play for both parties,” Pappariella said. “Two kids running full speed and our kid doesn’t know where that ball is. He’s just running.  I thought he was on the outside part of the base line where the contact occurred. So, it seemed like a tough way, an unfortunate way, to end the game. I wish either he would have caught it or it landed foul. It’s the umpire’s judgment call. He called what he thought he saw.”

Gorgas, who had to be helped off the field, said afterward he was "brushed" by the runner and in an attempt to hold up, his foot got caught in the turf.

“I hate for it to end that way, too,” Wosleger said. “I thought [the ump] made the right call. The runner has to try to avoid the fielder. I thought he made the right call, but I agree with Lew that you wish it just ended a clean pop up.”

The finish, the 12^th consecutive victory spanning two seasons for East Hampton, took the spotlight off a superb pitching duel between Logan Lessard and Gorgas. Both escaped trouble in the first inning then matched zeros on the scoreboard until the sixth.

With Gorgas holding Cromwell hitless through five innings, the Panthers threatened in the top of sixth. With one out, John McMahon and Radziewicz singled to put runners on first and second for Pat Sirois. Sirois delivered a single to right and McMahon was waived home, setting up a play at the plate.

“[Zac] Harrington comes up firing, throws a beautiful throw to the cutoff [Ryan] Massie, and Massie makes a good throw home,” Wosleger said. “Those guys made a real good play on it.”

Catcher Spencer Daly did the rest, applying the tag for the second out. Gorgas struck out cleanup hitter Tyler Allen to end the inning.

Harrington, a sophomore, is new to the starting lineup, and hadn’t played the outfield in a few years.

“I’m liking it,” he said. “I’m adjusting pretty well.”

In the bottom of the sixth, the Bellringers finally broke through against Lessard.

With one out, Gorgas, Adam Michaud and Daly singled to load the bases. Just as new starters came through defensively in the top of the inning, they did so again in the bottom half, this time with the bat.

Matt Sevigny’s deep fly ball scored Gorgas and Harrington singled with two strikes to drive home Michaud.

“Sevigny took a great swing with two strikes and drove the ball deep enough to get the runner in. Harrington’s turns out to be the winning hit,” Wosleger said. “I’m happy with that for two reasons: because they’re coming along and they’re developing, but at the same time that gives them a little bit of confidence.”

For Harrington, who also doubled leading off the fifth, it was the first two hits of his varsity career.

“I just knew I needed to get the bat on the ball,” he said of his sixth-inning at-bat. “With two strikes, had to get it through the infield to get that run in.”

Lessard allowed seven hits in six innings, struck out five and walked two in his first varsity start.

“He really battled,” Pappariella said. “I thought he was good with his spots and mixed his pitches. I was proud of him. He’s a young kid and he proved that he’s going to be able to do this at this level. Certainly a positive sign for the future.”

With East Hampton leading, there still was the seventh inning to play.

Steven Radziewicz led off with a walk and Alex Ramirez struck out. However, Gorgas, who had been used strictly as a closer last season, was in unchartered water. Another walk and an errant throw to second base on a comebacker to the mound loaded the bases for Cromwell.

Tiring or not, this would be Gorgas’ game to win or lose.

“His pitch count was good and figured we’d ride him out,” Wosleger said. “If Marvin was up to a high pitch count in the sixth or something, we might have started clean with Michaud in the seventh.”

The righthander bore down and got Mike McNally looking on a 2-and-2 pitch for the second out but walked McMahon on four pitches to bring home Cromwell’s first run, scored without the benefit of a hit.

Up came Kevin Radziewicz, and, well, you know the rest.

“He plays hard,” Wosleger said of Gorgas. “A lot of guys would take their eyes off of that and hope the first baseman makes the play.”

Gorgas struck out 10 but walked four and hit a batter. The question after the game, however, was the extent of his injury and how much time he could miss.

“He’s a tough kid,” Wosleger said. “He has gotten some minor injuries but he bounces back pretty quickly.”

According to Wosleger, it was a “late-night decision” between him and his “inner circle” to even start Gorgas.

“We were going to come back with Michaud maybe, or Sevigny,” he said. “We had a little discussion and we figure, ‘Why push Michaud this early in the season?’ I didn’t want to put Sevigny in a game this big. Cromwell always ends up being a big game, maybe even bigger than it should be, and I didn’t want to put Sevigny in that spot because he is coming along nicely. So, we said let’s go with Marvin. Once I made that decision, I slept well.”

Whether Wosleger slept well on Friday night isn’t known, what is known is that these two teams, if healthy, will be in the mix come the postseason.

“We hope to be good again,” an understated Pappariella said. “I hope to be competitive in all our games. East Hampton is a very tough team and they have a great squad. A great battle today.”