Farmington Little Leaguers Fall a Game Short in District

Farmington’s quest for a District 5 title in the 12-and-under Little League tournament ran into just one roadblock, but it turned out to be a considerable one.

The local boys, hoping to represent Connecticut at the Little League Eastern Regionals in Bristol like the 2005 team did, won seven of their 10 games. All three defeats were to Berlin.

“This was a very good group of kids with a lot of talent,” manager Josh Rappaport said. “It was a bit tough knowing that had it not been for Berlin, who was a powerhouse in the tournament, we could have made it further. We beat everyone but could not get past Berlin.”

District 5, which is composed of 14 leagues from central Connecticut, is divided into two pools for the annual tournament. The teams all play one another in the first round with the top two teams in each pool advancing to a second round that employs a double elimination format.

Farmington won its first game, beating Edgewood of Bristol, 11-10. Berlin administered an 18-9 thumping in the second game. Farmington turned back Edgewood, 8-4, before bowing in the title game to Berlin, 5-3, despite a well-pitched game by Derek Duffy.

Rappaport said Farmington did not have an ace at the top of the pitching staff.

“We had three pitchers who we considered 1A, B and C,” he said. “They were [Duffy], Danny Lester and Evan Hughes.

“The kids were pretty much equal so pitch count and days of rest dictated who was going to pitch. Evan is a flamethrower with a nice offspeed pitch. Danny was extremely tough mentally. He threw strikes and was unflappable on the mound, working the corners and keeping hitters off-balance.”

The pitchers were also big hitters. Lester batted second and hit .565 (13-for-23) and smacked two home runs in the tournament. Duffy hit .365 (11-for-31). Hughes, batting third, hit .440 with a homer.

The batting statistics were gaudy across the board.

Jake Mezzanote, who played third base and left field, batted .413 and hit three homers. Jake Rappaport, the left-handed hitting catcher, batted .344, primarily from the fifth slot in the order.

Jack Touhy, shifting between first base and left field, batted .380 with a homer. Outfielder Jordan Sicklick, a defensive standout, batted .421 with a homer and led the team in walks.

Ben Green was the starting shortstop, Brendan Walsh played first base. Kevin Dunst and Marcos Rodriguez played the outfield. Rodriguez’s two-strike bunt against Edgewood led to two runs.

Robert Siuta and Chase Fountain both hit .300 or better in limited action and filled in on the mound.

The team began district play June 25 after nine practices and the tournament ran through July 22. Manager Rappaport was assisted by coaches Larry Green and Jay Sicklick.

Rappaport coached the 2007 team that won the districts, just the second time Farmington has achieved that accomplishment. He managed what essentially was the same group as 10- and 11-year-olds.

“I felt like we gave it our all,” Manager Rappaport said. “We left everything out on the field and almost pulled off a big upset losing the championship game to Berlin.

“I have great memories from my time in Little League. I will miss coaching at this level but look forward to continuing on and coaching and teaching boys at the next level.”