Unionville Season Comes to an End Against Bristol

BRISTOL – The goodbyes could have been tear-filled but they weren’t.

Unionville Post 32 drifted from destiny’s darlings to just another team headed for home Monday night in dropping a 7-3 verdict to Bristol in the American Legion State Tournament losers’ bracket at Muzzy Field, but the postgame meeting in the right field bullpen focused on a successful season.

With the defeat, its second in two days in the double-elimination format, Unionville finished at 21-11 after finishing fifth in rugged Zone 1.

Head coach Walt Nakonechny turned to his assistants for the keynote address.

“I didn’t feel it my place to start off telling them anything because [Mike Schweighoffer and Bill Spracklin] have known them since they were 10-years-old,” said Nakonechny, a Farmington High teacher who took over the head slot this season. “There were a couple of emotional moments but there were some really heartfelt thank-yous for those kids.

“For me it’s been a special season. It was my honor to be their coach.”

Homestanding Bristol (24-6) took a 2-0 lead in the second inning against David Wiegard on a two-out, two-run single by number-nine hitter Tim Jalbert. A rain shower effected a two-hour delay but failed to dampen Unionville’s zeal.

Jimmy Mulpeter began a fourth-inning uprising by reaching on an error. Brian Schweighoffer was hit by a pitch and David Kerlejza singled sharply to left to load the bases.

Mac Crispino floated a two-run single behind third base to tie the game.

But Bristol answered promptly.

With two out and two on, Wiegard had Matt Bossi down 0-2 but four straight balls, two of them painfully close to shaving the outside corner, kept the Bristol rally alive. Tyler Bush lashed a double over the head of left fielder Juan Rojas to clear the bases for a 5-2 lead.

“That was a key moment in the game,” Nakonechny said. “Young players will have a tendency to get broken up by close calls that don’t go their way and in that situation, just a little lack of focus to [Bush] and [Wiegard] got the ball up.

“Young players will learn from those mistakes and that’s all we can ask for.”

The backbreaker came in Unionville’s next bats. John Arcidiacono worked a one-out walk and Matt deVaux reached on an error. Mulpeter ripped a vicious line drive that seemed destined to grab turf in the left field alley but Steve Chamberland stretched out for an acrobatic catch and doubled up Arcidiacono who was rounding third.

“You tip your cap,” Nakonechny said. “Jimmy cracks one and [Chamberland] makes one hell of a play. What can you do about it? Not much.”

Bristol added another run in the fifth – Wiegard’s final inning – and the final tally in the seventh off Rojas.

Unionville continued to battle.

Crispino smacked a one-out single in the ninth, took third on Rojas’ second hit of the game and scored on a solid single to right by Travis Kozak.

Wiegard allowed nine hits and struck out four.

Five errors haunted the Unionville effort.

Bristol 7, Unionville 3 (7 innings)

American Legion State Tournament

(At Muzzy Field, Bristol)

Unionville                                   Bristol

                           ab  r  h  bi                                 ab  r  h  bi

deVaux 2b            5  0  1  0         Hayes 2b             3  0  0  1

Mulpeter ss           4  1  0  0         Bossi rf                3  1  0  0

BSchwghfr 1b       2  1  0  0         Bush cf                4  0  2  3

Kerlejza rf            4  0  1  0         Howard 1b          5  0  0  0

MSprcklin 3b        3  0  0  0         Chambrlnd lf        4  1  1  0

ASprcklin ph        1  0  0  0         Dube ss               5  2  2  0

Crispino cf           4  1  2  2         Blandino 3b         5  1  2  1

Callahan c           4  0  0  0         Fitzsimons c         4  1  1  0

Rojas lf-p            4  0  2  0         Jalbert dh            3  1  2  2

Arcidcono dh       1  0  0  0         Roberge p           0  0  0  0

Kozak cf              2  0  1  1

Wiegard p           0  0  0  0

Totals                34  3  7  3         Totals               36  7  10  7 

Unionville            000 200 001 – 3    7  5

Bristol                 020 310 10x – 7  10  3

E – Callahan, Mulpeter 2, M. Spracklin 2, Dube 2, Bossi. DP – Bristol 2. LOB – Unionville 7, Bristol 13. 2B – Dube, Bush, Chamberland. S – Bossi. SF – Hayes. SB – Bush.

Unionville

                                 ip    h   r  er  bb  so

Wiegard L,3-2             5     9   6   5   2   4

Rojas                          3     2   1   1   1   2

Bristol

Roberge W,3-1            9     7   3   1   1   3

WP – Roberge. HBP – by Wiegard (Jalbert); by Rojas (Fitzsimons, Bush); by Roberge (Schweighoffer 2). T – 2:34 (rain delay, 2:00). Records – Unionville 21-11; Bristol 24-6.