Newtown Team Makes it to the Finals of Wood Bat Tournament

The Newtown-based Connecticut Clippers, a premier 15U independent baseball club, was a finalist in the Hudson Valley Elite Wood Bat Baseball Tournament, which was held this weekend and drew teams from across the tri-state area.

In the team's second tournament appearance of its inaugural season, the Clippers swept through their first four games and found themselves in the championship final on Sunday playing three games over eight hours.

In the Saturday opening game, the Clippers beat the East Park Pirates (NY) 9-6. Mike Lobosco, Dean Demers, and Mike Koch, led the offensive, each with two hits apiece. Koch, also the pitcher, got the win, going four innings and giving up just one run.

In the second game of the tournament, the Clippers defeated the Verdero Vipers (MA) 5-4. Lobosco and Stefan Hennessey each had two hits and pitcher Dean Demers picked up the win in this squeaker, going 4 2/3 innings in relief.

A hot and steamy Sunday had the Clippers again facing the East Park Pirates, this time with 5-3 victory. Nick Barreto and Dean Demers had two hits apiece while Koch pitched another solid four innings, picking up his second win of the tournament.

Lefty reliever Greg Hennessey, the youngest player on the team and an incoming Newtown High School freshmen, closed it out with two innings of clutch relief, holding the Pirates at bay as they tried to mount a comeback with the bases loaded in the 7th inning. Hennessey picked up his first save.

Immediately following the victory, the Clippers played a semi-final round against the Monroe Mustangs  (NY). While the Mustangs played well in the tournament, they where no match for the Clippers.

Stephen Conway pitched a sterling, five-inning complete game shutout, 8-0, during which the mercy rule was invoked. Conway also had three hits while Joe Davis and Stefan Hennessey both contributed with two hits.

The Clippers braced themselves and rehydrated for their third game of Sunday's scorching marathon against even a hotter club -- championship foe and nemesis, the Connecticut Dawgs

As the #1 seeded team, the Dawgs drew a bye and only had to play one previous game that sweltering Sunday. Limited by the number of innings already pitched during this baseball marathon, the Clippers dug deep for arms.

But the Dawgs could not be restrained as they went on to a 10-2 win and the Clippers settled for the runner up spot. The Dawgs allowed only 3 runs during this tournament and the Clippers had two, but, it wasn't enough against the Dawgs and, following some costly mistakes, the Clippers settled for the runner-up berth initiating this summer's collection of plaques and medals.

-- Submitted by Robert Hennessey, the general manager for the Connecticut Clippers