Norwalk Edges Fairfield 3-2 To Win 14-Year-Old District One Babe Ruth Title

With a Babe Ruth district title on the line, emotions were running high Wednesday during an intense, well-played game at McMahon High School.

Norwalk ended up doing the celebrating, as Ryan Evans delivered a run-scoring double with two outs in the top of the seventh inning to lift his team to a 3-2 victory over Fairfield in the championship game of the 14-year-old District One tournament.

Matt Downey, who had three hits, led off the seventh with a double, but was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Austin Bourgiorno trying to score on Trey Newcomb's single.

After Dan Schmedlin got Sean Welch on a popup back to the mound, it appeared that Fairfield might be able to get out of the inning. But Evans doubled over Bourgiorno's head, scoring Newcomb with the go-ahead run.
 
Norwalk still had to sweat in the bottom of the seventh as Fairfield put runners on second and third with two outs. Brendan Hanzlik finally got Tom Gagne to ground to second to end the game.

"We had our chances," Fairfield coach Bill Moeder said. "You give me two guys on base with my four and five hitters up, I'll take it every time. If we play these guys 10 times, I think we go 5-5."

Norwalk coach Tim Hefferan felt his team could have been up four of five runs early in the game. It couldn't score in the first after putting runners on the corners with no outs, then managed only one run in the second on a double play after loading the bases with no outs.

"That's the thing that has really been hurting us - not capitalizing on the big inning," Hefferan said. "We just haven't gotten the big hit in the beginning. It happened in the first inning, it happened in the second inning."

But Norwalk got a strong outing from starter Chris Cotaling, whose status a day earlier was uncertain due to a  sore neck.

Following a visit with a nurse on Tuesday, Cotaling allowed only two runs and three hits over 4 1/3 innings with a walk and two strikeouts.

After moving to shortstop, Cotaling may have saved the game in the bottom of the sixth, when he made a diving catch on Taylor Szemplinski's line drive with the bases loaded.

"We weren't sure who to start today," Hefferan said. "We had Ryan Evans, who hasn't even pitched in the tournament. Ryan's a good pitcher, but we needed him behind the plate. We kind of rolled the dice and it worked out."

After Newcomb's sacrifice fly made it 2-0 in the top of the fifth, Fairfield's offense finally came alive in the bottom of the inning.

Cotaling hit Kyle Cavati to start the inning, then left after giving up a single to Szemplinski one out later.  Fairfield starter Tommy Luckner, who only pitched two innings, greeted Hanzlik with a game-tying triple.

With momentum on its side, Fairfield loaded the bases with one out in the sixth on hits by C.J. Sabella, Gagne and Cavati.

Darren Lee tried to bunt, but was called out when the ball hit him outside the batter's box. Cotaling them snared Szemplinski's liner to get Norwalk out of the inning.

"They score two runs on that play and who knows what they do after that," Hefferan said. "You can't say enough about that play."

Hanzlik earned the win, allowing no runs and six hits over the final 2 2/3 innings.

"I give my No. 9 hitter a lot of credit," Moeder added. "He hit a freaking line drive. I thought it was in the hole. They played a lot better defense than they did (Tuesday) night.That was a big difference in the game."

Norwalk now advances to the state tournament, which begins July 15 in Waterford.