Hamden Boots Orange Out of Championship Contest

It was smooth sailing over calm placid waters for the Orange 10-12 year old Boys Little League All Stars during the recent District 4 playoffs at Henry Roche Field. Coach Jim Ronai’s boys easily cruised past all 5 of its opponents during the pool portion of the tournament. In addition to posting a 5-0 record, Orange outscored its opponents by a combined score of 66-8.

“No Orange team had ever done that before,” Ronai said. “We knew we were a high power team and we played ever facet of the game perfectly.”

After winning the 6-team round robin playoffs, Orange advanced to last week’s 4-team double elimination District 4 championship series. Suddenly the water became much rougher and the waves much higher and harder for Ronai and Co. to overcome.

In its first championship game, after the first 2 ½ innings, Orange had jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead over East Haven. Seemingly out of the contest, East Haven came roaring back from that 8 run deficit to tally 13 unanswered runs and tale a stunning come-from-behind 13-8 victory.

In the top of the first inning, Brian Ronai reached base on an error by East Haven pitcher Mike Torniero. He then walked Pat Winkel and Dan Jaques to load the bases with 2-outs. Winkle raced home on a Torniero wild pitch to give Orange its first run. With 1-out in the top of the second inning, Alec Smith slashed a double to right field. Tyler Appel’s 2-out single put runners on the corners. Ronai then stepped up and slugged a 3-run home run over the left-center field fence to give Orange a 4-0 advantage.

After piling on another 4 runs in the third inning, Jim Ronai’s boys seemed to have the game well in hand. Kevin Nusdeo led off with a base hit. Jaques walked and Torniero then hit Matt Knudsen with a pitch to load the bases with no one out. Matt Sabitsky singled home 1 run. Smith’s free pass forced Jaques home with Orange’s 6^th run. Knudsen made it 7-0 when he scored on a fielder’s choice by Christian Aliberti. Appel’s single into center field drove Smith home with Orange’s eighth run.

After holding East Haven scoreless on just 2 hits and striking out 5 during the first 2 innings, Appel got into serious trouble in the bottom of the third.  He walked both Garret Pates and Steve Cochrane and then loaded the bases by serving up a single to Nico Ragini. With 1 out, Nusdeo replaced Appel and he walked Louie Torres to give East Haven its first run. Torniero helped his own cause by smacking a run-scoring single up the middle.

The water got much rougher for Orange in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Sammy Loda reached base on an error by Ronai, the Orange shortstop. Following a base hit by Ragini, Cochrane belted a 3-run homer over the left field fence that cut the Orange lead back to 8-5. Consecutive 2-baggers by Jack Scalese, Torres and Torneiro brought East Haven within a run (8-7). At that point, Ronai came in to replace Nusdeo. His defense betrayed him  by committing 3 consecutive errors that gave East Haven 3 unearned runs and a 10-8 advantage.

Cochrane relieved Torniero at the outset of the fourth inning and proceeded to blank Orange on just 1 hit and fan 5 over the final 3 innings.

While Cochrane was shutting down the Orange bats, he and his teammates added 3 insurance runs off Knudson in the fifth inning. Cochrane walked, Torres doubled over to third base and both base runners walked home on Tornieo’s 3-run blast to left field.

“We started out like a house on fire, but East Haven hit the ball hard and battled back with 13 unanswered runs. Brian (Ronai) is our best pitcher but we tried to save him so he could pitch the second game,” Coach Jim Ronai said.

Torniero led the winners’ 12 hit attack with his home run, double, 2 singles, 2 runs and 5 RBI. Ragini added 3 base hits and 2 runs. Cochrane chipped in with his homer, 2 runs, and 3 RBI. Torres added a pair of 2-baggers, scored twice, and added 3 RBI.

Appel singled twice, scored a run, and added 2 RBI for the losers. In addition to being the losing pitcher, Ronai blasted a home run, scored twice and drove in 3 runs. Smith doubled and also scored a run

While Orange recorded 8 runs on 8 hits, it also committed 5 errors that accounted for 4 unearned runs.

The loss to East Haven was a wild, offensive shoot out, but the Hamden contest was a classic pitchers’ duel. Ronai and Hamden hurler Dylan Reynolds (with last inning help from Doug Shane) locked up and battled each other for the full 6 innings at Ralph Clarkson Field in Milford.  

Orange threatened in the top of the first inning as Appel knocked a lead-off single into center field and Nusdeo walked with 2-outs but that threat went by the boards when Dan Jaques looked at an inning-ending third strike.

After retiring the first 2 Orange batters in the top of the third, Winkel drilled a double into the left-center field gap. Nusdeo followed with a 2-bagger into right center field that brought home Winkle with what proved to be Orange’s first and only run. Following those consecutive doubles, Shane retired the next 7 batters in a row. Six of those 7 batters went down on strikes. The Orange hitless string ended with Winkel leading off the top of the sixth inning by whacking his second double of the game, but he was left stranded in place as Reynolds struck out both Nusdeo and Jaques. Shane then came in to get Knudsen on a pop fly to Reynolds, who was now playing first base.

Still trailing 1-0 as it came to bat in the bottom of the sixth, Reynolds led off by belting a game-tying home run to dead center field. The roof collapsed on Orange as shortstop Christian Aliberti committed a costly error and Nusdeo followed with 2 miscues to give Hamden a game-winning and for Orange, a season-ending unearned run.

According to Coach Jim Ronai, “Brian pitched a phenomenal game. He went into the sixth inning with a 1-0 lead but unfortunately, ended up with a 2-1 loss. Reynolds is a great left handed hitter and pitcher. He was throwing the ball 70-plus miles an hour. He allowed only 4 hits and kept us off balance all game.”

Reynolds ended up fanning 12 Orange batters and walking only 2. While Ronai took the loss he gave up only 1 earned run on 3 hits while walking 1 and whiffing 9.

With this walk-off win, Hamden moved on to the Sectionals while Orange ended its season at 5-2.