Season Over for Orange Jr. American Legion Team

Trailing 3-2 after 4 innings, Ridgefield Post 78 bunched timely hitting, crisp defense, and sturdy pitching along with the ability to capitalize on sloppy opposition defense and erratic pitching to score 8 unanswered runs and come from behind to trip Orange Post 127 10-4 Monday afternoon in a Connecticut Junior American Legion tournament contest that was played in intermittent showers at Brinley Field.

The winners not only recorded their 15^th consecutive victory but also improved their record to 22-7.  Orange ended its season with a 15-6 slate.

According to losing Coach Rocco DeMaio, “Today, we didn’t do the things we had done all season long and as a result, the wheels came off our bus. When I looked at the score board and saw we had more errors (5) than runs (4), I knew we were in trouble. We didn’t throw strikes or make plays today. It’s tough to play that way and still win.”

Post 127 starting and losing pitcher Steve Falcigno started his own downfall by opening the top of the fifth inning by issuing consecutive free passes to Adam Zandri and Jason Marra. After retiring Timo Marro on a pop foul that was snagged on a sliding grab by catcher Tim Fox, Falcigno served up a pitch that Ridgefield’s Jeff Rohrer smacked on 1 hop right at third baseman Mike Appel go right through his legs. That error negated a sure force play at third and a potential inning-ending, around-the-horn double play. Now facing a bases-loaded and only 1 out situation, Falcigno served up an RBI single to Danny Lake. With the score now deadlocked at 3-3, Marro tallied the go-ahead run as he scored on a roller to the right side by Christain Andry.

Things went from bad to much worse for Falcigno and his Post 127 teammates in the top of the sixth inning. After walking Kevin Ash at the outset of the inning, Falcigno departed and was replaced by Justin Hill. Hill retired Colin Verag on a sacrifice bunt but then handed Adam Zandri a free pass. Jason Marra followed by whacking a 2-run double into left center field to give the visitors a 6-3 lead. Muro’s 2-bagger to the same exact location drove in Marra and gave Post 78 a 4 run advantage. After a 2-base throwing error by Appel, Danny Lake slugged the inning’s third double into left center field. It drove in Appel and send Hill to the sidelines on the short end of a 9-3 tally. He was replaced by Mark Kahlenback. An error by Post 127 shortstop Matt Ronai enabled Lake to race home with his team’s 10^th and final run of the game.

“It was just one of those games where the opposing team got a lot of big hits. Our walks and errors really hurt us too,” DeMaio said.

In the bottom of the sixth, Mike Antonellis led off with a base hit. Brendan Sullivan reached safely on a muffed fielder’s choice but Brian Diaz broke the back of that potential threat by banging into a double play.

Ross Weiner doubled to start off the bottom half of the seventh inning. Appel’s single into right center field pout runners on then corners with no outs. Weiner tagged and easily scored on Fox’s sac fly to right field. The game then ended with the winners turning their second twin-killing in as many innings.

Noting that his team left 9 runners on base, DeMaio added, “We had guys on base in every inning but couldn’t get a big hit when we needed one. I don’t know. Maybe it was the pressure of playing in a big game.”

Led by Marra (a 2-run double and scored 2 runs), Murro (a double, a run, and an RBI), Lake (2 doubles, a single, 2 runs, 1 RBI), Andry (1 single, 1 run, 1 RBI), and Devin Martin (2 singles, 2 RBI) the winners scored 10 runs on 9 hits).

Diaz singled twice and scored 2 runs for Orange. Appel chipped in with a pair of base hits. Orange finished with 4 runs on 7 hits.

Sullivan started the bottom of the first inning with a hopper that was misplayed by Rohrer, the Post 78 third baseman. After stealing second base and racing on to third when catcher Ash threw the ball into center field. Diaz walked and then pulled off a successful double steal that saw Sullivan scoot home with the game’s first run. Ridgefield matched that tally in the top of the second inning. Lake led off by doubling into left center field and scoring on Andry’s RBI single.

After winning pitcher Joe Malley (now 3-1) served up a bottom of the second inning, lead-off single to Tim Fox, he handed Adam Pokluda a free pass. After loading the bases by walking Mike Antonellis, Malley got Sullivan to bang into a field’s choice that erased Fox, who was trying to score from third base. Diaz’s single drove in Pokluda with the locals’ second run of the day.

Ridgefield answered right back with an unearned run that tied the game at 2-2. A 2-base throwing error by Ronai put Lake on second base. After moving over to third on a Falcigno wild pitch, Lake scored on a game-tying base hit by Andry.

Malley went 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits. He also walked 5 sand whiffed 3. Verag came on to hurl the past inning for the winners.

Falcigno (now 1-1) was charged with 5 runs (4 earned runs) on 6 hits while walking 3, hitting a batter, and fanning 4.