Montville Routs Stonington to Reach State Final

A funny thing happened on the way to the Class M state baseball semifinal. A typical Montville-Stonington game broke out.

The Indians have owned this Eastern Connecticut Conference Medium Division series for the better part of 15 years, usually sweeping two games. The Bears rallied to score a rare 7-5 win over Montville in April, but Montville restored order in a 13-3 win in late May.

With a berth in the Class M final on the line Tuesday, the one-sided rivalry resumed. The Indians, the defending Class M champ, looked like a team that has been here before, scoring early and often for a 12-1 win at Middletown's Palmer Field over the Bears, playing in their first state semifinal since winning the crown 51 years ago.

The one-sided game, however, did not detract from the Bears' terrific post-season run, which included two long road-trip victories against Northwest Regional and Nonnewaug and a 4-3, 8-inning quarterfinal win against  No. 1 seed St. Joseph-Trumbull, which was ranked No. 1  in the state poll for many weeks.

The Bears turned an 11-9 regular record into a season to remember.

"My team had a helluva year," SHS coach Duffy Grace said. "Phil (Orbe) runs a great program. They are state championship caliber every year. If we're going to win a state title, I've got to get through Montville. We made strides this year. I look forward to next year, but it hurts to say good-bye to my seniors."

Montville (16-8) will play tonight's Seymour-Wolcott winner in the final Friday or Saturday at Bristol Muzzy's Field. There was not much suspense about who would advance in a match of Class M's 2oth and 24th seeded teams. A few tough umpiring calls against the Bears didn't help.

Montville took a 2-0 lead in the first inning off SHS pitcher Connor Buckley on Casey Zalagens' two-run triple. After Stonington (14-10) left the bases loaded in the third, Montville tacked on four in the third with Zalagens' RBI double and Max Hart's two-run triple the key hits. Tyler Contillo's two-run single in the fourth made it 9-1.

The story of the game was Montville delivering with runners on base, and pitcher Corey Wilcox leaving SHS runners on bases. Montville only outhit the Bears, 10-7, but made the most of its opportunities. Stonington left the bases loaded with one out in the second inning down just 2-0. Montville delivered big-time with runners in scoring position, driving in seven runs with four extra-base  hits.

"It killed us. We had no momentum swing today," Grace said. "We couldn't get that one momentum-swing hit that has been so characteristic for us in this run."

So, the Indians who struggled around .500 until a late-season rush only to miss the ECC Tournament, are back in the finals where they won last year and in 2006.

"It's good to see a lot of our hard work pay off," Montville coach Phil Orbe said. "We didn't have the greatest regular season, but as coaches, unlike kids who think short term, we think long term. None of our pitchers ever came back on less than seven days rest. Other teams had kids come back of five days, four days, we stuck to seven. Losing a game in the regular season, or eight, is not a terrible thing. It's not football."

Stonington's best chance to win this game would have been with ace pitcher Luke Foster, but the junior, who averages over a strikeout an inning, fired seven innings against St. Joseph. Montville countered with All-State lefty Corey Wilcox (5-2), who is considered on equal terms with the Indians' other fine hurler Tre Gonzalez.

"I had my ace ready for the finals on full rest if we got there," Grace said. "Conner has been strong for us all season.

Zalagens, MHS' clean-up hitting shortstop, hit a two-run triple in the first for a 2-0 lead. After Wilcox stranded the bases loaded in the second, Montville added four in the third on Zalagens' RBI double and Max Hart's two-run triple. Jay Hespeler's infield hit allowed Foster, who doubled, to score to make it 6-1. But Montville answered with three in the fourth, highlighted by Tyler Contillo's two-run single.

Foster and Buckley, Stonington's top two pitchers, return for next season. But this campaign featured the program's longest tournament run since winning Class M in 1960 and won't be forgotten any time soon.

"We'll be back," Grace said, "but this was a special run by a special group."

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