West Hartford Little League Wrap-Ups for Week Ending June 3

MAJORS:

Feigenbaum & Nair Cardinals 2, Companions For Living Angels 1

The Cardinals Michael Mack and the Angels Joey Morrissey squared off in a much anticipated tilt at UConn to break a 3 way first place tie. Both pitchers were great, dueling to a 1-1 tie through 5 complete innings and setting the stage for an exciting final frame. The Angels scored their lone run in the 1st when Morrissey hit a double over the 1B bag to score John Doar who had walked.  Mack then dug in, allowing no more runs while scattering a total of 5 hits with only 1BB and 12 K's. The Cardinals scored their 1st run the bottom of the 2nd when Seth Meisler doubled and used some heads up base running to score on an Rbi groundout by Andrew Siemienski. Morissey worked hard and pitched a fine game, allowing only 1 run on 4 hits with 2BB and 7k's. In the bottom of the 6th the Cards scored the winning run when Adam Giroux (2-3, 2 2B) doubled, Mack walked and Cory Wolski hit a line shot double to the center field fence to score Giroux.

Both teams also played great defense which kept things close and exciting. CF Meisler threw a pea and Jimmy Sabia put the tag down to nail an Angels runner at third, while Ben Giroux and Siemienski both made great sliding outfield catches to rob Angels hitters of sure hits. Wolski made a beautiful back hand play of a hard grounder at deep short and threw a strike to nail a runner at 1B. The Angels Marcos Massa and Ben Castro were solid behind the plate, while Erik Jones made two nice outfield catches.

Total Vision Eye Care A's 11 - CT Shower & Bath Dodgers 5

The Total Vision Eye Care Center A’s had a strong showing Wednesday night to reel in a win against The CT Shower & Bath Dodgers in an 11-5 victory.

The A’s were supported with strong pitching from Matt Brucell and Nick Levere, throwing 3 innings each, both with 4 strikeouts.  Runs were steadily produced throughout the game with RBI plate appearances from Dylan Mallinson, Matt Brucell, Nick Levere and Owen Hyland.  Bats were also hot with singles from Patrick Henderson and Mason Stabile, with a strong base running presence by Luke Gfeller.

The CT Shower & Bath Dodgers put up quite a fight with strong at bats from John Scrimgeour (triple, 2 singles), Miles McCarthy-Reynolds (double, single), Blake Deresienski (double, single) and Joe Kitz and Declan Chill, both singling in the game.

Feigenbaum & Nair Cardinals 10, Hartford Symphony Orchestra Orioles 4

On a hot and steamy Memorial Day at Kennedy Park, the Cardinals scored in bunches early to beat the O's 10-4. The Orioles got off to a quick start, scoring 2 runs in the top of the 1st when Burke Martindale doubled and scored on a hit by Tyler Connell, who later scored. The Cards fought back with 6 in the bottom of the 1st. Adam Giroux reached on an error, stole 2B and scored on a line drive single by Michael Mack. Mack scored on a single by Seth Meisler, and Meisler, Danny Harris (BB), and Peter Gedicks (BB) raced home on a hit by Jimmy Sabia. Sabia then scored from 3B on a wild pitch. The Cards plated their final 4 runs in the 2 inning, with Danny Harris driving in a run with a single.

Cory Wolski pitched a fine complete game for the Cards to get the win, allowing only 4 runs on 4 hits with 1 walk and 10 k's. Tyler Connell came on in relief for the Orioles and shut down the Cardinals offense over the final 3 innings with 4 k's and hit a nice double. Dexter McCann played a great second base making some nice stops and Oliver Anderson made the ESPN highlight reel with a diving catch in center field to rob a Cardinals hitter of extra bases.

Brothers Associates Phillies 4 - CT Shower & Bath Dodgers 3

In a yet another comeback win performance marked by strong pitching performances for bother teams, the Brothers Associates Phillies achieved their 3rd win in a row with a 4-3 win over the CT Shower & Bath Dodgers at the WHLL UConn Complex.  On the offensive side, Colin Kuzia led the Phillies with another strong hitting performance, going 2 for 3 with a double, 2 RBI, a run scored and a stolen base.  The Phillies also received big offensive contributions from Nick Santos (1 for 2 with a run scored), Kory Powell (1 run scored) and Mack Reynolds (converting a painful hit-by-pitch into a run scored).  The Phillies were paced on the mound by Mack Reynolds (2 IP with 3 K's) and Sam Fiske (4 IP and 8 K's).

The Dodgers were paced by an excellent outing from Joe Kitz who struck out 10 in 4 IP followed by very strong relief work from Blake Deresienski (2 IP, 1 K and no runs allowed).  The Dodgers offensive was led by Declan Chill (2 for 3 with a double and a run scored) and Miles McCarthy-Reynolds (1 for 2 with a RBI).

Brothers Associates Phillies 7 - Total Vision Eye Care A's 6

In a game that can best be described as a wild one, the Brothers Associates Phillies staged a late-game comeback against the Total Vision Eye Care A's to pull out a 7-6 win.  The game ended on a double-play involving possibly 5 or 6 different Phillies fielders as the A's threatened late in the game.  If called upon to give an exact description for the score book, the beleaguered Phillies scorekeeper was at a loss, but key plays were made by closer Andy Moise, catcher Sam Fiske and shortstop Colin Kuzia.

The Phillies were led in this contest by the hitting of Sam Fiske who was 2 for 3 with a double, triple, 2 RBI and 1 run scored.  In addition, the late Phillies rally in the bottom of the 5th was keyed by a clutch double from Emery Burke who drove in 2 huge runs and would later score through aggressive baserunning.

The A's were led by a very strong pitching performance by Dylan Mallinson who went deep into the game and recorded 6 strikeouts. Other key A's contributions came from Nick Levire (1 for 2 with 2 runs scored), Mason Stabile (1 for 3 with a run scored) and Owen Hyland (1 for 2 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored).

Brothers Associates Phillies 9 - Keller Maintenance Braves 5

In a critical game for the Brother Associates Phillies, the Phillies posted a balanced team win of 9-5 over the Keller Maintenance Braves.  The Phillies were led by solid offensive performances from Same Fiske (double with 2 RBI, 1 R), Michael Bienasz (1-2 with 2 runs), Nick Santos (2 runs), as well as by 1 run scored a piece by Colin Kuzia, Mack Reynolds, Michael Mavredakis and Kory Powell. 

The Braves hung tough throughout, led by a strong hitting performance by Dom Fuentes who was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Joey's Pizza Pie Pirates 9 - Keller Maintenance Braves 2

The Joey's Pizza Pie Pirates topped the Keller Maintenance Braves by a score of 9-2 on Memorial Day at the West Hartford Little League Complex.

Grady Brockway pitched a fine game for the Pirates going five plus. Brockway scattered four hits, struck out eleven and walked just one batter.  Noah Fox closed the game for the Pirates striking out two in the sixth.  On offense, Noah Fox was 2-3 (double, single), Patrick O'Keefe was 2-3 (double, single, walk, 2 RS) and Grady Brockway, Chris Keegan, Nicholas Bray, Jamey Nadeau (2 RS) and Brendan Battiston all collected singles.

For the Braves, Mateo Ramirez-Webster was 2-3, Dylan Landau hit a double and Ethan Wilkins singled.  Ramirez-Webster pitched four strong innings for the Braves striking out five Pirates batters.  Jordan Mogel also pitched great for the Braves for the last two innings of the game.

AAA:

Mandell JCC Dodgers 16 - California Pizza Kitchen Angels 12

In a battle of two teams hoping to turn things around late in the season and build some momentum as they head towards the playoffs, this turned out to be a good, competitive battle to the very end.  The Angels got very strong pitching from Nathaniel Cutler and Brian Puleo while the Dodgers relied on good pitching from Dillon Lindberg, Sam Stiles and Conlan Wilson.  Brian Puleo, Nathaniel Cutler each had two hits for the Angels while Ryan Sharp added one of his own and a bunch of steals which helped the Angels keep things close.  The Dodger's Dillon Lindberg added two doubles, Liam Wilson had three singles, Conlan Wilson a single and a triple, Matthew Querfeld two singles and a bunch of other hits by the Dodgers proved to be too much in this game and enough to earn the Dodgers second straight win after a very slow start to the season.  A well coached game by both teams and some terrific plays in the field by both sides made this an evening to remember.

Retirement Visions LLC Cardinals 7, We Care Computers Pirates 5

On a hot Sunday afternoon, the Cardinals outlasted the Pirates 7-5.  The Pirates were led by Luis Vargas for his fine pitching and his triple and double. Jack Cote and Jack Kinney also pitched well.

The Cardinals were led offensively by Korey Dinowitz(2 singles) and Ryan Howe(2 Doubles, 1 rbi).  Rounding out the offense with rbi singles were Chanjoo Kim and Clay Courtemanche.  Defensively, Spencer Martindale ran down a baserunner from his catching position to save a potential run.  The Cardinals received good pitching performances from Zach Martin (6 strikeouts) and Dinowitz (8 strikeouts). 

2-4-1 Sports Twins 9 - Mandell JCC Dodgers 17

It was a game of skeleton crews. The Twins had eight players and the Dodgers had nine.  The good thing is that the kids had lots of opportunities to practice their hitting.  And hit they did. Despite an early Twins lead of seven runs, Big Hits  by  Conlan Wilson, Matthew Querfeld, Dillon Lindberg and thunderballs from Steven Liu and brought the Dodgers within a two run lead by the inning three and got the Twins rethinking their lead.  Consistent pitching by Steven Liu, Dillon Lindberg, Jack Newhouse and Connor Skarzynski did not allow the Twins to repeat their first inning performance, but it wasn't enough to stop them altogether.

Despite a bone-crunching collision between Colin Delaney and Jack "Sparrow" Wisialowski, Wisialowski still came up with the catch that halted the Dodgers comeback in inning three. Brendan Marshall, Vincent Nemergut and Jackson Grady showed quality pitching grit and kept runs and steals to an acceptable minimum with catcher Colin Horan bird- dogging potential steals.  Colin Delaney again demonstrated the long ball with a respectable double and it was a hit among many hits. It was heads up play by the Dodgers' pitching and infield that kept the twins from continuing a runaway game.

For every two Dodgers runs scored, the Twins responded with three. Jack (Sparrow) Wisialowski closed the game with a no hit-no run sixth inning.

California Pizza Kitchen Angels 15 - "2-4-1 Sports" Twins 10

Carter O'Keefe and Brian Puleo supplied the pitching and the power as the Angels topped the Twins 15-10 Monday under a blistering sun at UConn. O'Keefe went 2 1/3 IP on the bump and drove in 5 runs [3-for-4, 2B, 2R] while Puleo [3-for-3, 2B, 2RBI, 3R] fanned the side on the 6th while trying to keep up with O'Keefe and others at the plate. Other offensive stars included Brian Brewer [3-for-3, 2B, 3RBI, 4R]; Nate Cutler [3-for-4; 2RBI, R]; Mike Pechenuk [3-for-3, RBI, 3R]; Drew Currier [1-for-2, 2B, RBI, R]; and Cam Davidson [3-for-4, RBI, 3R]. Cutler also pitched 2 1/3 strong innings of middle relief.

Tax & Accounting Services LLC A's 10 - Watkinson School Orioles 9

Facing off for the second time in less than a week, the A's and the Orioles  put on an impressive display at UCONN, with the A's coming out on top, 10-9.

The Orioles got things started with their big bats, highlighted by a rocket launched by Shaun McNamara into the gap in left center for a triple. Jake Zweifler was impressive on the mound as the Orioles' starter, Ed Zimmerman made a great fielding play at second base, and Beau Adams pitched well as the Orioles' closer and also contributed a big 2 RBI hit.

The A's brought the bats, too, with 2 hits each from Chris Maglio, Brock Pizzoferrato and Dom Zaleski. Reed Burdick added a double into the gap. On the mound the A's got great performances from starter Julian DeCampos, reliever Maglio, and Emmett Coco who closed things out. Defensively, the A's were led by Spencer Wimpe, whom Oriole hitters kept busy in the outfield for much of the game. The highlight being Spencer pulling down a hard hit fly ball to left for an out in the 4th inning, saving at least a double.

Mandell JCC Dodgers 8 - Watkinson School Orioles 6

On a very warm, yet peaceful Sunday afternoon, the Mandell JCC Dodgers 1-6-1 faced the Watkinson School Orioles 6-2 in what turned out to be a nailbiter to the very end.  The Dodgers, playing with just 8 players in this game, were determined to play their hearts out knowing they were facing a very formidable opponent.  Young Jack Newhouse struck out the side for the Dodgers to start the game, giving his last place team some hope of turning its season around.  Although the Dodgers managed to get some hits at their first at bat, the Orioles shut them down on strong pitching from Jack Krugman.  The Orioles went to work in the top of the second by getting three quick runs to take an early 3-0 lead.  The Dodgers answered the call with four runs of their own which came on great hitting by Connor Skarzynski, Matthew Querfeld, Dillon Lindberg and Liam Wilson.  The Orioles tied it in the top of the third to make it a 4-4 game until the bottom of the fifth when the Dodgers exploded with four more runs on great hitting once again by Connor, Dillon and Matthew.  The Orioles threatened in the top of the 6th with two runs, but Liam Wilson shut the door on the mound as the Dodgers won 8-6 to improve to 2-6-1.  Dodgers, Jack Newhouse and Liam Wilson combined for a season high 11 strikeouts (Jack had three and Liam had 8) while Orioles Jack Krugman had three strikeouts of his own and put in almost five full innings of very strong pitching.  Scott Steinmetz helped the Orioles with a great catch in right field while Jake Zweifler made a very strong head's up play to cover first base on a double play to end another Dodger's threat.  Nolan Asadow of the Orioles had a great late game hit and Patrick Sullivan and Tommy Sullivan each had strong games.  In the Dodgers best outing this year, their win came on great hitting, fielding and pitching.  Connor Skarzynski made a throw from right center right on the money to catcher Sam Stiles at the plate to get the speedy Patrick Sullivan and Matthew Querfeld turned what seemed to be an impossible play at third into an out, which greatly assisted the Dodgers in obtaining their second win of the 2012 campaign.  When Dodger coaches and players were asked after the game how the win felt some responses were 'well, it's always good to get a W, especially against a solid team like the Orioles' and 'we knew we had a chance if we could limit mistakes, stop their key hitters, not throw the ball away and plays head's up baseball.'  Coaches were quoted as saying 'this was by far the most competitive we've been and our hats go off to the all the Oriole players and coaches that challenged us on every front.'

TOPS, PC MARLINS 13 – “2-4-1 Sports” Twins 8

In a well-played re-match, the Marlins swam past the Twins for their second win. The Twins jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead after 2, converting singles by Jack Wisalowski and Colin Delaney into runs in the 1st and 2nd innings, respectively, and playing solid defense to keep the Marlins scoreless. The Marlins made a big splash in the 3rd and 4th innings, reeling in 10 runners and stranding only one, to take a commanding lead. Evan Smart (3-3, 3R) started the scoring in both innings following sharp hits through the infield. CJ Francois made the biggest splash of the season for the Marlins, homering to right in the 4th, driving in Eric West. Also with RBI splashes were Max Harris, Adam Hanlon, and Seamus O’Connell. The Twins answered in the 3rd with a homer of their own, Vincent Nemergut taking Owen Roberts deep to right. But Roberts, in his first appearance on the mound, shook it off, eventually pitching his way out of a 2-out, bases loaded jam without further runs coming across. The Twins were able to add 4 in the 4th, with Misha Goldstein, Will Murkette, JP Berretini, and Nemergut all scoring. However, the little fish ran their line further in the top of the 5th, with Mason Dupont and Harris singling and coming around to score. In the home half of the 5th, a diving catch by Bobby Gerity behind the mound, with strikeouts by West to start and end the inning, prevented the Twins from adding to an early run generated by Jackson Grady. Flipping roles in the 6th, Gerity closed out the Twins without giving up a run, with West turning terrific defense into 2 putouts from short. Great game. Good luck the rest of the way, Twins.

Tax and Accounting Services A’s 11 - Watkinson School Orioles 9

On a day when the weather looked shaky, the Tax and Accounting Services A’s and the Watkinson School Orioles played a solid and exciting game.  The A’s won the game by the score of  11 to 9.  The A’s jumped out to an early lead with a strong second inning.  The Orioles never relented and made the game close to the end.

The Orioles were led by the strong pitching of Jack Krugman who pitched two scoreless innings.  Their defensive star of the game was Jake Zweifler while their offense was led by Nolan Asadow.  Asadow contributed with two timely hits and received a game ball for his play.

The Athletics were led by the pitching of Chris Maglio and Emmett Coco.  Maglio pitched 3 strong innings striking out six and Emmett Coco pitched the last 3 innings striking out 3 and only allowing 2 runs.    Offensively, Maglio had 3 hits, Coco had a triple and Dominic Zaleski got on base all 3 times. Zaleski also  scored 2 key runs.  The defensive star of the game was Abriana Teodoro who made 4 outstanding fielding plays that included 2 hard hit grounders that she snagged and threw to first.  Max Hassan also played a strong defensive game behind the plate highlighted by a crisp 1-3 put out.  Teodoro and Zaleski received game balls for their outstanding play.