Late Run Falls Short For Westport Senior Legion

The late push of the Westport Senior American Legion baseball team to qualify for the state tournament came up short.

Westport was eliminated with an 8-2 loss to Trumbull in the first game of Saturday's season-ending Zone Four doubleheader at Trumbull High School.

Westport needed to win both games of the twinbill to get in, so the defeat rendered the second contest meaningless.

According to Zone Four rules, a team needs 15 wins in a 27-game schedule to secure a berth in post-season play. Westport could have reached the mark with a sweep of Saturday's doubleheader.

With nothing to play for, Westport also dropped the nightcap, 5-3, and finished the year at 13-14.

Still, coach Glen Katz was appreciative of the effort down the stretch, as his team won five of six games heading into Saturday to at least give itself a chance. Westport had won three in a row when a single loss would have meant elimination.

"This team came together and gave us something to play for until the final game," Katz said. "To me, that's something awesome."

Austin Mills took the loss in Saturday's opener, allowing four runs and seven hits over 4 2/3 innings. He was victimized by one bad inning, as he surrendered all four runs in the second.

Westport had several chances against Trumbull starter Damiano Rinaldi, who didn't have his best stuff but battled out of numerous jams to improve to 5-0.

The visitors loaded the bases with one out in the fourth and again in the sixth with no outs, but came way with only one run each time. They also stranded a runner on third in each of the first three innings.

"To battle the way we did (late in the season), shows the competitiveness and desire of this team," Katz said.

Trumbull jumped on Reynolds in the second, as Frank Piazza opened the scoring with an RBI single. After Gene Ormsbee and Mitch Valenti followed with run-scoring doubles, Chris Alberto's sacrifice fly made it 4-0.

Mills settled down, keeping his team in the game.

Westport was in prime position to do some damage in the fourth after Rinaldi issued a bases-loaded walk with one out to Matt Reynolds, the No.9 hitter.

Leadoff hitter Ben Lipper hit a hard line drive, but the ball was caught by right fielder Kurt Sierer and not deep enough to score a run. Jimmy Sikorski then grounded out to end the threat.

Westport threatened again in the sixth, loading the bases with no outs. Reynolds produced a run with a groundout, then stole second, which would have left runners on second and third with one out and the top of the order coming up.

However, Westport tried to manufacture a run and the move backfired, as Mike Rustemeyer was thrown out on an attempted steal of home after Reynolds swiped second.

That could have taken Westport out of a potential big inning, but the issue became moot when Trumbull put away the contest with four runs against Westport reliever Mitchell Gilberti in the bottom of the sixth.

Rinaldi went the distance for Trumbull, scattering six hits.

Rustemeyer finished with two singles, the only Westport player with more than one hit.

In retrospect, Westport might have dug too big of a hole, as it was 8-11 when the late-season push began.

"Looking back, there was probably a couple games we could have won, but that's baseball, Katz said.