Staples Baseball In Danger of First-Round Exit

The Staples High School baseball team is in severe jeopardy of a shocking first-round exit in the CIAC Class LL state tournament.

The second-seeded Wreckers will be facing a 5-1 deficit when their contest against No. 31 Hamden is resumed with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Westport

The game was suspended Tuesday following a 90-minute delay due to severe thunderstorms.

Hamden entered the tournament with only an 8-12 record and needed to beat Crosby, 3-1, in a qualifying game on Saturday just to get into the main draw.

After going 18-2 to set a school record for most wins in the regular season, the Wreckers suffered a 7-4 loss to Westhill in the quarterfinals of the FCIAC playoffs last Monday.

David Speer, who took the loss last week, surrendered eight hits through the first four innings, including a two-run home run.

Hamden starter Donny Pfeifer has held Staples to only two hits, one a solo homer.