Staples Holds Off St. Joseph 7-6 To Advance to FCIAC Title Game (Video)

The frustration continued to mount in the Staples dugout as the Wreckers missed numerous opportunities to break  open the game against St. Joseph starter John Amoroso, who somehow gutted his way through five innings despite walking eight and throwing more than 100 pitches.

It almost came back to haunt the Wreckers, but they survived a nerve-wracking seventh inning Thursday to defeat the Cadets 7-6 in an odd game at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard.

Staples (17-5), which advanced to its fourth FCIAC final in six years, will face Danbury in Saurday's title game at noon. The Hatters moved on with a 7-2 win over Norwalk in Thursday's first semifinal.

The Wreckers appeared to be in control with a 7-3 lead entering the bottom of the seventh.

However, Staples starter Jimmy Kopack ran out of gas and the Cadets (19-3) made things interesting by rallying for three runs after two outs.

With runners on first and second, McFarland had to call on Bryan Terzian, who got Alex Carboni to hit a high chopper to short.

"I was just trying to put it in play," Terzian said. "Just try to get an out any way and throw strikes."

Shortstop Tyler Jacobs fielded a tough hop and threw out Carboni by less than a step. Jason Holcomb, running on contact from second base, crossed the plate with what would have been the tying run just as the final out was recorded.

"Bryan is a sophomore," McFarland said. "He's already a great player and he's just going to get better. We rely on him a lot. He's a power arm at the end of the game."

Kopack surrendered five hits in the seventh and finally was pulled after giving up an RBI single to Conor Crouse that pulled the Cadets within a run.

"I was a little tired, my pitch count was up," Kpoack said. "I was missing my fastball. The were making good swings and getting hits off me."

Still, Kopack is responsible for two of St. Joseph's three losses this season. Staples has not lost to the Cadets since 2005.

"He beat the No. 1 team in the state twice," McFarland said. "After he beat them the first time I told him to retire and then he beats them again."

Amoroso, who struck out seven, surrendered only three hits despite constant runners on base. Staples left runners on second and third in the first and third and the bases loaded in the fifth.

"It was so frustrating," McFarland added. "We couldn't get the big hit with two outs. We could have very easily cracked this thing open and had 12, 14 runs."

Staples grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI single by Brendan Bernstein, but Amoroso worked out of the jam by strking out the side.

Alexis Guadalupe's two-run double put the Cadets ahead 2-1 in the second before Staples regained the lead at 3-2 in the third, when Mike Scott scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch and Terzian produced a run with a groundout.

In the fourth, the Staples took advantage of two errors to score a run without the benifit of a hit. Colin McCarthy's sacrifice fly made it 4-2.

"At the beginning of the game (Amoroso) is probably a little too pumped up," St. Joseph coach Jim Chaves said. "You can't walk eight guys in a semifinal game and expect to win the game, but he'll get another chance in the state tournament. I'm sure he'll bounce back."

Jacobs' error allowed the Cadets to make it 4-3 in fifth, but Terzian, playing third, made the defensive play of the game, when he speared Holcomb's hard grounder behind third and stepped on the bag to keep it a one-run contest.

The Wreckers appeared to put it away in the sixth, when Jacobs, Terzian and Ryan Burke delivered consecutive RBI hits to make it 7-3.

On Saturday, McFarland could bring back ace Rob Gau on two days' rest or he could go with Terzian. 

"We're just really exciting about being in the FCIAC championship and trying to bring this thing back to Westport," said McFarland, who won FCIAC titles in 2008 and 2009.

Download the movie