Staples To Face Danbury In FCIAC Baseball Title Game

Danbury ace Stephen Dickerson, who likely will be facing Staples in Saturday's FCIAC championship game, is indeed headed to Texas A&M, but it's not that Texas A&M.

Dickerson isn't going to be pitching in the Big 12 Conference, Instead, he is headed to Texas A&M International, which is a satellite school that competes on the Division II level.

Still, Dickerson could be a handful for the Wreckers (17-5) if he is brought back to pitch on three days' rest, which Staples coach Jack McFarland assumes will be the case.

Game time for Saturday's game is 12 p.m. at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard.

"We're going to have to swing the bats," McFarland said. "They're going to have one of the better pitchers in the league."

Dickerson, who defeated Fairfield Warde 3-2 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, is 7-1 with a 1.18 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .192 batting average. He has allowed only eight earned runs in 47 1/3 innings this season.

Danbury (18-4) got its quarterfinal game in on Tuesday while Staples' contest against New Canaan that day was postponed because of wet grounds.

That could turn out to a disadvantage for the Wreckers as McFarland has to decide if he wants to bring back ace Rob Gau, who blanked New Canaan 3-0 in the quarterfinal Wednesday, on two days' rest.

"He's strong," McFarland said. "He wanted to pitch (Thursday in the semifinals). He was bugging the heck out of me, so he can go on two days. I don't know if you'd get seven (innings) out of him. Maybe you'll get four."

The Wreckers advanced to their fourth final in six years with a 7-6 semifinal victory over St. Joseph, which made things interesting with three runs in the seventh. Staples is seeking its third FCIAC crown in four years, having won back-to-back crowns in 2008 and 2009.

In the regular season, Danbury edged Staples 3-2 in eight innings. The Hatters reached the finals with a 7-2 win over Norwalk on Thursday.