Decimated By Injuries, Wilton Legion Falls To Norwalk

Wilton Post 86 Senior American Legion manager Ian Thoesen must be wondering whether he's coaching a baseball team or a MASH unit.

Injuries have taken such a toll that he barely has enough bodies to put nine players on the field.

With five starters sidelined, Wilton had one lonely reserve on the bench for Wednesday's Zone Four game against powerful Norwalk, which it lost, 11-0.

Right fielder Ben Jaffee is out after rolling his ankle and is joined on the sidelines by first baseman Scott Young (foot), left fielder Matt Baird (hamstring), second baseman Darren Amelio (torn labrum) and center fielder Pete Krist (biceps
tendinitis).

"It's tough," Thoesen said. "They're playing hard, but we got guys playing out of position. I'm trying to piece things together but I got ten guys to piece things together."

Thoesen says he's never seen anything like the rash of  injuries that have plagued his team.

"It's something different every night," he said. "It's like we're snakebit."

Post 86 clearly was at a disadvantage against a Norwalk club that improved to 13-1 with Wednesday's victory. Wilton managed only three hits -- two of them by leadoff batter Chris Holt - against Norwalk starter Todd Lyons, who went the distance.

Displaying pinpoint control from start to finish, Lyons struck out eight and walked only one.

Wilton (7-8) had a chance to score in the first, putting runners on the corners with one out, but Mike McDonald struck out and Kyle Zembsch was robbed of a double by third baseman Andrew Merritt.

Merritt made a diving stop of Zembsch's smash behind the bag and his long throw was scooped out of the dirt by first baseman Leon Flemming.

Wilton starter Cody Nusbaum retired the first six batters he faced, suggesting that Wednesday's contest could evolve into a pitching duel.

But the wheels fell off in third, when Wilton's defense faltered. Doug Weeks' leadoff double inside the right-field  line started a five-running inning for Norwalk.

After two runs scored on throwing errors, Brian Jacoby delivered an RBI single past a drawn-in infield and Spencer Jacoby plated his brother with a booming triple to center. Flemming's sacrifice fly made it 5-0.

Norwalk eventually wore down Nusbaum, who also tossed a complete game, surrendering 12 hits. But six of the runs he allowed were unearned, including all five in the third.

Norwalk made it 7-0 in the fourth on Bryan Daniello's RBI triple and Brian Jacoby's run-scoring groundout.

After tacking on two runs in the fifth, Norwalk registered its final two runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Spencer Jacoby and Kevin Daniele.

Despite the injury epidemic, Wilton had held its own and Thoesen thinks the team can still make a run for the Legion state tournament. In Zone Four, 15 wins are needed to qualify, meaning Wilton has to go 8-4 down the stretch.

It would help, of course, if some of the walking wounded were to return.

"I'm hoping that we get healthy quick," Thoesen said. "I told the guys we got a lot of season left."

Wilton is back in action Thursday with a 7 p.m. home contest against Trumbull.