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07/09/2014 12:00 AMWhile there is no American Legion baseball squad in Madison this year, there is one team in town that is giving the boys of summer a chance to crack the lumber and flash the leather.
The Madison 19-U AAU team began its season by advancing to the final day of the War at the Shore Tournament at East Lyme in June before it returned home for a contest on July 1 against Wallingford. While the Tigers took a 12-2 defeat in a game that saw the visitors score 10 of their tallies with two outs, Madison refused to lay down and avoided being mercy-ruled by plating a pair of runs across in the fourth prior to getting out of the final two frames with no runs allowed.
"There were just some bad bounces, but our pitchers left a few pitches up and that happens, yet when they needed the ground ball and out, they got it. We just had bounces that didn't go our way," said Coach Jeff Buck. "One positive was that the guys didn't flake and die. And that's what I wanted to see. I didn't want to see them roll over."
Starting pitcher Jason Vitale left the game after pitching through 3.1 innings, although he chalked up a strikeout and only allowed one walk. Matt Lostocco came on in relief the rest of the way with his squad earning nine base knocks throughout its final four ups at the dish after only grabbing one hit in its opening three.
"We had some good at-bats today. Guys were working the count and seeing the ball, but sometimes things just didn't go our way," said Buck. "They didn't quit, though, and kept battling. Today just wasn't our day."
Following the Tigers getting Wallingford's first two batters to go down, the road squad grinded out three early runs on an RBI double and two-tally single. Madison was able to generate a two-runner threat with two down in the bottom half, but it couldn't get on the board.
In the second with two down, Wallingford struck again, this time in the form of a two-RBI two-bagger to go ahead by five, and the Tigers could only muster a pair of free passes in their half of the inning.
While Wallingford pushed another across down to its final out the following frame, Madison went down in order for its first and only time on the evening. Down 8-0 through three-and-a-half and with one away, leftfielder Nick Ursini (1-for-2, 2 walks) doubled and then right fielder Kyle Freiman and third baseman Tom D' Annolfo each singled before second baseman Magnus Grigor (2-for-2) belted a two-run hit.
Wallingford scored an additional four runners facing its last out in the fifth, yet the Tigers responded and finished strong by making quick work of their adversaries for the sixth and seventh.
The Tigers continue on the summer by playing in the Northeast Collegiate Tournament at Central Connecticut State University and Fairfield University on Friday, July 11 through Sunday, July 13; hosting Guilford on Sunday,
July 20 at the Surf Club; playing in the Nutmeg Games at Beehive Stadium in New Britain on Monday, July 21 to Sunday, July 27; another War at the Shore bracket in East Lyme on Saturday, Aug. 2 and Sunday, Aug. 3; plus wrapping up the campaign with the Providence Slugfest on Friday, Aug. 8 to Sunday, Aug. 10 at Bryant University and the University of Rhode Island.
"We are seeing good baseball from them thus far. Today wasn't our day, but that's baseball," said Buck. "Overall, we have a solid team with good pitching and usually timely hitting. We are battling and staying in there."