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11/06/2016 12:00 AMU-16 Fall Baseball
North Haven’s U-16 fall baseball squad was crowned the co-champion of its league after playing to a 4-4 tie against the Connecticut Heat in the final of its playoff tournament. The game took place at Bailey Road Field in North Haven on Oct. 30 and was called when the rain came down in the top of the sixth inning. Earlier in the tournament, North Haven edged out DBI Mystic 7-6 and notched a 7-3 semifinal victory versus Hamden in eight innings. The team was coached by Tim Binkoski and Pete Katynski.
To start the tournament, North Haven hosted DBI Mystic at Bailey Road on Oct. 29 and came away with a 7-6 win in the quarterfinal round. North Haven scored three times in the first inning and owned a 6-3 advantage through three. North Haven added an insurance run in the fifth and then held on for the one-run victory after allowing two runs in the sixth inning and one in the seventh.
Danny Cannavaciolo had a nice day at the dish by going 2-for-2 with a walk, a run scored, and two RBI for North Haven. Jack Peruso doubled with a walk, a run, and a RBI; Nate Zalegowski singled, walked, and scored a run; and Zack Pincince drew a walk with a run scored and a RBI to assist with the offensive effort. Also, Jason Landino worked a pair of walks to go with a run scored, Mason Balmer walked and scored a run, plus Dylan Brockamer and Nick Rossi both had a single with a RBI for North Haven.
On the mound, Zalegowski picked up the win by pitching five innings in which he allowed three unearned runs on two hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Jayden Flores pitched 0.2 innings, after which Nathan Friess earned the save by throwing the final 1.2 innings, giving up an unearned run while striking out four.
The next day, North Haven beat Hamden by a 7-3 final in eight innings to make the title game. North Haven rallied from an early 2-0 deficit with two runs in the third and one in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. Hamden tied it in the bottom of the fourth to send the game to extra innings, where North Haven won it by scoring four runs in the top of eight. Flores was the winning pitcher by allowing no runs and two hits through 3.2 innings. Pincince started and went 4.2 innings for North Haven.
Leo Konopka tripled, walked, and had three RBI, while Peruso and Balmer both tripled and had a RBI with Balmer also scoring a run to lead the offense. Colby Cusano was 2-for-2 with two walks and a run scored, Zalegowski went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a RBI, and Peruso added a single with a RBI.
In the championship game, North Haven scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 4-1 lead before the Heat tied it with three in the fifth for the 4-4 final. Friess was North Haven’s starting pitcher and gave up a run in five innings.
Zalegowski homered with a run scored and two RBI, Peruso was 2-for-2 with two runs scored, Cusano singled and tripled, Konopka also tripled, Pincince had a RBI, and Balmer scored a run to lead the way for North Haven’s offense.
U-18 Fall Baseball
The North Haven U-18 fall baseball team won two playoff games to reach the championship contest of its league’s postseason tournament, where North Haven took a 7-2 loss to Cheshire in a rain-shortened contest on Oct. 30. The team had reached the final by defeating Milford 3-1 and Southington 12-1. North Haven, which was coached by Tim Binkoski and Pete Katynski, finished the year with a record of 18-3.
Hosting Milford at Bailey Road Field, North Haven prevailed 3-1 in a quarterfinal contest on Oct. 29. Milford scored in the first inning before North Haven plated three in the fourth en route to the win. Mark Tantorski earned the victory on the mound by pitching five solid innings. Tantorski only allowed one run on one hit and one walk while striking out four. Preston Young fanned two in his scoreless sixth inning and then Tom Myjak struck out the side in the seventh to get the save. Myjak also had a single, drew two walks, drove home two runs, scored a run, and had a stolen base to lead the offense. Brendan Clark doubled and scored, plus Dom Onofrio walked twice, singled, and scored a run for North Haven.
The following day, North Haven scored eight runs in the second and tacked on three more in the third to blow out Southington 12-1 in the semifinals at Legion Field in Hamden. Kevin Lucey went 3-for-3 with three RBI; Peyton Farina scored twice, walked, and had two RBI; Chris Stevens doubled, walked, and scored two runs; and Clark walked twice with a run and a RBI to bolster North Haven’s attack. Additionally, Andrew Laudano singled, drew a walk, scored twice, and had a RBI; Matt Iovanne had a single with two runs scored and a RBI; and Jake Bencivengo singled, scored a run, and knocked home a run.
Griffin Bottomley started on the hill and got the win with two scoreless innings. Trevor MacDonnell, Preston Young, and Alec Butler followed by tossing an inning apiece before the game was called after five.
Then in the tournament final, Cheshire scored three runs in the first inning and held a 3-0 lead. North Haven came back with single runs in the first and the third to make it 3-2, but Cheshire scored three in the fourth and added another in the sixth to go up 7-2. The game was halted after the top of the sixth due to rain.
MacDonnell started and allowed three unearned runs in two innings. Tantorski (1.1 innings), Young (0.2), and Myjak (1.1) combined to pitch the final four innings for North Haven. At the plate, Farina was 2-for-2 with a triple, stole a base, and scored both of North Haven’s runs. Lucey had a single with a RBI and Onofrio had the other RBI.