This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
07/29/2018 12:00 AMThe East Haven Junior American Legion baseball team routed Wilton in its State Tournament opener and then topped Bethel in its next contest to move one win away from advancing to the Super Regional portion of the bracket. Unfortunately, the 89ers’ campaign came to a close with they dropped a pair of contests against Bethel and were eliminated from the tournament on July 29. East Haven finished the 2018 season with an overall record of 16-9 in its first summer back on the field following a two-year hiatus.
East Haven started off states by winning an 8-1 decision against Wilton in the double-elimination Regional portion of the tourney at East Haven High School on July 23. John Crisci pitched four innings and allowed one unearned run, while striking out seven for the 89ers. AJ Maggiore earned the victory in relief by tossing three shutout innings in which he fanned four batters.
Wilton scored the first run of the game, but in the bottom of the fourth, AJ Maggiore got something going by leading off with a single that was followed by a single from Gianni Mumford. Later in the inning, Danny Flores tied the game by hitting a two-out RBI double that scored Mumford.
The 89ers started to take control of the game in the fifth inning, when they tacked on four more runs. Freddie Mascola, Giro Esposito, Mike Streeto, and AJ Maggiore started the inning with four straight singles. Streeto drove in Mascola, and then Maggiore’s hit scored Esposito. Mumford came up and clocked a double that scored both Streeto and AJ Maggiore. Mumford later came around to score on an RBI single by Marquardt.
East Haven plated three more runs in the sixth. Robbie Garcia singled and then Esposito got on with a walk. Streeto reached on an error that allowed Garcia to score. Maggiore also reached base via an error as both Esposito and Streeto made their way home on the play. The 89ers had 12 hits in the victory, including two apiece from Maggiore, Mumford, Streeto, and Mascola.
“I think they handled [the tournament] well. We came out and played our best baseball against Wilton,” Head Coach Anthony Maggiore said. “Everything was great. We played tight defense, we had good pitching, and we had good hitting. Twelve hits in our first game was impeccable.”
On July 26, East Haven notched another state tourney victory earning a 3-1 road win versus Bethel. Mumford pitched a gem on the bump as he threw six innings and struck out seven, while allowing just one earned run. AJ Maggiore closed the door in the seventh by pitching a 1-2-3 inning.
The 89ers struck first on their way to defeating Bethel. Marquardt singled, John Ruggiero worked a walk, and then Esposito dropped down a perfect bunt for a base hit that allowed Marquardt to score. Matt Lisko then hit into a fielder’s choice, although Ruggiero scored on the play for a 2-0 advantage. East Haven tacked on an insurance marker in the sixth, when Marquardt reached base on a fielder’s choice and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Esposito. Marquardt and Maggiore both had two hits for the 89ers in the win.
East Haven faced Bethel again on July 29 in a scenario where the 89ers needed one win to advance to the Super Regional, whereas Bethel needed to beat East Haven twice. Bethel won the first contest by a 4-2 final and then took the second game by the score of 13-3.
In the first game, the 89ers were one out away from securing a trip to the Super Regional as they held a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh inning. With two down, Bethel drew a walk, saw a batter reach base on an error, and then used a two-run single to right field to tie the game. The next batter hit a double that brought home the go-ahead run.
East Haven tried to get something going in the bottom half of the seventh. Mascola reached on an error and then Streeto drove a single to right field, although the 89ers were unable to get the tying run across.
Crisci started on the mound and pitched six strong innings that saw him allow just one run on three hits to go with three strikeouts. East Haven scored both of its runs in the sixth inning. Marquardt led off with a single and scored on a double by Ruggiero, after which Ruggiero came around to score when Garcia reached base on an error.
The 89ers still had a chance to advance by winning the second game, but Bethel took advantage of some walks and errors by East Haven to come away with the 13-3 victory.
Despite the defeats, Coach Maggiore felt proud of the 89ers for putting together a solid season that included regular-season record of 14-7 in Zone 2 play that earned East Haven a third-place finish in standings.
“It was my first year as American Legion coach, and these kids have played together throughout the state in different AAU programs. We made it as far as we could and thought we could make it further,” Maggiore said. “The kids jelled. They’re all looking forward to fall ball and high school, looking to further their baseball careers. They were happy with the year. We wanted to go to the next level, but it just didn’t happen.”