Printer Friendly Version - East Haven Senior Legion Looking to Gain Momentum

Gabe Longley and the East Haven Senior Legion baseball team are entering their first year with Chuck Hinckley as their head coach. Hinckley was previously an assistant coach with the team. File photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

The East Haven Senior American Legion baseball team has gotten out to a slow start this summer and is looking to turn things around as it enters the heart of its season. In last week’s action, the 89ers took defeats against Cheshire, Hamden, Orange, and Meriden to move to 0-8 in Zone 2 play on the year.

This summer marks Chuck Hinckley first campaign as East Haven’s head coach. Hinckley had previously served as an assistant for former coach John Longley.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’m a sideline guy, so it’s a little different keep track of everything like the pitch count, innings, and trying to get it sorted out with Zone 2,” Coach Hinckley said. “I’m playing a little catchup for now, but I always love coaching the kids. I like the competition. That’s the part of the game that I like the most.”

The 89ers have a good mix of players on the field this season. East Haven features some veterans who are returning to the team, along with a few newcomers who played for the Junior Legion squad last year.

Going around the horn, Hinckley said that he expects Steve Mingione to play first base, with Tristan Punzo at second, Gianni Mumford at shortstop, and Giro Esposito at third base. Gabe Longley, Mark Smith, Anthony Buffone, Ryan Howard, and Mike O’Connor are playing the outfield for East Haven, while Frank Camera is the team’s utility player. Mike Streeto will be behind the plate most games.

On the hill, Mumford, Jon Crisci, Matt Lisko, Jake Marquardt, and Longley are expected to handle the bulk of the pitching duties. Howard and AJ Maggiore will also see some innings for East Haven.

“We have a good core group from the Senior team last year and some kids that came up from the Junior team. We have good talent,” said Hinckley. “We have quite a few Senior players and kids that are college age. That’s a big plus. It’s always good to have that experience and maturity.”

East Haven started off its recent stretch by taking a 10-0 loss to Cheshire on June 16. The 89ers hit a lot of balls hard, but right at people, and were unable to get a hit in the game.

The next day, East Haven dropped an 8-7 decision against Hamden. Longley pitched well throughout most of the contest, but the 89ers had one had inning the proved the difference in the defeat. At the plate, Punzo had three hits with a sacrifice fly, Marquardt had two hits and drove in a pair of runs, and Mumford hit a triple for the 89ers.

On June 19, East Haven took on Orange and lost by a 12-6 score. The 89ers had a big fourth inning in which they scored four runs on five-straight singles and a walk. Crisci turned in a solid effort on the mound in the loss.

Three days later, East Haven played a doubleheader at Meriden and lost both contests on walk-off hits. Meriden earned a 3-2 victory in the first game and then won the second game by a 5-4 final.

In the opener, Mumford was sharp and pitched a good game for East Haven. Smith hit a double, while Esposito finished with a hit and a run scored.

Matt Lisko tossed six solid innings for the 89ers in the nightcap. Meriden won the game in a walk-off fashion by hitting a swirling fly ball that found its way to the ground. Esposito had two hits with an RBI on the day.

Zone 2 went through a little bit of a makeover by introducing a few new teams to the mix this year. The zone has also been split into the Eastern Division and the Western Division. East Haven is competing in Zone 2’s Western Division.

“I think it’s a great thing to mix it up. Playing the same old teams was getting stagnant,” Hinckley said. “It’s nice to be playing Cheshire, Madison, and Wallingford. It’s nice to face other towns. I think it’s a good thing for our guys.”

The East Haven Senior American Legion Baseball team’s roster consists of Anthony Buffone, Salvatore Buffone, Frank Camera, Jonathan Crisci, Giro Esposito, Ryan Howard, Matthew Lisko, Gabe Longley, AJ Maggiore, Jr., Jake Marquardt, Freddy Mascola, Steve Mingione, Gianni Mumford, Michael O’Connor, Tristan Punzo, Mark Smith, and Michael Streeto.

Chuck Hinckley is in his first year as the 89ers’ head coach after having previously served as an assistant. East Haven;s assistant coaches are Mike Smith and Al Camera.

East Haven is playing in the Western Division of Zone 2 Western with Hamden, North Haven, Orange, and New Haven this summer.

Tristan Punzo had three hits and a sacrifice fly when the 89ers took an 8-7 loss versus Hamden on June 17. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier