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07/25/2021 12:00 AMWith age 12 being the last year of Little League, Max Sinoway baseball Head Coach Andre Huston wanted this year’s team to go out on a high note. The Max Sinoway 12-U All-Stars accomplished that goal by winning the District 4 title and then advancing to the championship game of the Section 1 Tournament.
Following tryouts, the Max Sinoway team had just three scrimmages and five practices to get ready for postseason play. North Haven quickly found its groove on the field by winning all seven of its games in the District 4 Tournament en route to taking the title.
Max Sinoway went 4-0 in pool play in the District 4 tourney, earning a win versus Orange (5-2), two victories over East Haven (15-0 and 11-1), and a win against Branford (11-1). Then in the single-elimination bracket, North Haven notched a 14-0 win over Walter Pop Smith in quarterfinals and edged out North Branford by a 2-1 score in the semis. Sinoway clinched the district crown with an 11-2 victory versus Orange in the final at Henry Roche Field in Orange on July 16.
The players on North Haven’s roster are Marcus Wearing, Robert Goldsmith, Brett White, Lucas Mazzaro, Gavin Halovatch, Nick Ferrie, Artie McCormack IV, Alex Marottolo, Evan Frosolone, Blake Huston, Evan Conlan, Evan DiMauro, Rocco Ciaburro, and Aidan Mesquita. Coach Huston’s assistant coaches are Dave Halovatch and Jim White.
“Your 12-U year is a very special year. It’s the last year you have of Little League. It’s very special for the kids to have that last year and know we won our district, know we were one of the final eight teams playing in the state of Connecticut,” Coach Huston said. “The kids have worked so hard over their Little League careers. They overcame adversities and put everything they have in the team. Winning districts is a testament to that hard work.”
Halovatch took the start against Orange in the District 4 final and pitched the first four innings for Max Sinoway, allowing just four hits and two runs and striking out seven. Mazzaro pitched the final two innings and struck out five, helping North Haven claim an 11-2 win for the district title.
McCormack had a triple with two RBI, while Ferrie, Mazzaro, and Frosolone each had two RBI for Max Sinoway. White scored two runs in the victory.
After winning its district, Max Sinoway competed in the Section 1 Tournament in Stamford and made it to the final, where the team took a 7-1 loss to Wilton on July 23. North Haven squared off against Wilton and Fairfield American in sectionals, picking up a win versus Wilton prior to the final. Coach Huston said that his players’ experience facing both teams from their 10-U days gave them confidence that they could succeed in this year’s tournament.
“Anytime you come off a championship, emotions are riding high. We knew going into it we would be facing two very strong opponents,” said Huston. “We believed in our ability. We knew we had just a good of chance as anybody. We believed in ourselves and each other.”
Max Sinoway started off the Section 1 Tournament by posting a 1-0 win over Wilton in its opening contest on July 20. Mazzaro tossed a complete-game shutout for North Haven, which scored its run on an RBI double by Wearing.
Sinoway took a 7-4 loss to Fairfield American in its second game on July 21. However, after Wilton earned an 8-7 win against Fairfield American the following day, Max Sinoway advanced to face Wilton for a rematch in the championship.
With a spot in the state’s Final Four up for grabs, North Haven took a 7-1 defeat against Wilton in the Section 1 title game. Mazzaro had two hits with an RBI for Max Sinoway.
Despite the loss, Coach Huston said that he was impressed with his team’s play throughout the entire postseason. Huston knows that the last game against Wilton does not tell the whole story of how special this year’s 12-U All-Stars team is.
“It’s easy to look at one baseball game and have that define the season. But this team is so much more than what the last game showed,” Huston said. “We overcame adversity. We had kids step up. We got contributions from every player. We had kids accept roles that they weren’t used to. Every kid had each other’s back. We became a true family.”
Coach Huston said that all 14 of North Haven’s players grew both on and off the diamond and jelled as a group as the team played more games. Huston felt proud to see everyone on the roster make key contributions to Sinoway’s success this summer.
“For kids to really accept challenges head-on and be willing to get out of their comfort zone for the betterment of the team, it shows the sacrifice for the 14 is greater than the praise and the glory for the one,” said Huston. “Every kid grew. Every kid improved drastically on and off the field.”
In addition to the 12-U team’s championship run, Max Sinoway’s 10-U and 11-U teams also won their respective District 4 titles this year, marking the first time in town history that happened. Coach Huston believes that these accomplishments can help the shape the future of baseball in North Haven for the foreseeable future.
“Going forward, I think it’s a huge confidence builder. It shows the state that North Haven has what it takes to compete with anybody,” Huston said. “Max Sinoway is really putting North Haven on the map. It’s going to make the high school baseball team a formidable foe for any team across the state for the next decade.”