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08/15/2021 12:00 AMThe Max Sinoway 10-U All-Stars baseball team went on a wild ride that saw the squad win the District 4 title and then advance to the championship game of the Section 1 Tournament this summer. While North Haven had a young club, Head Coach Joe Tarasuk said that everyone on the team played together as one and never gave up throughout its run.
Most of the athletes on this year’s team had played travel ball during the spring. Every player competed in Max Sinoway’s recreational league and then made the 10-U All-Stars team following a mid-June tryout. After that, Coach Tarasuk’s squad started holding daily practices leading up to the District 4 Tournament.
The players on the Max Sinoway 10-U All-Stars team are Connor Battipaglia, Tyler D’Angelo, Cameron DeNuzzo, Sam Esposito, Nick Goldsmith, Mikey Glynn, Avery Hartline, Evan Howard, Dante Komanetsky, Lucas Pannone, Charlie Salemme, Joey Tarasuk, and Gianni Zayas. Coach Tarasuk was joined by assistant coaches Jon Howard and Bruce Pannone.
Coach Tarasuk thought that North Haven had a great chance to succeed in the District 4 tourney. Tarasuk knew that his roster was filled with dedicated, hard-working players, and he felt that they would shine as long as they continued putting in the work.
“We knew we had a chance. We knew we had some good players and we could succeed in the tournament,” Tarasuk said. “We knew they were hard workers and they loved baseball. We knew they were passionate. We told them if they worked hard, we would go pretty far. Once we started playing and playing well, they realized the hard work was paying off.”
Max Sinoway won all five of its games during pool play in the District 4 Tournament. North Haven earned victories over East Haven (8-6), Orange (11-6), North Branford (6-2), Milford (6-4), and Branford (7-4) to go 5-0 in pool play and move on to the semifinal round.
Sinoway went on to claim an 11-0 win against East Haven in the semis to advance to a rematch with Milford in the final. Going into the game, Coach Tarasuk told his players to stay loose, because he didn’t want any nerves to change the way they had been playing.
“I just tried to get them to play loose. We’re just out there playing baseball and having fun. Me and the other coaches, we didn’t want to put a lot of pressure on them. We didn’t want them to be tight every pitch and every at-bat,” said Tarasuk. “We wanted them to play like it was the first game of the season. Don’t get wrapped up in anything. Just do our best. Do what we know how to do.”
On July 17, Max Sinoway faced Milford in the District 4 final at Ralph Clarkson Field in Milford and won the game by a 3-0 score. Goldsmith got the start and pitched 5.1 scoreless innings for North Haven, allowing just five hits and to go with three strikeouts. Hartline came in for relief and got the last two outs of the game, striking out Milford’s final batter to secure the District 4 crown for North Haven.
Howard went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the victory. Battipaglia was 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Hartline and Komanetsky each scored a run for Coach Tarasuk’s team.
“We knew it would be a tough match, because they played us strong the first time. Nick shut them out for five innings, and we won the district. It was very exciting,” said Tarasuk. “It was something special. We had never been there before since this is 10-U. They gave us the flag and the players ran around the field. We were taking pictures by the scoreboard. It was a great experience, and we were happy to move on.”
On July 22, Max Sinoway began play in the Section 1 Tournament and took a 7-2 loss to Westport. Two days later, North Haven faced Stamford with its championship aspirations on the line.
Stamford jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the second inning, but Sinoway refused to quit and was only down by one, trailing 8-7, going into the bottom of fifth. North Haven then scored two runs in the fifth inning to take a 9-8 lead. Stamford loaded the bases in the top of the sixth, but North Haven recorded the last out on a ground ball to hang on for the one-run victory.
“Just like the first game, we went down early, and our backs were against the wall. We don’t want to go out this way. We just never gave up,” Tarasuk said. “We just kept fighting. Before you knew it, we were down 8-7 going into the bottom of the fifth. It was a big win.”
Max Sinoway went on to face Westport in the Section 1 final on July 25 and took a 10-0 loss at Unity Field in Trumbull. Although his team was unable to come away with the title, Coach Tarasuk was proud to see how far his team had come in the span of just a few weeks.
Tarasuk felt that teamwork was the best quality of his 10-U All-Stars. Tarasuk said that everyone on the roster accepted his role and made a key contribution one way or another.
“They had great teamwork. Someone would step up every game. Across the board, everyone would contribute. They kept a positive attitude,” said Tarasuk. “During the season, they’re the best player on the rec team. But during districts, some guys would have to sit. But everyone stayed focused. When they got up and got their turn, we got contributions from everywhere. It was a true team effort.”
While the 10-U was making its run, Max Sinoway’s 11-U and 12-U All-Stars also won their respective District 4 titles this summer, and its 14-U Babe Ruth team claimed the state championship. Coach Tarasuk said that his 10-U players looked up to those teams and were inspired by what they accomplished. Tarasuk is hoping that North Haven’s athletes will continue improving and keep battling for more championships as they get older.
“The future is bright. Our 12-U team advancing to the sectional championship, our 11-U team making sectionals, and our 14-U team winning the state championship—they’re all good role models. It inspires our team,” Tarasuk said. “Hopefully, we can keep the kids together and play into the future. They’re a great group of kids. If we can keep this team together, we’ll have a shot at it next year and when we’re 12 year-olds.”