This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

Huskies Striving to Find Their Stride on the Diamond

The Clinton Huskies 19-U AAU baseball team is up and running during the hot days of summer. Playing a tough stretch of games to begin the season, the Huskies are taking the high road by correcting their mistakes and building a foundation for success by summer’s end. Clinton currently has a record of 2-4-1, but the team has still seen its fair share of highlights throughout the first few weeks of its season in the East Shore Travel League.

Head Coach Willie Fritz is familiar with the group of athletes that he’s coaching this year. Although the wins haven’t come easily, Fritz knows deep down that the Huskies are a better team than they’ve shown thus far.

“I’ve been with these guys for a long time. It’s pretty much the same group of guys, and I know they’re good ballplayers,” Coach Fritz said. “I know they’re a good team. We tied with one of the best teams in the league in the Technique Tigers in the first weekend of the season.”

After earning a 4-4 tie with the Technique Tigers on June 18, the Huskies picked up their first win of the year when they defeated the CT Rage by a 9-1 score on June 23. In last week’s action, Clinton took a 6-5 home loss to New England Knights, an 8-7 road defeat against the City Angels, lost both ends of a home doubleheader with the Grind, taking 9-0 and 11-1 losses, and then claimed a 2-1 win over the City Angels in a home game.

In its first game of the week, Clinton hosted the New England Knights and lost the contest by a 6-5 final at The Morgan School on June 29. Mike Zingarella pitched 5 solid innings for the Huskies, allowing 1 earned run. Zingarella also went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI at the plate, while Fritz was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI.

The next day, the Huskies dropped an 8-7 decision to the City Angels in a tight matchup at Rice Field in New Haven. After trailing 7-0 through three innings, Clinton stormed back by scoring 6 runs in the fourth inning. The Huskies’ effort came up just one run short after the Angels’ second baseman made a diving catch to halt Clinton’s rally with two outs and the bases loaded in the seventh.

Lucas Kamoen turned in a strong effort on the mound for the Huskies, striking out 9 batters in 6 innings pitched. Dom Carpenter, Garret Garbinski, Brady Fritz, Tyler Greenhouse, Brian Higgins, Jake Nelson, Kamoen, and Zingarella were among the players who had big hits for Clinton in the contest.

Despite the loss, Coach Fritz was pleased his team’s effort in a comeback bid that nearly resulted in a victory.

“We didn’t field the ball well early in the game. Kamoen pitched a good game. The score doesn’t reflect how well he pitched. He was a little wild in the beginning, but he settled in,” said Fritz. “We put him behind the 8-ball a little early by not fielding the ball for him. They didn’t give up, which was fantastic, and that’s the way they typically are.”

On July 2, Clinton was swept by the Grind in a doubleheader at the Indian River Complex, losing by final scores of 9-0 and 11-1. The Huskies had trouble finding consistent pitching throughout the doubleheader and wound up taking defeats in both games at the tail end of a long week of baseball.

Carpenter and Sheehan had the only hits for Clinton in the first game of the set. Ryan Inglis scored the Huskies’ run in the second game after hitting a double and then scoring on a base hit by Fritz.

“I could tell they were beat when they showed up. They weren’t as focused as they had been [in the previous two games]. Even when we lost [to the Angels], they made a great effort coming back,” Coach Fritz said. “We’re bringing in guys that aren’t really pitchers that try to pitch. They’re going to hit the ball off of them or walk guys. That’s how those games went.”

Clinton bounced back from the sweep by posting a close home victory over the City Angels at to finish off its recent slate of games. The Huskies hosted the Angels at the Indian River Complex on July 7 and triumphed by the final score of 2-1 to earn their second win of the season.

Coach Fritz’s message to his team following last week’s games was to show up ready to play every day. Fritz wants to see the Huskies perform to their potential as they enter the second half of the season.

“It’s all about attitude and energy. They had a long talk amongst themselves after the games [against the Grind], said Fritz. “All of these guys have been on winning teams over the years. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be playing better. It’s just showing up to the ballpark ready to play, and I think that message was loud and clear.”

While the Huskies have seen some ups and downs, Coach Fritz still feels that there are many positives to take away from the opening half of the campaign. Fritz has been impressed with his team’s effort on the mound and the plate and will be looking to help the Huskies make some improvements on defense. Above all, Coach Fritz believes that the story of the Huskies’ 2022 season is going to be determined by more than wins and losses.

“It’s a good group of kids, probably one of my favorite groups I’ve ever coached over the years,” Fritz said. “They really jell and it’s just a matter of, ‘OK, let’s just take this serious here.’ I think we’ll be alright from this point forward.”