North Haven Diamond Zone Shines at East Shore Elite Tourney
North Haven’s U-12 baseball team that’s sponsored by the Diamond Zone recently won the East Shore Elite Tournament by defeating Trumbull in the championship game. The Diamond Zone claimed a 2-1 victory against The Clubhouse in the quarterfinals, defeated the top-seeded Connecticut Edge 6-4 in the semis, and then blanked Trumbull 8-0 in the final. The team finished with an overall record of 22-7 this year that included a mark of 13-7 in the East Shore Elite League.
In the championship game, Steven Vincient pitched all five innings for the Diamond Zone, allowing just two hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts. Max Caragan went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, two RBI, and two stolen bases for North Haven. Dom DeSimone was 3-for-4 with two runs and a RBI, Chris Labanara went 2-for-3 with a run, a RBI, a walk, and a stolen base; and James Tobin singled, scored two runs, and stole two bases. Additionally, Jayden Novak had a RBI double, Tyler Kornacki hit a RBI single, and Brady Cullen doubled and scored a run in the victory.
The Diamond Zone was coached by Head Coach Tim Binkoski and assistant coach Lou Lanotti. The players on the team were Aaron Barbour, Max Caragan, Nick Chriscola, Brady Cullen, Dom DeSimone, Chris Labanara, Tyler Harger, Tyler Kornacki, Jayden Novak, Jake Pomichter, James Tobin, Dante Velez, and Steven Vincient.
—Chris Piccirillo