In their last “home-and-home” doubleheader on June 20 at the Roadhouse at Rogers Park, the Sanford Mainers swept the Danbury Westerners with two one-run wins, one of which came via an extra-inning walk-off. Wrapping up their longest road trip of the season against the Upper Valley Nighthawks, Danbury competed with one of the league’s top teams. The Westerners scored two runs in the fifth inning of game one but could not contain the Nighthawks’ speed in game two en route to a doubleheader split at Maxfield Sports Complex.
Danbury now sits at 11-14, climbing to 3-5 in seven-inning doubleheader contests and concluding their three-day trip at 2-2. Upper Valley now stands a half-game ahead of the Vermont Mountaineers for first place in the North Division at 14-7.
Adarius Myers began the first game with a walk and quickly got picked off before Ryan Cesarini even saw a pitch. Aiden Jolley doubled for the third time in two days in the second after Nick Monistere just missed a diving catch, but the Georgia Tech designated hitter did not stay on the basepaths for long. Billy Gerlott ripped a line drive right to Dylan Palmer, who doubled up Jolley to end the inning.
Kory Klingenbeck’s walk and consecutive singles loaded the bases with nobody out to begin the third before Myers grounded into a double play. While that typically results in a run, the umpires ruled that Palmer interfered with the out at second, sending Klingenbeck back to third. With two runners on and nothing on the board, George Viebrock III escaped the bases-loaded jam unscathed as Monistere flew out.
The Nighthawks nearly made the Westerners pay for committing a fielder’s choice error that loaded the bases in the fourth, but Klingenbeck grounded into a double play as Viebrock III escaped another stressful situation. Getting a runner to third for the third straight inning did not prove to be Upper Valley’s charm in the fifth as Jason Claiborn tracked down Monistere’s deep fly ball to strand Tyler Long, who initially reached on a throwing error, 90 feet away.
Gerlott’s single and Hayden Miller’s walk put two on to start the bottom half, and Claiborn whacked an RBI single following a fly out to break the ice. Drew Wyers doubled Danbury’s lead when he singled past Long’s diving reach at third, but Randall Alejo entered and prevented further damage as Bobby Zmarzlak grounded out.
Anthony Steele, relieving Viebrock III, surrendered his second run of the season in the sixth as Matthew Russo broke the Westerners’ 14-inning shutout streak with a double to deep left field. The Nighthawks nearly tied the game on that play, but Daniel Labrador tagged Garret Pike out at home trying to score from second. Steele subsequently struck out Klingenbeck on three pitches, slamming the door in the seventh by sending Upper Valley down in order for the 2-1 Danbury victory in game one.
Following a two-hour rain delay, Myers singled in the bottom of the first in game two, stealing second and moving to third on a throwing error before Monistere hit a sacrifice fly for the Nighthawks’ first lead of the twin bill. Teddy Tolliver ended two consecutive innings with a strikeout, even though Jakobi Davis and Sam Mongelli pulled off a double steal in the third and the Westerners had the bases loaded. Myers whacked another infield single to start the bottom half, but did not have the same success on the basepaths as Jolley caught him trying to steal second.
Following Miller’s leadoff single, Monistere dropped Mongelli’s flyball to left field with one down, getting Danbury on the board as the Charleston second baseman dashed home. Christian Howe relieved Tolliver following that misplay, and with two in scoring position after a wild pitch, Patrick D’Amico caught Harrison Feinberg’s liner and doubled up Mongelli to limit the damage.
Bruggeman barely beat out a double to start the bottom half, scoring on Worcester’s sacrifice fly to give Upper Valley their run back. Cook nearly went yard to start the sixth, but the payoff pitch ricocheted off the wall for a double before Jolley got hit by a pitch to put two on. Following a wild pitch, Claiborn beat out a groundball for an RBI single, accidentally clicking heels with Stephen Harrington at first.
The Eastern Connecticut State right fielder remained in the game and quickly stole second, and when the ball fell out of Beck’s hands, Jolley scored on an impromptu double steal that knocked Chic DeGaetano out of the game. Feinberg’s walk and a two-out single gave Danbury one last attempt to tie the game in the seventh, but Nate Crider struck out Steele as Upper Valley split the doubleheader 5-3.
Viebrock III earned the win in his first Westerners’ start of the summer with five shutout innings, while Luis Misla suffered the loss by allowing both runs and Steele secured his third save with four punchouts in game one. Tolliver took the win with eight strikeouts in 4.1 innings, while Rizzo sustained the loss with three runs allowed in 2.1 innings and Crider collected the four-out save in game two.
Danbury returns to Rogers Park for the first time in seven days when they take on the North Shore Navigators (11-15) on July 8. The Westerners ended each of their last two seasons against the Navigators, sweeping them in the championship series two years ago to win their first NECBL title. Matt Semon takes the bump for the third time this summer with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m.
The rest of the Danbury Westerners’ 2023 schedule can be found on their website.