The Blues and the Westerners were tied at three as they entered the sixth, and it looked like there would be another nail-biting finish between these West Division foes. However, Bristol erupted for six runs in the inning and thwarted Danbury’s late comeback to earn a 14-8 victory at Rogers Park.
Danbury (15-20) is now 0-5 against Bristol (26-9) this summer, and the Blues clinched their first West Division championship after finishing the 2021 season with a 13-29 record.
Blues’ third baseman Derek Tenney went 2-6 with 5 RBIs and a run scored. Tenney drove a grand slam over the center-field wall in the sixth inning. It was his second home run of the season.
Blues’ catcher Boston Smith went 2-4 with a run scored, and Jay Harry had a 3-4 night with two doubles, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Chaz Myers also recorded a three-night and scored twice while Matt Smith went 1-3 with 2 RBIs and two runs scored.
Westerners’ catcher Alex Stone went 2-5 with a double and an RBI, and Henry Strmecki went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Jett Lovett recorded another multi-hit night, and Jermaine White went 1-3 with a walk and two runs scored in the nine-hole.
Sam Mongelli’s hot hitting continued by going 1-5 with a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth. The Westerners’ third baseman now has an eleven-game hitting streak and boasts a .463 average over that span.
The Blues’ lineup was aggressive right out of the gate, allowing them to plate three runs through the first two innings. However, Danbury started chipping away at their lead in the bottom half of the third. Westerners’ shortstop Nick Romano led off the frame and launched a cement mixer into orbit to get his team on the scoreboard. Romano deposited his second home run of the season over the left-field wall and watched it travel 385 feet before it cut the Westerners’ deficit to two.
After a clean fourth inning for both sides, Danbury scored two runs in the fifth to even things up at 3. Jermaine White started the party with a walk and advanced to second on a Jett Lovett base hit through the right side of the infield. Lovett passed the baton to Sam Mongelli, who legged out a fielder’s choice to prevent the double-play ball. However, the throw to first trickled past the first baseman and allowed White to score from third and make it a one-run contest. After the second out of the inning was recorded, Alex Stone knotted the ballgame up at three by scorching an RBI double into the left-center gap.
Although the Westerners had some momentum, Bristol’s lineup made a statement in the top of the sixth. Tim Binkowski’s squad batted around, hung up a six-spot in the frame, and delivered a knockout punch on a Derek Tenney grand slam. The Blues loaded the bases with one away, and two runs touched home on a walk and a hit-by-pitch. After taking a 5-3 lead, Tenney belted a grand slam over the center-field wall to put Danbury in a 9-3 hole.
Danbury was on the brink of completing an incredible comeback, but Bristol put the game to bed with three runs in the ninth. Two runners were in scoring position with two down, and Griffin Arnone roped an RBI single to give the Blues a four-run advantage. Another baserunner scampered home on a wild pitch, and Arnone scored the final run of the game on a base hit from pinch hitter Tyler Fote. In the bottom half of the inning, Peter Phillips retired all three Westerners’ batters he faced to help the Blues clinch a West Division Championship.
Blues’ relief pitcher Alec Couture (2-0) earned his second win against Danbury this season, and Aeden Finateri (0-1) suffered his first loss of the summer. Finateri settled down after a shaky first inning, but the Blues knocked him out of the game in the six-run sixth. The Georgia Tech product went 5.1 innings, surrendered eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits, walked five, and fanned two batters.
Jackson Vanesko’s only blemish was a Nick Romano home run, but he could not retire a batter in the bottom of the fifth. The final line for the Blues’ starter was 4.0 innings, two runs, four hits, two walks, and five strikeouts.
The silver lining of this loss is that the Westerners will get another crack at the Blues on Wednesday night. Danbury will travel to Muzzy Field for the final time this season, and they will look to narrow the gap between them and the Ocean State Waves for the final NECBL playoff spot. Cody Carwile (1-1, 4.57 ERA) will get his first start against the Blues this summer, and the first pitch will be thrown at 6:30 PM ET.