By Michael Letendre

BRISTOL – In a strange twist, when the Lewis Mills baseball team battled Bristol Eastern from Muzzy Field on Wednesday evening, the Lancers weren’t the home team.

In an event set up by long-time Bristol Parks and Recreation employee, and current Mills JV baseball coach Rich Klett, the Spartans moved its home game against Eastern to the venue in Bristol for a JV/varsity tilt between the squads.

While the Lancers came away with a 6-3 win in JV action, the nightcap between the squads was just as exciting as Eastern came from behind to defeat Lewis Mills by a 5-3 final in front of a hot crowd.

A clutch hit from Eastern reserve Ryan Maglio ended up producing the winning run of the showdown in the top of the sixth that made it a 4-3 game.

The Lancers (4-13) still have an outside chance at a state tournament bid and wins like the one against Mills (6-11) will help the locals get there.

“We’ve been competing all year,” said Eastern coach Steve Gaudet. “We just haven’t gotten over the hump in the end a couple times but today, everything kind of came together. We had that one little bad inning but other than that, I thought we played seven good innings of baseball.”

Eastern pitcher Andrew Lozier threw all seven frames for Eastern, allowing Mills just seven hits, struck out three and made several big pitches to wiggle out of jams throughout the showdown.

After Lozier intentionally walked Mike Triplett (1-for-3) in the fourth inning, he retired 10 of the final 12 batters he faced to help his squad secure a badly needed victory.

“That’s two straight games he’s gone the distance for us,” said Gaudet of Lozier. “And it’s been two wins in a row for us with him on the mound. I can’t ask for anymore. I wasn’t taking him out. I didn’t care what his pitch count was. I know he’s going to compete to the end, and he wanted it. I’m proud of him.”

Eastern’s Jayden Churchill started the game getting hit-by-pitch from Mills’ Ed Jankowski – who also threw well in defeat – and then stole second to get into scoring position.

But three putouts later, he was stranded as Mills came up to bat.

Brice Waldron was hit by Lozier’s first pitch of the game but like his counterpart, three batters were quickly retired, and the scoreless stalemate preceded into the second stanza.

In the bottom of the frame, Scott Groleau and Evan Niziolek (2-for-3, run) cracked back-to-back hits with the lead runner hustling into third – putting men on the corners.

Lozier got Nate Pesino (1-for-3, run) to look at strike three but walked Jankowski, loading things up, but when Waldon popped up a ball behind the plate, Eastern catcher Cameron Moore went into action.

He fell making a huge catch in foul territory to end the second inning as the Spartans stranded three runners to keep things scoreless.

Eastern’s Trevor Nohilly (two walks) drew a one-out walk to start things off in the third tilt and with two gone, Tyler Martin (2-for-4, run, RBI) had Eastern’s first hit of the game.

And Martin belted a shot to the gap in left, plating Nohilly, as the Lancers surged in front, 1-0.

Mills had something brewing in the bottom of the third as Alec Varano drained a single by the Eastern third baseman and Triplett followed suit as two were on with no one out.

Coby Cables sacrificed the duo over – putting two men in scoring position – and off a ground-out to second by Evan Reynolds, Varano scored to tie things up at 1-1 through three.

To open the fourth frame, Eastern’s Ryan Fradette (1-for-3) dropped a ball over the head of the centerfielder as he hustled into third base with a triple.

And then with one out, Tyler Stickels (1-for-2, RBI) skied a ball to centerfield for an out but Fradette scooted home as Eastern reclaimed the lead, this time at 2-1, via the sacrifice fly.

But the Spartans went for two runs in the bottom of the fourth though things could have been a lot worse.

Niziolek and Pesino smoked out back-to-back singles and when Jankowski sacrificed, Lozier fielded the bunt but his throw to third was low and bounced away, allowing the lead runner to score on the miscue as the contest was all tied up at 2-2.

After Eastern did not record an out on a Waldon fielder’s choice grounder towards first base, loading things up, Varano dropped in a sacrifice fly to left – scoring Pesino and giving the home team a 3-2 edge.

Using a bit of strategy, Gaudet elected to intentional walk Triplett, re-loading the bases, but a 1-2-3 double play ended the inning as Eastern got out of a huge jam down by just a run.

“Their three-hitter [Triplett] is a good hitter,” said Gaudet. “I wanted to take my chances with the bases loaded and the infield in. Thankfully, it worked out.”

And then in the sixth, Martin drilled a single to left and when Jankowski tried to pick him off first base, the ball was chucked to the fence in foul territory.

Martin raced all the way to third and when Lozier jammed a high fly ball to right field, the lead runner tagged the dish and the sac fly made it a brand-new game at 3-3 going into the bottom of the sixth.

Waldon canned a two-out hit but was forced out at second to complete the sixth inning and going into the fateful seventh, it was anybody’s game at 3-3.

To open final frame, Stickels sliced a single by the shortstop and the go-ahead run was on base.

Cole Latko sacrificed Stickels to second base, and pinch-hitter Ryan Maglio then unleashed a full-count base hit to right.

Stickels never paused at third base, the fielder in right never had the chance to get the ball in as the runner easily scored to make it a 4-3 game in the Lancers’ favor off the huge RBI tally from Maglio.

“I can’t say more about Ryan Maglio coming up,” said Gaudet. “What an at-bat! He battled to a full count and hit that ball into right-centerfield. It was just a clutch at-bat, a clutch hit. He wants it. I can see him every day at practice and games, he’s looking at me, he wants to go pitch, wants to go hit. He took that opportunity and ran with it. I’m very happy for him today.”

With pinch runner Elliot Norris on second base, two wild pitches led to him scoring the Lancers’ fifth run – an insurance tally – as Eastern secured a 5-3 edge.

Nohilly then walked, went to second base on a third wild pitch by Mills reliver Austin Oulette and off a Churchill groundout, Nohilly sped over to third base with two men down.

But off one final strikeout, the Spartans needed to score two runs to prolong the contest in the bottom of the seventh.

Down to its final strike, Reynolds drew a walk but when Groleau grounded out, Eastern snared the win – taking a 5-3 decision as Lozier went the distance, helping his squad in its trek towards a possible postseason date.

NOTES…The National Anthem was supposed to play before the varsity game, but the music never started, leading to long time BE baseball statistician and PA announcer Jim Tetro to remark, “That was the quietest National Anthem we have ever heard” as the contest quickly commenced.

CCC South Baseball

BRISTOL EASTERN 5, LEWIS MILLS 3

from Muzzy Field, Bristol 

Bristol Eastern (4-13)           001 101 2 – 5 5 1

Lewis Mills (6-11)                 001 200 0 – 3 7 3

Battery – Bristol Eastern: Andrew Lozier & Cameron Moore; Lewis Mills: Ed Jankowski, Austin Oulette (7) & Evan Reynolds.

WP: Andrew Lozier (BE); LP: Ed Jankowski(LM)

Bristol Eastern Batting

2B – Tyler Martin

3B – Ryan Fradette

HR – None

Lewis Mills Batting

2B – None

3B – None

HR – None

Records: Lewis Mills 6-11 overall, Bristol Eastern 4-13