By Michael Letendre
MERIDEN – When the Bristol American Legion baseball squad ramped up a 6-3 victory over Meriden on Thursday night, Post 2 attacked the squad with two pitchers that should be in the mix over the entire summer campaign.
Andrew Lozier got the start for Bristol and the first time around the Post 45 batting order, Meriden struggled at the plate.
Then during the fifth frame, Matt Beaucar was an immediate change of pace as the combination of pitchers allowed just a half-dozen hits to earn Bristol its first Zone 1 win of the season.
“Matt Beaucar came in and he pitched really well,” said Bristol coach Jerry LaPenta of Beaucar. “There were some pressure spots there. And I thought Andrew pitched well. A couple of innings he struggled a little bit, but he battled through it.”
Only the second inning seemed to foil the effort by Lozier in terms of pitch count because Post 45 did not score a single run over the first three frames of play – tallying just one hit during that stretch.
Two walks in that second stanza zapped several pitches away from Lozier because even as Meriden threatened, he never allowed the program that one big hit to alter the course of the showdown.
“Lozier ran into a pitch count thing,” said LaPenta. “He had one inning there where he had thirty-something pitches. It cost him.”
Lozier, who enjoys throwing that third-strike fastball, etched up eight strikeouts and helped strand several runners along the way.
And then Beaucar flipped the script with curve and breaking balls that fooled several batters.
What was the key for Beaucar? Staying in control and throwing minimal pitches as his services will be in demand this weekend in Zone 1 play.
“I was hoping he wasn’t going to go over sixty pitches because he’s probably going to start Sunday” against Newington said LaPenta of Beaucar.
Meriden ended up stranding ten runners on base as Bristol centerfielder Ryan Fradette had a busy evening in the outfield.
He chased down a couple balls for outs that could have turned into game-winning hits.
That defensive effort helped turn around a forgettable contest at Avon from Tuesday – a 10-1 loss that saw Post 2 make seven miscues in the field.
Against Meriden, both errors and mental mistakes were kept at a minimum as the defensive line-up was nearly back to normal.
Kozikowski putting it together from plate in Zone 1 battles
Jack Kozikowski, the Bristol left fielder, has been a stabilizing force at the dish to start the season.
In Zone 1 action, Kozikowski is batting .333 with three RBI and has stolen several bases to his credit.
As the line-up has changed due to the personnel available, he’s batted in both the fifth and seventh positions in the Post 2 order and against Meriden, he tallied two hits and drew a walk to lead the squad.
Fradette has three hits over Zone 1 play, also batting .333 during those contests.
It’s those middle of the line-up batters who are going to make all the difference the season unfolds for the locals.
“Jack had a couple big hits,” said LaPenta of Kozikowski. “Ryan swung the [bat] good. We had some guys that were struggling right now. They’ll be all right.”
And against Meriden, Owen Davis paid immediate dividends behind the plate in his 2021 debut.
He brings quality play on both sides of the ball, but his defense is going to be critical at the dish as early season injuries have derailed the position.
And once he starts swinging the bat, good things are in store for the St. Paul Catholic standout.
“We certainly have enough talent to have a quality summer,” said LaPenta.
Zone 1 Triumph
Just getting that first Zone 1 victory was critical for the Bristol squad.
One week previous, the 4-3 setback to West Hartford was a near miss while no one is going to remember the nine-run loss at Avon.
And after foiling Meriden, back-to-back games against Naugatuck on Saturday and Newington Sunday could help Post 2 get back into the Zone 1 race.
“You always got to get that first win out of the way and that was a great feeling,” said LaPenta after beating Meriden. “[Now], we’ve got [some] big games this weekend.”
NOTES…Entering Saturday, West Hartford is 4-0 in Zone 1 play and was only challenged by Bristol so far this year. Post 96 has defeated Meriden (15-1), Naugatuck (7-2), and Newington (10-5) in pulling out an undefeated ledger. Post 2 will play West Hartford again on June 27 from Muzzy Field in Bristol and, hopefully, the rubber match will be contested on July 15 from Hall high school.
