By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – Bristol American Legion baseball standout Roberto Cruz sure loves to play extra innings.
It’s a time where the multi-talented athlete always seems to elevate his level of play.
And on Saturday, it was all Cruz as he laid down the go-ahead RBI bunt that gave Bristol the lead for good and then shut down the Naugatuck offense from the mound in the eighth as Post 2 snared a huge 6-3 Zone 1 victory from Muzzy Field.
The win moved Bristol to 10-4 overall, 8-4 in Zone play while Naugatuck fell to 4-4.
Bristol was the visiting team because the game was a make-up from Wednesday as rain and thunder postponed the event from Naugatuck.
It was Cruz’s fourth win of the season and he nearly put the event away in regulation.
Cruz (2.1 innings, one hit, 4 Ks) came in for Mike Lorenzetti (5.2 innings, two hits, 12 Ks, five walks, two runs) with two outs in the fifth.
With one on and Bristol leading 2-1, pinch-hitter Jeff Duda smacked a first-pitch double into left as Naugatuck had runners on second and third.
And Cruz attempted to end the inning by picking off Duda at second base, but the ball was thrown away, Mike Rusin scored and going into the seventh, it was a 2-2 contest.
“I rolled the dice there,” said Bristol coach Jerry LaPenta. “Alberto’s had about four pickoffs with that play. He’s usually smart enough to know not to throw it. But I just wanted to take a shot there. And that was the tying run and it didn’t work out.”
“Sometimes you roll it, and it doesn’t work.”
But then in the bottom of the eighth, Post 2 had runners on second and third with Cruz at the plate.
On a 1-2 count, Cruz dropped in a bunt hit that scored a run, led to another off an error and when all was said and done, Bristol led 4-2.
“I rolled it with a two-strike bunt and it worked,” said LaPenta. “I could have looked like a goat twice, but I figured Roberto is a pretty good bunter and it turned out that was the play of the game really.”
“We ended up getting two runs on a little bunt.”
Two runs later, it was a 6-2 game and Post 17 was nearly down and out.
Naugatuck relief pitcher Ryan Tyszka came into throw to open the eighth but was ambushed by Bristol’s line-up – posting four hits – while two Naugatuck errors did not help matters in the least.
He ended up losing the contest.
Bristol reached double-figures in hits as Ryan Fradette went 3-of-4 with two RBI to pace the onslaught.
“He’s been hitting all year,” said LaPenta of Fradette. “He’s been hitting great.”
Fradette laced a one-hopper with two outs in the top of the first, easily stealing second to get into scoring position.
But Jack Kozikowski fanned on a full-count to end the inning as Naugatuck came up to bat.
In the bottom of the frame, Anthony Abate earned a one-out walk and with two gone, Derek Jagello (7 IP, two runs, six hits, 11 K, BB, 109 pitches) drew four balls as Post 17 had two runners on.
But Lorenzetti caught Matt Kilmer looking at strike three as Post 2 wiggled out of an early jam.
Bristol was at it again in the top of the second as Owen Davis drew a base-on-balls with one out – taking second base via a steal – but was stranded in the end.
Rusin led off the bottom of the tilt with a walk but Lorenzetti quickly caught fire – fanning the side from there – as the scoreless showdown went into the third inning with Bristol coming to bat.
Austin Brown slipped a bunt hit towards third base to get onboard with one out in the third and then Adam Caron followed with a flare to right.
Brown blasted by second base – putting men on the corners.
Then Fradette launched a ball to left that was dropped by the fielder, easily allowing Brown to score for third as Post 2 zipped up a 1-0 edge.
Naugatuck’s Nick Bruno walked to open the bottom of the third and then Mike Deitylbaum smacked a single to center – Naugy’s first hit of the game – as the ‘home’ squad had runners on first and third with one gone.
And then Matt Kilmer delivered a hopper by the bag at first base as Bruno tagged the plate – making it a brand new game at 1-1.
Jagello retired the side in order in the top of the fourth while Lorenzetti needed just ten pitches to get out of the bottom of the stanza.
Brown then generated his second consecutive infield hit with one away in the fifth, stealing second and third to get into scoring position.
And Fradette cashed in as he dropped a base hit into left as Brown scored to give Bristol a 2-1 push midway through the fifth.
Naugatuck had to top of the order up in the bottom of the fifth but Lorenzetti wasn’t having any of it.
He shut down the line-up in order off an 11-pitch stint, scooped up strikeouts 10 and 11, allowing just the two hits while retiring seven straight as Post 2 maintained its 2-1 lead.
Davis ripped out a one-out single in the top of the sixth but was pinch runner Alex Canzellarini was picked off by Jagello.
Eventually, Naugy got out of the inning without yielding a run and Lorenzetti was back at it.
He fanned Jagello, got Kilmer to ground out and was able to square off against Rusin before running out of pitches.
Rusin walked for the second time as Cruz came in for Lorenzetti with two outs in the sixth.
Duda laced a double to left to put men on second and third and when the botched pickoff play at second base ended up in centerfield, Rusin scored to tie things up at 2-2 heading into the seventh.
Both teams went down in order in the seventh as the Zone 1 challenge was squared up at 2-2 – meaning an extra inning was required to determine the victor.
With one out in the top of the eighth, Fradette unleashed his third hit of the game – a single to left – as Bristol got something brewing.
Trevor Nohilly then popped a single into short left-center to put two on with one away.
Cruz carried a 1-1 count before Tyszka balked, advancing runners to second and third, before nabbing the go-ahead hit.
He laid down a perfect bunt to the third base side of the mound as Naugatuck had no chance to get Fradette at the plate – making it 3-2.
On the play, the ball was thrown to first base but no one was on the bag to get the ball.
The errant throw allowed Nohilly to score from third as Bristol racked up a 4-2 edge.
Davis then unleashed a double to right-centerfield as men were stationed at second and third with just one out.
And off a grounder by Tyler Martin, the ball was chucked away at first base, two runners scored on the gaff, and once the dust settled, Bristol held an imposing 6-2 lead.
“Those two runs are huge at the end with the error at third base,” said LaPenta. “They’re a good club. They made a little rally there. If we’re only up two runs, and they have [men on] second and third and the go-ahead run is at the plate, it’s a whole pressure scenario.”
Post 17 showed a little gumption to end the game as the first two batters of the frame reached safely – putting the tying runner in the on-deck circle.
An error at first allowed one run to score but Cruz then struck out the final batter as Bristol was a 6-3 winner.
“They showed a lot of resiliency coming back,” said LaPenta of his squad. “It’s a sign the team is coming together.”
Bristol American Legion, Senior Baseball – Zone 1 game
BRISTOL 6, NAUGATUCK 3
from Muzzy Field, Bristol
Bristol (8-4) 001 010 04 – 6 10 3
Naugatuck (4-4) 001 001 01 – 3 4 3
WP: Roberto Cruz (Bristol, 4-0); LP: Ryan Tyszka (Naugy)
Bristol Batting
2B – Owen Davis
3B – None
HR – None
Naugatuck Batting
2B – James Duda
3B – None
HR – None
Records: Bristol 10-4 overall, 8-4 Zone 1; Naugatuck 4-4 Zone 1
