By Michael Letendre
The Bristol Merchants of the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League captured its first league title in 2004 as the franchise needed just three seasons to make a significant impact.
And one year later, the Merchants were both champs of the regular and postseason in GHTBL play.
Over a thirty-game slate in 2005, Bristol went 21-9 in regular season action, starting out at 2-3 before the locals sprinted to a 19-6 finish.
And Bristol head coach Bunty Ray restocked the cupboard with some excellent talent.
Former Plainville high school standout Eric Butkiewicz made his Merchants’ debut, filling in for pitcher Scott Martin who hurt himself earlier in the season.
Jerry Hasler, Chris Strahowski, Eric Baim, Brian Archibald, Adam Platt, and Kevin Browning all helped to make up a strong pitching unit.
Catching for that outstanding group was Matt Hackney and Joel Stamilio.
Offensively, 14-year veteran Adam Peters returned to the squad and defensively, the infield included a strong core of Rick Hewey, Lance Lamboley, Joe Parlante, Jay Ray, and the newest addition, GHTBL veteran Rick Barrett.
The outfield included Ray, Cory Parker, Nick Mullins, and Chris Sawyer.
And Matt Arburr – fresh out of the Coastal Carolina League – eventually joined the team and added his stick to an already stacked line-up.
The GHTBL line-up in 2005 featured the East Hartford Jets, East Hartford Aeros, ProCare (Meriden), Avon Legion, Bill’s Sports Shop (Portland), People’s (Hartford), Mr. G’s, Vernon Orioles, Simsbury, Foss Insurance, and the Merchants.
Bristol shared the regular season title with Foss Insurance and the league was extremely competitive from start to finish as Bristol was challenged every night.
Trailing 3-1 going into the bottom of the seventh against the Jets on June 1, Barrett kicked in a two-RBI single to tie the score and in the eighth, Stemilio’s hit to right plated Hewey to propel the Merchants to a season-opening 4-3 win.
Hasler gave up just one earned run before Archibald threw four innings of scoreless ball to earn the win.
Then on June 19, Bristol won its fifth straight game and were just 1.5 games behind Foss with 6-3 and 4-2 victories against Vernon.
Butkiewicz threw four shutout innings in game one to secure the win on the mound.
Mullins added three hits, including a two-run double, Hewey and Parlante dropped in three hits apiece while Platt collected three RBI.
In game two, Hasler threw a masterful one earned run gem that included five K’s over seven innings of work.
Ray, Parlante, Mullins, and Hewey scored runs for Bristol for the sweep of the doubleheader.
The Merchants moved to 7-3 overall off the two wins.
And then on June 24 against the Aeros, Butkiewicz chucked a four hitter while Sawyer rambled up two hits and an RBI as Bristol won by a 3-1 final from McKenna Field in East Hartford.
Bristol improved to 9-3 but was just getting started.
Against Foss on July 7, Peters smashed out a two-run homer while Hasler threw a four-hitter as Bristol picked up a huge 3-2 win from Muzzy Field – moving to 1-1 in the season-series against the Insurance racket.
In an eleven-inning war at Simsbury on July 16, Parker singled home Parlante in the 11th as Bristol won by a 2-1 push to move to 14-5 overall.
Five days later, Bristol swept a Bill’s Sports Shop (10-6) and Vernon Orioles (6-4) doubleheader that kept the Merchants in first place.
Stamilio cleared the bases via a blazing double against Bill’s to spur on a six-run fourth frame.
Lamboley added three hits and two RBI while Parlante collected two RBI in the opening win.
Platt and Butkiewicz took the hill against Bill’s, holding the fort.
In game two, Mullins doubled for two RBI and this time, it was a five run first inning that put the contest out of reach.
Baim put together a three-hitter over six innings of work to earn his third victory in five days for Bristol.
July 22 saw Strahowski (eight hits) out-duel Simsbury ace Tim Bourdon as the Merchants won, 1-0, and in the nightcap against Mr. G’s, Archibald drew the victory for Bristol as the squad scooped up a 9-1 victory.
Parker and Ray ramped up two hits and three RBI apiece while Arburr had a big game in the winning effort – smashing out two hits as Bristol moved to 19-6.
Bristol ended the year by beating Avon in two-of-three games as the Merchants finished the season at 21-9.
On July 28, Parlante drilled a three-run home run and Hewey was 2-for-4 with an RBI as the Merchants won at Avon, 8-3.
And to end the regular season on July 31, Bristol fell to Avon (10-2) in the first game before belting the squad in the second (19-1).
Parker jammed out a two-run homer in the losing effort for Bristol in game one while Hewey (7 IP) pitched the Merchants to victory in the night cap.
Hackney picked up a grand slam, Parker added three hits, and Parlante also homered – belting a two-run shot – as Bristol scored a season-best 19 runs.
The Merchants earned the No. 1 seed in the playoffs as Foss and the Merchants tied for the league crown.
To start the GHTBL tournament on August 3 (10-team, double elimination format from McKenna Field), Bristol defeated the Aeros, 9-3.
Bristol zipped up 13 hits to take its tournament opener as Peters (two runs, RBI) and Parlante (two runs, three RBI) were both 3-of-4 from the plate.
Arburr also joined the 3-of-4 outfit, collecting three RBI.
Butkiewicz (5 IP, 1 ER, three hits) and Hasler (two hits) took care of business from the mound.
The top seed then defeated Simsbury on August 6, foiling the squad by a 12-5 final.
Barrett and Ray each had three hits while Strahowski threw a complete game as Bristol moved to 2-0 in tournament play.
The following day, Bristol defeated ProCare, 6-4, as Mullins kicked in a three-run double in the fifth to give the Merchants the lead for good.
Archibald threw three scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.
And in a surprise finish, ProCare ended up in the championship round but had to beat the Merchants twice to take the league title.
That never came to pass as Bristol became repeat postseason champs – dropping ProCare 6-4 to take the GHTBL title.
The Merchants stopped a late six-inning ProCare rally to hold on to win its second consecutive title.
In the second inning in the finale, Arbor drilled a one-out single, Stamilio was then hit-by-pitch and Hackney followed with an RBI single – scoring Arburr.
The ‘Bristol pickle’ then allowed Stamilio to score from third base as Hackney was caught in a rundown between first and second, making it a 2-0 game.
In the third, Parker walked, went to second base on a wild pitch, and got to third safely as Ray reached by an error to put two on.
A Barrett sacrifice fly scored Parker and when Mullins reached second base off an error, Ray scored to make it a 4-0 contest.
Butkiewicz was sharp over his first six innings, allowing one infield hit, no walks and five K’s.
But Meriden loaded the bases in the seventh as the squad tallied three consecutive singles to put the game-tying run at the plate.
A sacrifice fly netted a run while Trey Bongiovanni generated the inning’s fifth single – scoring another run – to chop the deficit to 4-2.
Archibald then came in for the final out to ice the championship for Bristol.
Butkiewicz finished the campaign with a 4-1 record as Bristol ended up as back-to-back GHTBL champs.
