By Michael Letendre

GLASTONBURY – Fresh off its 9-3 victory over the New Britain Rock Cats in its first game of the Connecticut Twilight League Playoffs last Friday, the Bristol Knights’ next opponent ended up being the regular season champs.

Bristol took on top seeded Rocky Hill on Tuesday night from Riverfront Park in Glastonbury and the locals simply didn’t have any answers against star pitcher Anthony Alicki.

The Rockies ace threw a two-hit shutout as Rocky Hill seized a 3-0 victory to stay in the winner’s bracket of the CTL tournament – forcing the Knights into an elimination game the following evening at 6 p.m. from Glastonbury.

Alicki struck out six, walked three and saw just two batters get into scoring position the entire evening behind a sterling defensive effort.

But on the flip side, Bristol’s Howard Rebhun was tremendous in defeat, allowing just three runs on five hits – drawing his first loss of the campaign after a 5-0 regular season.

He fanned three batters along the way, walked one and hit one batter.

“Howard was great,” said Bristol coach Chris McGrath. “He pitched against Rocky Hill late in the season and shut them down as well. That’s why we threw him out there.”

For the Rockies, clean-up hitter Dionys Quezada went 3-for-3 with an RBI while Will Ramos blasted a two-run homer to pace the attack for the winners.

However, the visiting Knights looked poised to score to open the showdown.

Bristol got two on base right off the bat as Alejandro Soriano walked and Jaasiel Tejada reached base via error – putting two on with no outs.

But Alicki induced a fly-out and two Ks to get his team to the dish.

To start the bottom half of the first, Chris Bouchard got plunked by a pitch to leadoff and Ramos advanced him to second via a groundout.

Quezada then belted a single to right – plating Bouchard – as the Rockies were in front 1-0 through one completed frame.

With one gone in the top of the second, Bristol’s Justin Martella drew a base-on-balls and Justin Creamer smoked a single to left as the Knights had two men on for the second consecutive inning.

Pinch runner Julio Ortiz-Rivera easily stole third base but Martella was thrown out attempting to take second.

Alicki then struck out Corey Fradette to keep the Rockies in front, 1-0.

After being retired in order in the second stanza, Bouchard walked with one out in the third tilt but Rebhun battled out of the jam, collecting two strikeouts along the way, and through three completed frames, Rocky Hill was hanging tough – ahead by a run.

“He did great,” said McGrath of Rebhun. “He kept them off-balanced all game.”

Bristol’s Colby Jones dropped a one-out single through the hole at shortstop in the fourth but the locals did not hang a number on the scoreboard.

Rocky Hill went right to work in the bottom of the inning as Quezada jammed out another base hit but three straight outs later, the Knights were looking to crack the scoreboard in the fifth – still trailing by a run.

The Knights went down in order in the fifth and for the second consecutive inning, the Rockies got its leadoff batter on.

Dustin Mocadlo reached base on an error but Rebhun fanned Nate Narducci for the first out.

And then with two away, Ramos tallied the hit of the night.

He simply crushed a two-run homer to right field as the Rockies etched up a 3-0 edge.

Alicki remained poised, retiring eight straight after allowing the hit by Jones, to keep Bristol off the scoreboard through six.

“Alicki’s great,” said McGrath. “We all know [that]. He pitched for the [New Britain] Bees. He’s obviously talented. He had everything going. It’s tough to hit him when he’s got it going.”

Rocky Hill’s Kevin Larkin followed up with a one-out chopper by third base but the Knights got out of the jam as Trent Dillon popped out and Larkin was caught off first base for an inning-ending double play.

Trailing 3-0, Bristol was down its final three outs in the top of the seventh.

The Knights hung around as Ortiz-Rivera coaxed a one-out walk but the Rockies ended the contest with a 6-4-3 double play as Rocky Hill stayed in the winner’s bracket off the 3-0 victory.

However, it’s a double elimination tournament and the Knights are still in it until they lose their second game of the postseason.

“We’re back here tomorrow,” said McGrath. “We’ll play whoever shows up and we’ll win tomorrow.”

NOTES…When asked who was going to pitch on Wednesday, it appeared McGrath pointed to himself. If that’s the case, McGrath went 4-0 this season with a team-leading 36 strikeouts and a slick 1.71 ERA…The Knights will square off against the Wethersfield Dodgers at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Wethersfield had a decent campaign, going 9-12 in regular season play and are 1-1 in tournament action.

Connecticut Twilight League Baseball – Postseason Tournament  

No. 1 ROCKY HILL ROCKIES 3, No. 4 BRISTOL KNIGHTS 0

from Riverfront Park, Glastonbury 

Bristol Knights (1-1)             000 000 0 – 0 2 1   

Rocky Hill Rockies (1-0)      100 020 0 – 3 5 1 

WP: Anthony Alicki (Rocky Hill); LP: Howard Rebhun (Bristol)  

Bristol Knights Batting  

2B – None

3B – None 

HR – None 

Rocky Hill Rockies Batting  

2B – None

3B – None 

HR – Will Ramos 

Records: Rocky Hill 1-0 tournament, 15-8 overall; Bristol Knights 1-1 tournament, 12-10-2 overall.