By Michael Letendre
The Bristol Blues are feeling anything but blue in 2022.
Currently, the Blues are riding high in the Western Division of the New England Collegiate Baseball League – the only program in the West with a winning record as of Saturday night.
Bristol is 20-7 overall and is 6.5 games in front of the Valley Blue Sox, in second place at 14-14.
The Danbury Westerners (12-16) sit 8.5 games in back of Bristol and the North Adams SteepleCats (6-20) are at the bottom of the standings.
Bristol is 7-3 over its past 10 games, doing a masterful job at winning all the close ones.
After the July 4 break, Bristol was scheduled to square off against North Adams on the road but rain foiled those aspirations.
The game has been rescheduled to July 16 at 4 p.m. as part of a doubleheader.
But on Wednesday and Thursday, the Blues wrapped up a couple one-run victories.
On Wednesday, Bristol welcomed Danbury to the friendly confines of Muzzy and guess what happened?
The Blues were forced into extra innings.
Bristol led 3-2 going into the top of the ninth but could not hold onto the edge as the Westerner’s notched a run – making it a 3-3 contest.
And to Danbury’s credit, Nick Romano’s RBI single gave the visiting aggression a 4-3 lead midway through the tenth.
But Bristol had a response as Tyler Fote and Ryan Wilson scored the tying and winning runs as the home team zipped up the win in the end.
Fote went 2-of-4 with a run and two RBI while Andrew Calhoun was 2-for-3.
Chaz Myers had a day, going 2-of-4 with two runs scored.
Bristol’s Jagger Duquette had another tremendous day on the hill despite earning a no decision.
He threw 5.2 sterling innings that included only four hits, six strikeouts and no earned runs.
Tommy Benincaso took home the win (1.1 IP, 3 Ks) as the Blues grabbed another one run victory.
On Thursday, it was another one of those one-run games for the locals.
This time, it was only a nine inning affair as Bristol defeated the Newport Gulls, 3-2.
Bristol put in a three-spot over the fourth frame and that’s all the home team needed to win.
And the victory came off the power of a three-run home run by Joseph Rios.
With one away, Wilson walked and after Ben Huber singled, two were on for Rios.
His three-run homer propelled Bristol to a 3-0 lead through four.
That one hit allowed Bristol starter Colin McVeigh to leave the game ahead on the scoreboard.
Bristol gave up single runs to Newport in the six and eighth innings but Luke Garofalo (1 IP, 2 Ks) roped up the save that put the locals on a two-game winning streak.
But on Friday, Bristol fell at the Marthas Vineyard Sharks 12-7.
The Sharks zapped the Blues for 17 hits as Bristol used seven pitchers that evening.
It wasn’t all bad as Bristol shot out to a 3-0 edge through five frames.
Marthas notched six runs in both the sixth and eighth innings to snare a 12-3 cushion going into the ninth.
Bristol’s Jay Harry (4-of-5, three RBI), Ben Huber (2-for-5, two RBI), and Jack Lynch (2-of-5, run) all tallied multi-hit games while Josh Spiegel slapped out his first home run of the year.
Reed Mascolo (5 IP, three hits, 4 Ks) did not factor into the decision for Bristol as MT Morrissey (0.1 IP, 4 ER) drew a tough loss.
But to end the week on Saturday, Bristol got to the pay window via another one-run win.
The Blues dropped Danbury by a 3-2 final for victory No. 20 this year.
Trailing by a run, Bristol scored twice in the eighth to snare a 3-2 edge.
With ducks on the pond, Griffin Arnone smacked out a double, scoring Harry and Fote, as Bristol went in front for good.
Boston Smith (2-of-3, RBI) and Arnone (2-of-4, run, two RBI) led the way offensively.
Alec Couture (1.1 IP, two hits, 2 Ks) won the game out of the bullpen while Luke Garofalo (1 IP, 2 Ks) nabbed the save for the Blues.
This Week
Bristol is only home twice this week with games from Muzzy Field on Sunday and Thursday.
Today, the Blues square off against Valley at 5:30 p.m. and then on Thursday, North Adams is in town.
Game time is 6:30 p.m.
