By Michael Letendre

The Bristol Blues ended their 2022 regular season on a four game winning streak as the locals defeated the Danbury Westerners by a 3-1 final on the road from Rogers Park.

The Blues tallied a 32-12 overall ledger — 20 games over .500 — to end the campaign, winning the West Division of the New England Collegiate Baseball League.

The Blues ended the season 10.5 games in front of Danbury (21-22) to scoop up the division.

The final regular season contest for Bristol saw 603 fans witness the Westerners scoop up a 1-0 push through five innings of play.

But Bristol struck back for one run in the top of the sixth and a couple more in the seventh to snare the win.

Bristol’s Billy Sullivan went 2-of-4 with a double and an RBI while Tyler Forte also blasted out a two-base tally.

The Blues outhit Danbury 7-3 as Tommy Hughes won the contest for Bristol on the mound.

He threw just one inning, walked two and struck out one to earn the victory.

Trailing by a run, Sullivan’s two-base hit in the sixth scored Forte to tie things up at 1-1 before the fateful seventh stanza came to pass.

And then Forte returned the favor in the seventh as he blasted out his two-RBI double — plating Jack Lynch and Ben Huber — to help the Blues snare a 3-1 edge in the game.

Several Bristol pitchers threw a single inning towards the end of the showdown and Peter Phillips chucked a perfect 1-2-3 frame as three straight Ks sealed the deal for the Blues.

With its victory over Danbury, Bristol ended up the only program from the West Division to finish over .500.

The Blues tied for the best record in the league this year along with the Vermont Mountaineers (32-12).

The NECBL playoffs commence this coming week.

New England Collegiate Baseball League – Western Division Challenge

BRISTOL BLUES 3, DANBURY WESTERNERS 1

from Rogers Park, Danbury

Bristol (32-12)  000 001 200 – 3 7 1

Danbury (21-22) 001 000 000 – 1 3 2  

WP – Tommy Hughes (Bristol); LP – Jack Bowery(Danbury)

Bristol Batting 

2B – Billy Sullivan, Tyler Forte

3B – None

HR – None

Danbury Batting 

2B – None

3B – None 

HR – None

LOB – Bristol 7; Danbury 7

Records: Bristol 32-12 overall; Danbury 21-22.

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