By Michael Letendre
SIMSBURY – It’s the final week of the regular season in American Legion Baseball and with seven games on its slate, all on the road, how would the squad from Bristol start that slew of contests with a Zone 3 challenge against Simsbury on Tuesday evening?
Well, Post 2 started the stretch with a huge victory, sinking rival Simsbury 3-1 from Memorial Park.
“It was a must win” game said Bristol coach Jerry LaPenta. “We were chasing the team above us and to beat them [was huge].”
For Bristol (9-7-2), it was a three-pronged attack against Post 84 (9-9).
Step one was a huge pitching performance by Bristol starter Declan Schenck, going through the Simsbury line-up twice – allowing just one run on four hits over four innings of work – and keeping the entire roster off-balanced to earn his first victory of the season.
“Declan did not have a breaking ball at all tonight,” said LaPenta of Schenck. “I don’t think he threw one for a strike, but he got a game ball because he battled. He battled through, threw enough strikes. He only gave up a run, gave us four good innings.”
Step two was a tremendous relief appearance from Ryan Maglio, giving up one hit, fanning three and facing just one batter over the minimum for his second save of the year.
And that change of pace kept Post 84 from generating any serious challenge in the end.
“Mags just came in and shut the door,” said LaPenta of Maglio.
Step three was an eight-hit offensive attack by Bristol as Nick Sconziano was clutch over the winning effort.
He went 3-for-4 with two RBI while generating three hits in a row to keep runners moving around the horn.
“Nick has just been swinging the bat great,” said LaPenta of Sconziano.
Simsbury’s Jacob Croteau had two hits for the home team but after the third inning, the squad was limited to just one total hit.
Credit belonged to Simsbury pitcher Luke Guyer, going the distance over an eight hitter that included two earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts in a tough luck loss.
Post 2 scooped up a run in the top of the second as the visitors quickly loaded the bases up.
With one away, Connor Cyr and EJ Sanchez dropped in back-to-back bloopers to left while Maglio walked to juice the bases.
From there, Joe Dunne flew out to right, but it was just deep enough for Cyr to scoot home from third base as Bristol went ahead 1-0.
Post 84 opened the second stanza with runners on second and third with no outs but was only able to tally a single run.
A sacrifice fly by Chas Orluk scored Croteau to tie the contest up at 1-1 through two completed frames.
Bristol got the run back in the third, starting with a single that was drilled to right by Josh Dunne.
He moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a slick base hit to left by Sconziano as Post 2 went ahead by one, 2-1, and led for the rest of the way.
Once again, Simsbury had runners on second and third, this time with two outs, in the bottom of the third.
But the rally was cut short when Croteau lined out to Sconziano at second base, preserving the one-run edge going into the fourth frame.
Sanchez walked to get on base for the second time while Maglio reached via error with two away, but Joe Dunne flew out to right as Post 84 escaped a jam in the fourth.
On the flip side, Schenck helped himself with a huge 1-5 putout at third base and Elliot Norris ended the fourth by stealing away a bloop hit from Mitchell Wallman – bobbling the ball while scooping it in but making a huge catch in short centerfield for out number three.
Post 2 nabbed a couple hits with one out in the fifth as Sconziano singled to center and Norris blasted out an infield hit to deep shortstop to put two runners on, but Jayden Churchill hit into a 5-3 double play to end Bristol’s ups in the fifth.
And with the top of the lineup due up for Simsbury in the bottom of the fifth, Maglio replaced Schenck on the mound with a 2-1 lead in hand.
Maglio and Post 2 quickly sent Simsbury down in order, keeping the 2-1 lead intact.
Guyer had a quick inning in the sixth but all that did was place Maglio back on the hill.
Simsbury made things interesting in the bottom of the frame, getting a one out single by Croteau.
He was erased on a groundout to shortstop by Norris but when the ball was relayed to first base, it was off the mark as Fagnant reached second base – representing the tying run off the miscue.
But Jacob Goodwin flew out to short right to end the stanza as Bristol’s one run cushion lasted into the seventh.
And in the final inning, Bristol scored a badly needed insurance run.
Maglio started the frame off with a single to right and was pinch run for by the returning Caleb Molinsky.
Joe Dunne advanced Molinsky with a perfect sacrifice bunt and when Josh Dunne flew out to right, the runner made his way to third base with two away.
From there, Sconziano skirted an RBI single between second and third base as Molinsky scored – giving Post 2 a big 3-1 lead.
“I told them a 2-1 lead to 3-1 is huge,” said LaPenta of the insurance run. “If we go out [in the seventh inning up just] 2-1, I have two play Cole [Caccamo] deep in right. I’ve got to play on the lines, I can’t give up a double. 3-1, I can play Cole in and take away the [bloopers] with no one on base because that’s where rallies usually start, with a bloop.”
And to end the game in the bottom of the seventh, Maglio picked up two strikeouts over a perfect inning, earning his second save of the season, as Bristol secured an impressive two-run win on the road.
“Mags was throwing strikes and he broke out his curveball at the end there,” said LaPenta. “It was just a beautiful win.”
Bristol American Legion Baseball – Zone 3 Clash
BRISTOL 3, SIMSBURY 1
from Memorial Park, Simsbury
Bristol (9-7-2) 011 000 1 – 3 8 1
Simsbury (9-9) 010 000 0 – 1 6 1
WP – Declan Schenck (Bristol, 1-1 overall); LP – Luke Guyer (Simsbury); S – Ryan Maglio (Bristol, 2)
Bristol Batting
2B – None
3B – None
HR – None
Simsbury Batting
2B – Jacob Croteau, Kyle Anthony
3B – None
HR – None
Records: Bristol 9-7-3 overall; Simsbury 9-9.
