Connecticut District 10 Little League: 2007 Tournament Results: Pawcatuck hangs on

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Sunday, July 29
Pawcatuck hangs on
PLL_JrBB_TonyCerino
Pawcatuck's Tony Cerino delivers a pitch during Saturday's game in Pawcatuck.
By Bob Marr - The Sun Staff   Saturday, July 28, 2007

PAWCATUCK – For a few minutes it appeared as though all the good baseball playing that the Pawcatuck Junior League All-Stars had done on a hot, humid early Saturday afternoon might go for naught.

Pawcatuck took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning of the first game of the best-of-3 state championship series.

But a bloop, a bleeder and an error enabled Section I champion Plainville to put the tying runs on base with only one out; and Pawcatuck starter Tony Cerino, who had pitched so well, was closing in on the 95-pitch limit.

Adding to the drama, catcher Jimmy Connelly – after having trouble locating the ball – made a valiant but unsuccessful lunging attempt to catch a foul pop near the Pawcatuck dugout.

Cerino got the second out on his final pitch of the day on a popup, but an infield error made the score 5-3 and reloaded the bases.

Then – finally – all of Pawcatuck’s anxiety went away.

Pat Kelly, who had replaced Cerino on the mound, made another good low pitch, third baseman Dylan Robinson scooped up the resulting groundball and made an on-target throw to first for the final out that nearly never happened.

The 5-3 victory – Pawcatuck’s fifth win in a row since losing in the first game of the Section II tournament – puts the local team within one win of qualifying for the Eastern Regional.

Pawcatuck and Plainville meet at 1 p.m. today at Trumbull Park, home of Plainville Little League. If Plainville wins, a rubber game will follow.

“We came in not knowing what Plainville had to offer,” Pawcatuck manager Rich Bavasso said. “Usually that part of the state has some pretty tough teams. Our players came out and in the first inning they were definitely nervous.

“I think they were feeling the same thing – a lot of these guys are big bad monsters and obviously after the first inning they realized they’re not.”

Pawcatuck was the visitor despite playing on its home field and that might have been an advantage.

The local squad struck for a run in the top of the first despite some issues on the basepaths.

The run scored on Connelly’s clutch two-out single to left. Jake Berkowitz and Cerino got the ball rolling with one out. Berkowitz drove a ball that one-hopped the left-field fence for a single and Cerino did the same to right center for a double.

Pawcatuck got off to a shaky start defensively committing an error on Cerino’s first pitch and allowing the runner to take second base.

But Cerino came to the rescue. The tall rugged left-hander – one of a dozen 14-year-olds on the 14-player roster – got the situation under control quickly. He struck out the next batter, picked the runner off second base, and got the final out on a flyball to center fielder Emmett Murphy.

Pawcatuck made it 5-0 with four runs on four hits in the fourth.

Singles by Cerino, Tyler Tavares (a bunt) and T.J. White, a walk and a wild pitch resulted in two runs. Then after Pawcatuck had a runner thrown out at home on an attempted double steal, Jay Hespeler belted the next pitch over the center-field wall just to the left of the 300-foot sign for a two-run home run.

Brandon Dalena pulled Plainville within 5-2 in the fourth with a two-run homer to left.

Cerino pitched a strong game, allowing just three hits and two earned runs. He struck out five and walked just one.

“It was a hard-fought game. They played well,” Plainville head coach Kevin Carroccia said. “The big lefty on the mound really threw well. He got ahead and attacked the zone. He was always ahead 0-1, 0-2, 1-1.”

Cerino also had two of Pawcatuck’s seven hits.

“Tony’s the only pitcher on my team that gets stronger as the innings go by,” Bavasso said. “Most kids get tired especially on a hot day like today, but Tony consistently gets stronger. I don’t know if you saw it, but when he faced his last batter and he had two strikes on him he looked up to his father, who passed away this year. His father is definitely one of the coaches on the team.”

Plainville won the three-team Section I tournament after Fairfield withdrew after drawing a bye and defeating Plainville 11-5.