Centaurs
head for
States
The Woodstock Academy baseball team finished up its regular season May 17, happy in the knowledge that the season isn’t over.
The Centaurs, with a final mark of 9-11, qualified for both the Eastern Connecticut Conference and Class L state tournaments, two of their goals for the season and something they were very satisfied to accomplish although not entirely content yet.
“You always want more,” coach Brian Murphy said of the final record. “The kids did a good job winning nine games. There are probably two or three games that we thought we should have won but we didn’t. We just have to get a little better on defense. We need a little more pitching. A couple of guys gave us some great innings this year in Luke (Mathewson), Eric (Preston) and Tommy (Li) when he was healthy. We’re a little thin in that department now but, they battled, won nine games, made the state tournament and that’s an accomplishment in itself.”
Mathewson was a key to the season.
The junior right-hander finished with a 3-3 record, pitching 53 innings for the Centaurs, giving up 55 hits, with an excellent strikeout-to-walk ratio – 66 strikeouts with only 10 bases on balls offered up.
“Luke is a grinder,” Murphy said. “The strikeout to walk ratio is amazing. I know he’s going to battle but he has exceeded my expectations on the mound. He’s done a great job. When he is strong and healthy and on the right rest, he’s just tough.”
Just ask Montville.
The Centaurs finished the regular season in what has been typical fashion for them. They scored a nice win over the Indians, 3-2, last Wednesday, only to fall to Fitch on Senior Day, 10-0, Thursday in a game that lasted only five innings.
Mathewson was spot on against Montville.
He went the distance on the hill against a good-hitting Indians’ team, giving up just five hits with five strikeouts, no walks and just two earned runs.
The Centaurs were able to scratch out three runs of their own, all in the fourth inning.
Mathewson, who is also hitting .450, helped himself.
Li led off the inning with a single and Preston followed by drawing his 17th walk of the season. That brought up Mathewson who ripped his ninth double of the year and drove in both runners, giving him 19 RBIs.
The game-winning single was delivered by senior third baseman Cam Lotter.
The win denied the Indians a chance to clinch a share of the ECC Division II regular-season title.
“I told the kids that Montville had a lot on the line (Thursday). It’s our day. It’s our field. Let’s play a solid game and take it to them and they did. They played their hearts out, played a great game. Montville is an excellent hitting team and finally, after struggling defensively all year, we made plays. Not only the ones we were supposed to, but probably some that we shouldn’t have made, those were great plays. That was sweet,” Murphy said.
But that sweetness turned a little sour when the Falcons came to the Bentley Complex May 18 and scored five runs in each of the second and third innings.
The Centaurs never responded.
The Academy mustered only four hits against the Falcons.
Peter Spada and Lotter singled in the third inning and both Preston and Mathewson singled in the fourth, but the Centaurs never plated a run.
“It was one of those games that you say, ‘We’re going to hit this (pitcher).’ We hit some hard balls, they did too, and they had the ones that found the holes, we didn’t. It wasn’t the best hitting performance we’ve had,” Murphy said.
But the nice part is that there will be a tomorrow for the Centaurs who can’t pack away the uniforms yet.
Murphy, however, is still not totally satisfied and doesn’t think his players should be either.
“It’s not just getting in, not just getting to the show, it’s winning. You take it game-by-game and, hopefully, we can get some wins and finish on a high note,” Murphy said.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director