Baseball Wrap-up

Winning 

week projects 

Plainfield in

statewide

polls

By Ron P. Coderre

The Plainfield Panthers continued to roll as the area’s lone undefeated baseball team, picking up three wins in another perfect week.  Standing a 15-0, with five regular season games remaining, the Panthers were recognized statewide by moving into the seventh slot in the New Haven Register poll and fifth place as noted by the Hartford Courant.

Putnam, which is quietly putting together a good season, also had a perfect week posting four victories to move to 11-3 on the season.  The remainder of the teams all enjoyed at least one victory during the week with Marianapolis advancing to the championship game of the SENE Conference where it lost a tough game to Providence Country Day.

Plainfield Living Up to Its Ratings

  Rolling along on an undefeated season, Plainfield now has a big target on its back as every team they play wants to be the one to unseat the Panthers on the road to perfection.  The charges of coach Jason Chiavaras rose to the occasion in every game this week picking up three very good victories.

The Panthers faced a formidable foe in Montville, which was ranked #10 in the State, and disposed of the Indians 9-1 as Mike Esposito raised his record to 5-0 limiting Montville to seven hits while his mates rapped out 14 hits in the win.  Jordan Federer had a home run to pace the offense, which also received a double from Steve Jankowski.  Plainfield followed that game with a relatively easy 8-1 win over Stonington.

In a tight pitcher’s duel reminiscent of real old fashioned baseball, Plainfield snuck by a determined Killingly team 1-0.  Federer outdueled the Redmen’s Owen Guillot for the win.  Guillot limited the Panthers to a mere two hits, while Federer held Killingly to three singles.  The Panthers scored the only run of the game in the first inning on a double by winning hurler Federer.  The remainder of the contest saw only goose eggs on the scoreboard.  Killingly is 3-12 overall and 1-7 in the Eastern Connecticut Conference Medium Division.

Killingly opened the week splitting a pair of games with Stonington, losing 7-2 and bouncing back for a 6-5 victory.  Travis Zurowski (1-3) was the winning Killingly pitcher.  The Redmen came from behind, scoring two runs in the top of the seventh in clinching its third win of the season.  Tre Belanger had a triple to pace the offense.  The Redmen closed the week, losing to Waterford 8-1.

Putnam went through four opponents like a hot knife through butter to raise its Constitution State Conference East record to 10-2.  Sophomore Nick Foucault tossed a one-hitter in a 9-1 win over University-Classical Magnet School.  Jacob Guertin with a double that was the beginning of a torrid hitting week for the junior led the offense.  Josh Allard took the mound and dominated Grasso Tech in a 19-1 win, limiting the Techsters to four singles as his mates pounded Grasso pitching for 21 hits.

Foucault was back on the mound against Capital Prep and raised his record to 4-0 with a 22-6 victory.  Putnam pounded out 20 more hits in the win as Luke Sarsfield had a double and a home run.  The Clippers closed out the week with an 11-4 win over Windham Tech behind the tosses of winning pitcher Steve Dakai.  

Marianapolis at 9-7 on the season picked up a pair of victories in three games but suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss at the hands of Providence Country Day in the SENE title game.  The Golden Knights got to the championship game by rolling past the Williams 

School 13-1as Dylan Horn held the New London school to one hit.  He received offensive support from Dalton Bodreau (double and home run), and Eric Goudreau, Devin Springfield and Ben Fitzpatrick who all had extra base knocks in the 13-hit attack.

Earlier in the week the Knights posted an 8-2 win over Masters School as winning pitcher Griffin Kelly held Masters hitless.  Springfield had a pair of two-run homers to lead the offense.

Ellis Tech won its only game of the week 5-4 over Windham Tech.  Brandon Riendeau was the winning pitcher for the 10-7 Eagles.  Woodstock Academy, still clinging to an outside opportunity to qualify for the CIAC Tournament, raised its record to 5-9 with a 9-4 win over East Lyme.  Will Bourgeois and Trent Appleton with three hits apiece were the big guns in the Centaur offense.  Bourgeois was the tough luck loser in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Fitch.  In its other game, Woodstock was trounced by Bacon 17-3.

Tourtellotte split two contests, beating wheeler 4-2 and losing to Windham 14-2.  Shawn Houle was the winning pitcher in theW heeler contest.  The Tigers are 4-10 and 2-6 in the ECC Small Division.

Entering the home stretch, Plainfield, Putnam and Ellis Tech have qualified for postseason play, while Woodstock, Tourtellotte and Killingly are long shots to make the cut.

RPC’s Super Standings: Plainfield 15-0; Putnam 11-3; Ellis Tech 10-7; Marianapolis 9-7; Woodstock Academy 5-9; Pomfret School 4-2; Tourtellotte 4-10; Killingly 3-12; Putnam Science Academy 1-3.

 

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