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Putnam
Juniors force
playoff game
The Putnam Junior League All Stars continued their winning ways all week long and ended up forcing a 1 game playoff with Killingly. That game will decide the District 11 champion, who will represent the Quiet Corner in the State Championship Tournament.
The week began July 10 with arch rival Pomfret coming to Putnam. The kids all know this is like a Yankees vs Red Sox playoff game. Never a shortage of pressure and it always delivers on game day. Pomfret jumped out to a 6-1 lead loading the bases and scoring in the first two innings. Brevon Harmon was summoned from the bullpen to stop the bleeding for Putnam. Although the runs stopped scoring, Putnam just couldn’t figure out Connor Hanlon’s fastball and the lead held.
As the game reached the fifth inning, Hanlon was pulled from the mound. Presumably he would be needed for the next game and had a pitch limit. Instantly the Putnam bats came alive. Nick Foucault singled, Josh Allard followed with a hit. Steven Dakai doubled to score them both. Kyle Ciquera scored on a single by Kyle Loomis and the game was quickly 6-4. Hanlon was rushed back to the mound and got the final out of the inning. Knuckleballer Shawn Audet took the mound for Putnam trying to keep their hopes alive. He struck out two and picked Hanlon off at first to end the 6th inning.
Audet started the top of the seventh with a walk. After a strikeout, Nick Foucault also walked, and an error put Josh Allard at first. Steven Dakai stepped in, with the bases loaded. He took the first pitch deep over the center fielder’s head. As each runner raced across home the Putnam spirit rose. Dakai ended up on third; a base clearing triple had given Putnam a 7-6 lead. Jon Luc Cournoyer’s sac fly scored Dakai, giving Putnam a two run lead. Audet sandwiched a walk around three fly outs to end the game and earn the win for Putnam, 8-6.
July 12, Putnam was hosted by Thompson. After a slow start the Putnam exploded in the fourth inning as they sent 11 batters to the plate scoring 7 runs. In the end Putnam bested Thompson 10-0 in a 5 inning mercy shortened win. Zack Cutler just missed a homerun by a few feet and went 3 for 3 on the day. Foucault, Allard, Dakai, Cournoyer, Ciquera, Cutler, Loomis and Harmon all scored for Putnam. Josh Allard got the win on the mound striking out 4 batters and giving up one hit, which was erased on a 5-4-3 double play to end the game.
July 14 was the District Championship game and meant elimination if Putnam lost. Having one loss already, a second loss would mean the end of the tournament. Killingly had been waiting for Putnam all week, having a bye and no losses yet they were in the driver’s seat to win the District. If Putnam could win, they could force a one game, winner takes all game on Monday night.
Nick Foucault pitched for Putnam and kept the Killingly hitters off balance all day. They traded runs in the first, second and third innings to tie the score at 2 each. Killingly added a third run in the fifth to take a brief lead. That’s when the Putnam bats arrived. Kyle Ciquera, who tripled and scored in the second inning, doubled in Dakai and Allard. He scored on a double by Kyle Loomis. Loomis also scored after stealing second, a sac fly and a passed ball. With a 6-3 lead Putnam turned to Steven Dakai to close the game. Dakai struck out a batter and surrendered a hit. Brevon Harmon’s aerial catch a second base kept the runner at first. Dakai induced a ground ball back to Foucault at shortstop to end the game. Foucault got the win, Dakai earned a save.
Putnam’s 6-3 win forced a playoff game 16 at Murphy Park in Putnam. The winner will be the District 11 Champion and travel to Southington July 19 to start the State tournament.