Best 2-of-3 Series:
Farmington 2, Glastonbury National 1
Farmington 3, Glastonbury National 2 (TITLE)
Summary:
Farmington Little League rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to overcome a 2-0 deficit and edge Glastonbury National Little League, 3-2, in the deciding game of the Connecticut state tournament at Northwest Park in Manchester.
The win, Farmington's second come-from-behind victory in as many games, gave the District 5 champion a sweep of the best-of-three series, and its first-ever Connecticut state championship in the major baseball division.
"We are off the charts, unbelievably excited," said Farmington manager Bill Spracklin after his team's clinching victory. "This is the stuff that dreams are made of for the kids. Thirty years from now when their kids are practicing tee-ball in the back yard, they can look back on this."
Both of Farmington's game-winning rallies were sparked by leadoff hits from Christian Dubay and RBIs from reserve players. In the series' first game, Dubay opened the bottom of the fourth inning with a double down the left field line, then moved to third on a wild pitch. Sean Haggerty drew a walk and stole second before pinch hitter Anthony Perri delivered a two-out, two-run single that reversed a one-run Glastonbury lead.
"(Perri) came off the bench, that’s his only at-bat, and he stayed in there and he just drilled the baseball," said Spracklin.
Glastonbury had opened the scoring when Jason Sutkowski led off with a low line drive home run over the left field fence in the top of the inning. After the home run, Farmington ace David Wiegard retired the next nine hitters he faced to close out the win.
"He was a little upset," after the home run, said Spracklin of Wiegard. "He's an emotional kid. But his body language changed immediately, and he started blowing kids away right after that.
"Glastonbury is a great team with a great bunch of hitters, but we rose to the occasion tonight," Spracklin said.
The next day, Sutkowski again gave Glastonbury the early edge, this time with a two-run homer over the left field fence in the third inning. But Dubay again sparked a decisive rally, opening the fifth with an infield single to third base. Wiegard and Haggerty walked to load the bases, then Dubay scored when Ben Edelson was hit by a pitch. After Wiegard scored on a wild pitch, Carson Helms lofted a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Haggerty with the deciding run.
"Carson came off the bench and had a hit and a sac fly," said Spracklin. "Our kids really understand that they have a role to play."
The mini-burst of offense was enough for pitcher Brian Cohan, who scattered six hits in a complete game effort. Cohan struck out only one batter, but Farmington backed him with a number of stellar defensive plays in an error-free game. Edelson ended the first and second innings with charging barehanded pickups at third base, and second baseman Brian Schweighoffer ended the fourth inning with an unassisted double play. Shortstop Jeff Schweighoffer easily handled a hard-hit ball on a short hop, and reserve shortstop Matt DeVaux made a diving catch in shallow left field in the fifth to record an out.
Cohan had also thrown a complete game in Farmington's 3-2 victory over Shelton National in the Section 1 championship game.
"He's a big game pitcher," said Spracklin. "He does everything we ask of him.
"Our defense was unbelievable," added the Farmington manager. "Everybody played great -- the shortstops were unbelievable."
Sutkowski allowed only five hits on the mound for Glastonbury, which had also fallen to Farmington in the 11-year-old Connecticut state championship series in 2004.
Dubay had three hits for Farmington, while John Charles Nowosadko and Alex Hanelt led Glastonbury with two hits each.
Follow Farmington at the New England Region Tournament -- Click here to view results.
Linescores:
| Game 1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
|
R |
H |
E |
| Glastonbury National |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
1 |
- |
- |
| Farmington |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
x |
|
2 |
- |
- |
|
|
| Game 2 |
| Glastonbury National |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
2 |
6 |
0 |
| Farmington |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
x |
|
3 |
5 |
0 |
|
|
2005 Connecticut District Champions and Sectional Tournament Results:
District Champions
in Section 1 |
District Champions
in Section 2 |
D1 - Ridgefield National
D2 - Fairfield American
D3 - Shelton National
D4 - Milford National Lou Gehrig
D5 - Farmington
Section 1 Tournament
Host - (District 3)
Championship Game Host - Shelton
Championship Game at Sunnyside School
Tournament Schedule/Results:
1 - Milford National Lou Gehrig 10, Ridgefield National 1
2 - Shelton National 1, Fairfield American 0
3 - Farmington 11, Ridgefield National 5
4 - Milford National Lou Gehrig 13, Fairfield American 5
5 - Farmington 12, Fairfield American 2
6 - Milford National Lou Gehrig 5, Shelton National 3
7 - Fairfield American 5, Ridgefield National 4 (14 innings)
8 - Shelton National 8, Farmington 0
9 - Farmington 3, Milford National Lou Gehrig 0
10 - Shelton National 16, Ridgefield National 0
Standings |
W |
L |
| Shelton National |
3 |
1 |
| Farmington |
3 |
1 |
| Milford National Lou Gehrig |
3 |
1 |
| Fairfield American |
1 |
3 |
| Ridgefield National |
0 |
4 |
|
The top two teams advance to the championship game.
Ties are broken based on records in head-to-head competition among tied teams. If a clear winner cannot be determined from head-to-head results, the tie is broken by calculating the ratio of runs allowed to defensive innings played for all teams involved in the tie. The team with the lowest runs-per-defensive-inning ratio advances.
In the event of a tie involving three or more teams, once the initial tie is broken, the remaining tied teams are again compared on head-to-head record to determine if a clear winner can be identified. If no clear winner can be identified from head-to-head results among the remaining tied teams, the runs-per-defensive-inning ratio is again used. This process is repeated until all ties have been broken.
Section 1 Championship Game (Tuesday, July 26)
Farmington 3, Shelton National 2 (TITLE)
|
D6 - Avon
D7 - Glastonbury National
D8 - Vernon
D9 - Coginchaug (Durham)
D10 - Waterford North
D11 - Thompson
Section 2 Tournament
Host - Waterford South (District 10)
Tournament Schedule/Results:
1 - Glastonbury National 10, Waterford North 3
2 - Avon 11, Thompson 1
3 - Vernon 6, Coginchaug 0
4 - Avon 1, Coginchaug 0
5 - Vernon 13, Waterford North 4
6 - Glastonbury National 7, Thompson 1
7 - Glastonbury National 9, Vernon 1
8 - Thompson 6, Coginchaug 1
9 - Waterford North 6, Avon 2
10 - Thompson 2, Waterford North 1
11 - Glastonbury National 9, Coginchaug 5
12 - Vernon 4, Avon 3
13 - Thompson 6, Vernon 3
14 - Glastonbury National 6, Avon 5
15 - Waterford North 9, Coginchaug 0
Standings |
W |
L |
| Glastonbury National |
5 |
0 |
| Thompson |
3 |
2 |
| Vernon |
3 |
2 |
| Avon |
2 |
3 |
| Waterford North |
2 |
3 |
| Coginchaug |
0 |
5 |
|
The top two teams advance to the championship game.
Ties are broken based on records in head-to-head competition among tied teams. If a clear winner cannot be determined from head-to-head results, the tie is broken by calculating the ratio of runs allowed to defensive innings played for all teams involved in the tie. The team with the lowest runs-per-defensive-inning ratio advances.
In the event of a tie involving three or more teams, once the initial tie is broken, the remaining tied teams are again compared on head-to-head record to determine if a clear winner can be identified. If no clear winner can be identified from head-to-head results among the remaining tied teams, the runs-per-defensive-inning ratio is again used. This process is repeated until all ties have been broken.
Section 2 Championship Game (Tuesday, July 26)
Glastonbury National 8, Thompson 0 (TITLE)
|
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Last revision: 06/11/2006
