June 15, 2011
HS notebook: Tough loss for Southington, Conn.
by Roger Brown/
Talk about a tough loss.
Southington (Conn.) High School thought it had won the Class LL baseball title when Matt Spruill scored on Sal Romano’s double in the eighth inning at Muzzy Field on Monday, but the teams played on after home plate umpire Dave Bindas ruled that Spruill never touched home plate and Spruill was called out on an appeal play.
Newington went on to claim the title by posting a 3-2 victory in 10 innings.
“I heard the crowd and it was their side cheering,” Southington coach Charlie Lembo told WFSB Channel 3 in Hartford. “Then I found out the umpire ruled that he missed home plate. I didn’t see it, but Dave’s a good umpire so I’ll have to go with that call.”
Pat Meucci reached on a single in the 10th and scored the game-winning run from second base on an infield throwing error.
That gave 17th-seeded Newington (17-8) the program’s first state championship.
Newington’s Cole Bryant pitched all 10 innings to earn the win. He threw 176 pitches, struck out 16 and held Southington to six hits.
Romano also pitched a complete game (146 pitches). All three Newington runs were unearned.
Seventh-seeded Southington, which defeated Newington twice during the regular season, completed its season with a 19-6 record.
Maine
A failure to touch home plate may have cost a Maine team a tournament victory as well.
Top-seeded Waterville beat Mount Desert Island 3-2 Saturday to advance to the Eastern Maine Class B championship game, but needed a little luck to do it.
It looked like MDI would break a 2-2 tie in the top of the 11th inning, but it was ruled that MDI’s Duncan Smith failed to step on home plate when he attempted to score on a passed ball. Smith was tagged out near his dugout.
Waterville scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom half of the inning.
Waterville, which won the Class B state championship last season, reached the regional final for the third consecutive season.
Massachusetts
Tenth-seeded Minnechaug completed an improbable run to the Western Massachusetts Division I title by beating top-seeded East Longmeadow 9-2 Monday.
Minnechaug, which raised its record to 14-10, lost to East Longmeadow twice during the regular season. Minnechaug defeated seventh-seeded Amherst Regional, second-seeded Agawam and third-seeded Westfield before it knocked off East Longmeadow.
Minnechaug will face St. John’s of Shrewsbury in Wednesday’s state semifinals.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s four state championship games will be played Saturday at Manchester’s Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
The schedule:
Division I: No. 1 Nashua North vs. No. 6 Concord, 4 p.m.
Division II: No. 1 Portsmouth vs. No. 7 St. Thomas, 7 p.m.
Division III: No. 1 Somersworth vs. No. 3 Campbell, 10 a.m.
Division IV: No. 1 Sunapee vs. No. 2 Colebrook, 1 p.m.
Of the eight teams, only Portsmouth has a chance to repeat as a state champion. The Clippers, who have an 82-game winning streak, will be trying to win their fourth consecutive state title.
Rhode Island
Mike Hayden hit two home runs to propel Cranston West to an 18-7 victory over North Kingstown in the deciding game of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League’s Division I championship series.
Cranston West, which overcame a 6-1 deficit, won its third state title in the last six years.
After North Kingstown won the first game of the best-of-three series 5-3, Cranston West scored 35 runs in the final two games.
Vermont
Unplayable field conditions forced the Vermont Principals’ Association to postpone Saturday’s Division I and Division II state championship baseball games until Wednesday. Both games will be played at Montpelier’s Recreation Field.
Fourth-seeded Rice and seventh-seeded Mount Anthony will meet in the Division I championship game at 4:30 p.m.; top-seeded Burr and Burton will face third-seeded Missisquoi in the Division II championship game, which is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
