Torrington splits doubleheader, remains alive in playoff chase

It wasn’t pretty, but the Torrington Twisters remained mathematically alive for the final playoff spot in the NECBL’s Southern Division after salvaging a win in a split doubleheader against the Danbury Westerners and Keene Swamp Bats Wednesday at Fuessenich Park.
Torrington, now 14-26, is two games behind the Manchester Silkworms, who did not play Wednesday. A Twister victory and a Manchester loss today would force Sunday’s rainout between Torrington and Manchester to be made up Friday. If the Twisters win Friday, a one-game playoff would then be played for the final postseason position.
Torrington got a gift in the second game Wednesday as Bryson Rahier (San Jose State) scored the winning run from second base on a strikeout. Jimmy Rivas (New Haven) struck out, but Keene catcher Franco Valdes (Virginia) threw the ball into right field, allowing Rahier to score the winning run in a 3-2 game. The Swamp Bats made six errors in the game.
Rahier led off the ninth with a single to right field.
"You never think you’re going to win on a strikeout," Twisters coach Gregg Hunt said.
Eric Jokisch (Northwestern) left after seven innings with the lead, but Keene got two runs off of reliever Craig Schneider (Alderson-Broaddus) in the eighth on a triple by Cliff Hicks (Franklin Pierce) and a fielder’s choice by Casey McGrew (Wright State) to tie it. Closer Robert Chimpky (Utah) kept it tied in the ninth, with some major help from Danny Beck (USC) in right field.
Beck, who came into the game as a pinch runner in the eighth, chased down a drive by Valdes to the right field fall that threatened to put a nail in Torrington’s season.
Rahier took care of the runner on first base with Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt) at the plate. Westlake took off on an 0-1 strike, but was gunned down by Rahier to end the inning. It was the second time in the game—and the third time in the doubleheader—that Rahier threw out a baserunner. He has thrown out four runners in the past three games.
Jokisch frustrated Keene’s batters, giving up just four hits and striking out eight while walking just one. He was able to spot his fastball and get Swamp Bat hitters to chase it up in the zone on several occasions.
Torrington took a 2-0 lead in the fourth on a double by Austin Christensen (Chandler Gilbert) and a single by Rahier. McGrew threw home to the plate to try to get Christensen, but the ball was dropped by starting catcher Danny Petro (Eastern Tennessee State), making it 2-0.
In the first game, the Twisters used a bit of hi-jinx to stay close, but could not overcome its anemic offense in a 3-0 loss to Danbury. Westerners left fielder Dennis Accomando (UConn) reached second with a two-out double fifth. The problem for Accomando was that Torrington shortstop Joe De Pinto (USC) never threw the ball to pitcher Brett Miller (San Diego State). As Accomando took his lead, De Pinto ran in from behind to tag him out and complete the hidden ball trick, which elicited a bit of a celebration from the Twister players. In another strange occurrence, third baseman Chase Austin (Elon) broke two bats on consecutive pitches in a key fifth inning appearance. Austin drew a walk after the 12-pitch at bat, but Rivas fouled out to first on a 1-0 pitch against reliever Derek Cotoni (University of Bridgeport) to end the inning with Danbury ahead 1-0.
Playing in their final game of the season, the Westerners (13-29) used six pitchers, who combined to give up two hits, striking out five while walking five.
Miller (8.1 innings, 3 runs (2 earned), 8 hits, 9 strikeouts, 1 walk) pitched well enough to win, making few mistakes all game. In the second, Danbury first baseman Joe Witkowski (St. John's) hit the first pitch of the inning on a line over the left field wall for a 1-0 lead. In the sixth, Shane Kingsley (Marist) led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, stole third and came home on a throwing error by Rahier. In the ninth, Paul Bottigliero (Monmouth) hit a one-out double to the left center field wall. Witkowski hammered a single through the box to drive Bottigliero in for a 3-0 lead.
Torrington left nine runners on base, including the bases loaded in the third inning. De Pinto reached on a one-out error and Rivas reached on a two-out error. Mathews walked to load the bases, but Brian Baudinet (UMass-Amherst) popped out to short on the first pitch he saw, ending the inning.

Torrington loses to Danbury in first game of double dip

The Twister fell 3-0 to Danbury in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday at Fuessenich Park.
Torrington used a bit of hi-jinx to stay close, but could not overcome its anemic offense. Westerners left fielder Dennis Accomando (UConn) reached second with a two-out double fifth. The problem for Accomando was that Twister shortstop Joe De Pinto (USC) never threw the ball to pitcher Brett Miller (San Diego State). As Accomando took his lead, De Pinto ran in from behind to tag him out and complete the hidden ball trick, which elicited a bit of a celebration from Torrington’s players. In another strange occurrence, third baseman Chase Austin (Elon) broke two bats on consecutive pitches in a key fifth inning appearance. Austin drew a walk after the 12-pitch at bat, but Jimmy Rivas (New Haven) fouled out to first on a 1-0 pitch against reliever Derek Cotoni (University of Bridgeport) to end the inning with Danbury ahead 1-0.
Playing in their final game of the season, the Westerners (13-29) used six pitchers, who combined to give up two hits, striking out five while walking five. Danbury tied Torrington in the win column with 13.
Miller (8.1 innings, 3 runs (2 earned), 8 hits, 9 strikeouts, 1 walk) pitched well enough to win, making few mistakes all game. In the second, Westerners first baseman Joe Witkowski (St. John's) hit the first pitch of the inning on a line over the left field wall for a 1-0 lead. In the sixth, Shane Kingsley (Marist) led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, stole third and came home on a throwing error by catcher Bryson Rahier (San Jose State). In the ninth, Paul Bottigliero (Monmouth) hit a one-out double to the left center field wall. Witkowski hammered a single through the box to drive Bottigliero in for a 3-0 lead.
The Twisters left nine runners on base, including the bases loaded in the third inning. De Pinto reached on a one-out error and Rivas reached on a two-out error. Mathews walked to load the bases, but Brian Baudinet (UMass-Amherst) popped out to short on the first pitch he saw, ending the inning.
Torrington plays the Keene Swamp Bats tonight at 7 in the second game of the double dip.

Torrington v. Danbury and Keene - July 30

Torrington plays a do-or-die doubleheader Wednesday against the Danbury Westerners (3 p.m.) and Keene Swamp Bats (7 p.m.).
The Twisters (13-25) are 2 games behind fourth place Manchester (16-24). The top four teams in each division make the playoffs.
Torrington is scheduled to start Brett Miller (San Diego State) and Eric Jokisch (Northwestern). Miller is 1-2 with a 4.88 ERA in 9 games (3 starts) this season, according to the NECBL's Web site. In 31.1 innings this season, Miller has given up 17 runs (all earned) on 29 hits, striking out 28 while walking 21. Opponents are batting .244 against him. Jokisch is 1-3 with a 4.05 ERA in 7 games (6 starts) this season. In 40 innings this season, Jokisch has given up 25 runs (18 earned) on 38 hits, striking out 36 while walking 17. Opponents are hitting .252 against him.
Danbury is slated to start Jonathan Balentina (University of Maine). Balentina is 0-1 with a 5.68 in 10 games (1 start) this season. In 19 innings this season, Balentina has given up 13 runs (12 earned) on 24 hits, striking out 23 while walking 11. Opponents are batting .296 against him.
Keene is projected to pitch Matt Jebb (Maine). Jebb is 1-1 with a 3.90 ERA in 11 games (4 starts) this season. In 27.2 innings pitched, Jebb has given up 18 runs (12 earned) on 32 hits, striking out 24 while walking 11. Opponents are hitting .276 against him.

Torrington splits with Danbury

In an evening that featured the good, the bad, the ugly and even the bizarre, the Torrington Twisters split a doubleheader with the Danbury Westerners Friday night at Fuessenich Park.
Joe De Pinto (USC) sent a jolt through the home fans in the 10th inning of Game 1, launching a solo homer into the river beyond the left field walls to win the game for Torrington 4-3. In Game 2, Danbury took advantage of seven walks, several bunts and a bizarre play in the third inning to win 5-1.
Torrington got a great pitching performance in the opener from Eric Jokisch (Northwestern), who gave a depleted bullpen relief by pitching nine solid innings. Jokisch was hurt by two costly errors, but still managed to keep the Twisters in it until the seventh, when his team tied the game.
Instead of being predictable and coming in with the heat on every first pitch, Jokisch mixed in offspeed, including a nasty changeup. Jokisch’s changeup had some sink to it, which allowed him to induce 12 ground ball outs, including five comebackers to himself.
"Not that many," Jokisch said when asked if he ever had that many balls hit back to him. "I didn’t think that was possible."
In the rare instances when Jokisch fell behind, he relied on his changeup to regain control of the situation. Twice during the game, defensive miscues cost Jokisch.
In the fifth inning with runners at second and third and two outs in the inning, shortstop Chase Austin (Elon) fielded a slowly hit groundball that was closer to third than short. Austin threw off balance to first and his throw was wide, allowing two runs to score instead of one. The play gave the Westerners a 2-1 lead. The throw may not have gotten away had first baseman Rick Wilson (Chandler Gilbert) come off of the bag to block it.
"We made a bad play in the field," Hunt said. "It almost cost us the game. It wasn’t a good decision by (third baseman Corey Huffine) not to field it. It was not a good decision to throw it (by Austin). It was not a good decision to not step off the bag (by Wilson)."
Danbury tallied another run in the next inning thanks to an error that began the rally. On a little roller in front of the plate by Kevin Jackson (Maine), catcher Alejandro Crisostomo (St. Augustine College) threw too high to first, allowing Jackson to reach base. Jackson moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Paul Battigliero’s (Monmouth) double to make it 3-1.
Torrington rallied to tie the game in the seventh. De Pinto singled to left. Corey Shimada (Utah) walked on four pitches, bringing an end to starter Dennis Accomando’s (UConn) day after a good performance. Austin atoned for his earlier error by laying down a bunt single to load the bases.
After leaving the bases loaded in the sixth, the Twisters finally came through in a big spot. Jimmy Rivas (New Haven), after spoiling two 0-2 pitches with foul balls, looped a single to right to make it 3-2. After Jaren Mathews (Rutgers) struck out, Brian Baudinet (UMass-Amherst) hit a sacrifice fly to deep right to tie the game. Reliever Brian Craig (Dominican College) got Josh Chasse (San Diego State) to fly to center to end the inning. Torrington would leave a runner on in the eighth and would also leave the bases loaded again in the ninth.
After a groundout to begin the Twister half of the 10th, De Pinto got a first pitch he liked from reliever Ryan Hagan (Franklin Pierce) and deposited it into the river to win the game.
De Pinto had just missed a homer in the eighth when he flied to left.
The second game was not pleasant for Torrington. Danbury jumped on starter Danny Beck (USC) in the first. Shane Kingsley (Marist) walked to lead off and was followed by Michael Olt (UConn), who was hit by a pitch. A one-out single by Battigliero loaded the bases and Beck gave the Westerners their first run when he walked Kyle Mahoney (High Point) on four pitches.
After a sacrifice fly in the second made it 2-0, Danbury took advantage of a weird play to score two more runs. With runners on first (Melvin Castillo) and second (Mahoney), Jackson grounded softly toward third. Austin Christiansen made a low throw to first, which Chase Austin could not handle with a scoop. The ball rolled a short distance behind Austin, and Mahoney took advantage, scoring from second base. Jackson got into a rundown between first and second. The Twisters got Jackson in the rundown, but Castillo (Eastern Connecticut) was able to score from first. After advancing to third on the error, Castillo inched down the third base line, waiting for his chance. Castillo saw his chance and took off for the plate, beating an off balance throw from Austin to make it 4-0.
Torrington got another sacrifice fly from Baudinet in the bottom of the third to make it 4-1, but the Westerners added another run and Danbury starter Teddy Hurvul (UConn) shackled the Twisters for the rest of the game.
Next up for Torrington is a doubleheader beginning today at 5 p.m. against division rival Newport. Looking ahead, a major game at fourth-place Manchester (14-22) looms Sunday. The Silkworms lost 6-0 at Pittsfield Friday night.

Torrington v. Danbury - July 25

Tonight's doubleheader between Torrington and Danbury is a pivotal one where a push for the final playoff spot is on the line (along with attempting to stay out of last place in the Southern Division).
The Twisters enter the game at 11-20, a game behind Manchester (14-21) in the Southern Division standings, according to the NECBL's Web site. The Westerners come in with the division's worst record at 10-24, but are just 3.5 games out of the final playoff spot.
Torrington is 1-2 against Danbury this season. The Twisters won the first game 10-3 at Fuessenich on June 11, but dropped both sides of a doubleheader on July 15 in Danbury. UConn's Michael Olt won the second game of the doubleheader for the Westerner's with a home run in the bottom of the ninth.
Tonight's doubleheader begins at 5 at Fuessenich Park and will consist of two 7-inning games.
Manchester goes on the road tonight to play Pittsfield at 7.

Torrington still in it

Despite an abysmal stretch in which they have dropped nine of the last 10 games, the Torrington Twisters (10-18) are still in the hunt for the NECBL playoffs.
Eight teams make it, and Torrington is in fifth behind Manchester (13-20), who is just a half game ahead. To make the playoffs, the Twisters will need to take care of business over a busy two week stretch that includes two scheduled doubleheaders.
Torrington travels to Newport tonight to play the second-place Gulls (18-15), who are 5.5 games ahead of the Twisters in the Southern Division. Tonight's game is the first of three this week between the Southern Division foes.
Tuesday brings a home game against North Adams (15-18), who are 2.5 games ahead of Torrington. On Wednesday, the Twisters host Holyoke (15-15). Thursday will bring Newport into town. Torrington is scheduled to play a doubleheader against Danbury (10-23) Friday. The Westerners are in last in the Southern Division. The week ends Saturday with another game against the Gulls at home.

Chalk up two more rainouts

A doubleheader scheduled to be played against the Danbury Westerners was completely washed out by steady rain, with several downpours.
The Twisters have been rained out 10 times this season. Those rainouts include the same game twice, which was opening night on June 6 against the North Adams SteepleCats.
The rainout comes after a tough loss Friday night in Newport, where Chase Reid set a league record by striking out 19 Torrington batters in a 6-1 win by the Gulls. The large amount of rainouts will put a strain on the schedule later in the season, as several makeup games or doubleheaders will need to scheduled.

Updated league standings - as of July 2

Here are the NECBL's Southern Division standings as of July 2:


Team W L Pct GB
Newport Gulls 8 8 .500 -
Torrington Twisters 8 8 .500 -
Pittsfield Dukes 9 10 .474 0.5
Manchester Silkworms 8 10 .444 1
North Adams SteepleCats 6 12 .333 3
Danbury Westerners 4 13 .235 4.5

Torrington travels to Pittsfield Thursday to play the Dukes.

Despite so-so start, Twisters are in first

Despite being just 8-8, the Torrington Twisters are in a tie for first in the NECBL's Southern Division with the rival Newport Gulls before play began Wednesday.
Pittsfield is a game behind at 8-10, with Manchester 1.5 games back at 7-10, North Adams 2.5 back at 6-11 and Danbury 4 back at 4-12. Even the rough start by the Westerners has not knocked them out of the playoff hunt. The top four teams in each division make the postseason.

Torrington rained out again

The Torrington Twisters were rained out for the seventh time this season Tuesday night in Manchester against the Silkworms.
Torrington was rained out 6 times in June, including the same game (opening night at North Adams) twice. The Twisters are scheduled to have a day off Wednesday. After Wednesday, Torrington is not scheduled to have another day off until July 14. That stretch includes a doubleheader on Saturday against Danbury and next Tuesday's exhibition game against the Dominican National Team.
The Twisters are scheduled to return to the field on Thursday in Pittsfield against the Dukes.

Torrington at Holyoke - June 25

Tonight is the first matchup of the season between the Torrington Twisters and the Holyoke Blue Sox (6:30 start).
It is also the first game between teams owned by the Wadsworth family. Robin Wadsworth is the chairman/CEO of Torrington while her sister Karen Wadsworth Rella is chairman/CEO of Holyoke. Robin's brother Barry is the Blue Sox COO/general manager.
Scheduled to make the start for the Twisters (5-5) is left-hander Danny Beck (USC), according to the NECBL's Web site. Beck is 0-0 in 3 appearances with a 1.69 ERA. In 5.1 innings this season, Beck has allowed 4 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, striking out 7 while issuing just one walk. Opponents are hitting a paltry .158 against him this season.
Justin Albert (Vermont) is projected to start for Holyoke. Albert is perfect at 3-0 in three starts this season with a miniscule 0.89 ERA. In 20.1 innings this season, Albert has given up just 2 runs on 8 hits, striking out 21 batters. Albert, however, has walked 15 batters this season. Opponents are batting just .121 against him with 2 extra-base hits.
The Blue Sox are 7-6 on the season and are coming off of a 4-0 win over Danbury Tuesday night. Since a three-game losing streak dropped the team to 3-6, Holyoke has ripped off 4 straight wins.

Torrington v. Team China (exhibition) - June 21

Tonight, the Twisters host the Chinese Olympic Team in an exhibition game at 7 at Fuessenich Park.
Team China dropped an exhibition game in Torrington against Team USA 7-1 on Wednesday. In another exhibition game Thursday, Team China defeated the Danbury Westerners 19-6.
Getting the start for the Twisters is Josh Zeid (Tulane). Zeid is 1-0 on the NECBL season and threw six no-hit innings against the Manchester Silkworms on June 15. Zeid went 7 innings that game, giving up one hit and one walk while striking out nine.

Rainouts plague Twisters

Mother Nature has been an issue for the Torrington Twisters this season.
So far, Torrington has had five games rained out, including last night's tilt with the Danbury Westerners in Danbury. The rainouts began on opening night (June 6), when the Twisters were scheduled to play in North Adams against the SteepleCats. That game was postponed. On June 8, Torrington was supposed to open its home schedule against Newport, complete with a parade. That got rained out.
The Twisters have yet to make up the opening night game against North Adams. Torrington and North Adams were scheduled to make up that game Monday night, but it was again rained out. All told, the Twisters have played seven (one exhibition game included) out of a possible 12 games.

Torrington v. Danbury - June 14

Torrington hosts Danbury tonight at 7 at Fuessenich Park.
Getting the start for the Twisters is Josh Zeid of Tulane University. Zeid will be making his first start for Torrington. He is from New Haven.
The Westerners start left-hander Travis Ratliff of Cortland State. Ratliff is 0-1 on the season.

Twisters notch first home win

The Torrington Twisters won their first home game Friday with a 6-0 shutout of the Manchester Silkworms.
Brett Miller (San Diego State) went six innings for Torrington, giving up one hit while striking out 2 and walking 4. Miller got of a bases loaded jam (3 walks) with a strikeout to end the first inning.
Jaren Matthews (Rutgers) and Jonathan Cluff (Brigham Young) each homered for the Twisters. Matthews hit a three-run homer in the fifth for a 4-0 lead while Cluff's two-run home run in the sixth finished off the scoring. Chase Austin (Elon) starting the scoring with a run-scoring single in the third. Corey Shimada (Utah) scored twice for Torrington.
Craig Schneider (Alderson-Broaddus College) pitched the seventh and eighth innings, giving up two hits while striking out three and walking one. Steve Geltz (Buffalo) pitched a perfect ninth, striking out the side on 10 pitches.
The Twisters are 2-3 on the season and hosts Danbury Saturday at 7. Josh Zeid gets the start against the Westerners. Manchester is 4-2.

Twisters open home season with Pittsfield tonight

The Torrington Twisters will kick off the home schedule for the 2008 season tonight against the 4-1 Pittsfield Dukes at 7 at Fuessenich Park.
Getting the start for Torrington is Andrew Triggs from the University of Southern California. Going for Pittsfield is Michael Ness of Duke University. The Dukes got off to a 4-0 start on the season with two wins against the Danbury Westerners and one win apiece over the Newport Gulls and Manchester Silkworms. Pittsfield dropped its first of the year last night 5-4 to Manchester in Pittsfield. The Dukes bring in a potent offense that has scored 43 runs in five games, including a pair of 12's in wins against Newport and Danbury.
The Twisters have also received good production from their offense, scoring 23 runs in the first three games. Torrington pounded Danbury, scoring 10 runs in a win over the Westerners. Jaren Matthews (Rutgers) led the way with a 3-for-3 night that included a home run, 4 RBIs and 2 walks. Josh Chasse was also strong for the Twisters, going 2-for-4 with a walk, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Josh Smith of Lipscomb picked up the win for Torrington, going the first 7 innings.