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 hurts playoffs chances with doubleheader loss

In another bizarre twist to the regular season, the Torrington Twisters were a game behind the Manchester Silkworms entering a doubleheader Tuesday.
Shaky defense, one swing from Matt Adams (Slippery Rock) and solid pitching from Kyle Vazquez (Franklin Pierce) helped put Torrington’s playoff hopes behind the eight-ball as the Twisters dropped a pair of games, 3-2 and 7-0, to the Pittsfield Dukes at Fuessenich Park. Adams’ solo shot off of hard-luck complete game loser Josh Smith (Lipscomb) gave Pittsfield a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth. The Dukes were the home team in the first game as the teams finished making up a July 18 doubleheader that had been postponed.
"Even if we got a split today, we’ve got life," Torrington coach Gregg Hunt said. "We got to help ourselves and we need a lot of help."
Manchester split its own doubleheader with Danbury Tuesday, meaning the Silkworms gained a game on Torrington. Manchester now has a two-game lead on the Twisters with opportunities to gain ground fading fast. Torrington’s doubleheader loss means that this year’s team (13-25) will have the worst record in the team’s history (the previous worst record was 19-23, done twice).
The Twisters scored two runs in the first inning and got out to an early lead, something that had not happened in the two previous doubleheaders, where Torrington lost three of four games. Corey Shimada (Utah) led off with a walk, but Joe De Pinto (USC) grounded into a double play. Catcher Jimmy Rivas (New Haven) started up a new rally when he was hit by a pitch. Right fielder Jaren Mathews (Rutgers) scalded a grounder to first that ricocheted off of Adams for a double, putting runners on second and third. Pittsfield starter Jake Sabol (Central Michigan) appeared to be out of the inning when Chase Austin (Elon) lifted a fly ball to left, but Jason Krizan (Dallas Baptiste) lost it in the sun and dropped the ball, allowing Rivas and Mathews to score.
Smith made that margin hold up through the first four innings, striking out five while yielding three hits.
The problem was, Smith was snake bitten in the fifth inning. After Smith struck out the first batter, Jason Martin (San Jose State) lifted a fly ball to left. De Pinto went out after the ball on a play normally made by a left fielder and dropped the ball and Martin hustled into second. Leadoff batter Craig Hertler (San Jose State) grounded the next pitch he saw through the right side for single. Martin scored easily, but Mathews threw home from right. His throw got away from Rivas, allowing Hertler to take second. Hertler advanced to third on a fly out to center by Jayson Langfels (Eastern Kentucky) and scored the tying run when Chris Edmondson (Le Moyne) singled on a 2-2 pitch from Smith.
In the fifth, Austin Christiansen (Chandler Gilbert) led off with an infield single for Torrington, but Shimada fouled off two bunts before striking out. Making matters worse, Christiansen was picked off of first with De Pinto at the plate and one down in the inning.
In the sixth, Adams, one of the league’s most dangerous batters, got a 2-1 pitch he liked and hammered it over the right field wall to give the Dukes a 3-2 lead.
The Twisters had a chance in the top of the seventh against Pittsfield closer Zack Anderson (Buffalo). After a strikeout for the first out, Alejandro Crisostomo (St. Augustine College) reached on an infield single. Josh Chasse (San Diego State) came in to run for Crisostomo, but the Dukes called a pitch out on a 1-1 count to Christiansen, leaving Chasse dead to rights at second base for the second out. Christiansen, however, worked a walk and Shimada reached first when Hertler’s throw from second pulled Adams off the base. Anderson killed the rally, getting De Pinto to fly out to right to end the game.
The second game was anticlimatic for Torrington. The Twisters managed just three hits off of Vazquez (6 innings, 0 runs, 8 strikeouts, 2 walks). Even three straight walks from reliever Jack Bender (Georgetown) with two outs in the seventh could not get Torrington going as Bryson Rahier (San Jose State) struck out to end the game.
The Dukes moved back into a tie for first with Newport, who also won Tuesday. Pittsfield was a half-game out entering Tuesday’s action.
On defense, the Twisters made five errors, leading to three unearned runs for the Dukes. Starter Andrew Triggs (USC) gave up four runs in five innings to take the loss while reliever Josh Zeid (Tulane) gave up three runs—one earned—as his defense made three errors behind him in the final two innings.
Torrington has three scheduled games left while the Silkworms have one scheduled game left. If the Twisters are a game behind Manchester after those games have been played, Torrington and Manchester would make up Sunday’s rainout on Friday’s league-wide makeup date.

Torrington drops both games to Newport

The Torrington Twisters began Saturday with a chance to tie the Manchester Silkworms for the last playoff spot in the NECBL’s Southern Division.
Torrington ended the day with no chance of a tie after losing both games to second-place Newport Gulls. Early offense from Newport, and a lack of it from Torrington contributed to the losses. Manchester won its game Saturday, putting the Twisters 2 games behind the Silkworms for the final playoff spot. Torrington plays at Manchester tonight at 7.
Torrington struck out nine times in both games. Gulls pitchers Stephen Peterson (CG, 1 run, 3 hits, 9 strikeouts, 1 walk) and Geoff Brown (6 IP, 0 runs, 1 hit, 9 strikeouts, 1 walk) shut down Torrington’s bats. In the first game, Peterson (Marist) carried a perfect game into the fifth and a no hitter into the sixth, losing each on the first batter of the inning. In the nightcap, Brown (University of Washington) gave up a first inning single to Jimmy Rivas (New Haven), then retired 17 of the next 18 batters he faced (Brian Baudinet reached base on a passed ball after striking out).
The Twisters managed just seven base runners in the two seven-inning games. The 0-6 record against the Gulls is the first time in Torrington history that the team has gone winless against a divisional opponent.
Despite being down 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth of the opener, the Twisters appeared to have something going after Ricky Wilson (Chandler Gilbert) doubled and Josh Chasse (San Diego State) hit a broken bat single to center to put runners on first and third. On a 1-1 count to leadoff batter Corey Shimada (Utah), Chasse broke for second, but was thrown out trying to steal.
"We get a guy thrown out at second base running on his own," Torrington coach Gregg Hunt said. "It’s not good baseball at any level. We just got a double and a single out of (the eight and nine batters) and things aren’t looking good, but they’re getting better. We’re at the top of the order and we run into an out."
Shimada struck out looking for the second out. Joe De Pinto (USC) got the Twisters on the board with a double past left fielder Kyle Conley (Washington) to score Wilson. Peterson, however, escaped by getting Rivas to fly out to center to end the inning.
Falling behind early in the three losses the last two days has not helped the Twisters. The trend that started in the second game Friday continued Saturday. Newport got two runs in the first of the first game on a two-run error by right fielder Jaren Mathews (Rutgers). Mathews sprinted toward the right center field wall on a ball hit by Conley, but overran the ball. Mathews dropped the ball on a tough play, allowing both runs to score. In the third, the Gulls made it 3-0 on a run-scoring single by Alex Gregory (Radford). Taylor Meehan (Harvard) walked with one out, stole second, and advanced to third on a flyout to center by Mike Tamsin (Northeastern).
It was much of the same in the nightcap. Newport scored twice in the first on a run-scoring triple by Tamsin and a sacrifice fly from Conley. The Gulls tacked on three more in the second against starter Craig Schneider (Alderson-Broaddus). With one out, David Poutier (Pensacola Community College) reached on an infield single. Cody Grisham (University of Tennessee) was hit by a pitch. Poutier and Grisham executed a double steal as Torrington catcher Alejandro Crisostomo (St. Augustine College) could not get a grip on the ball. Leadoff batter Kyle Rhoad (Eastern Michigan) lofted a blooper into center field. The ball landed in front of Baudinet (UMass-Amherst) and Baudinet gunned the ball home to try to get Poutier. Crisotomo reached to catch the ball, but could not hold on as he tried to tag Poutier, making the score 3-0. A sacrifice fly from Tamsin and a run-scoring single by Gregory off of the glove of third baseman Corey Huffine (Post University) to make it 5-0. Brown took care of the rest for Newport.
Torrington plays at Pittsfield, Mass., at 1 p.m. Monday before returning home Tuesday for the first of back-to-back doubleheaders Tuesday and Wednesday.

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.

Torringon gets second chance after delay, but loses to Holyoke

In a surreal game, the Torrington Twisters took advantage of a second chance after a 55-minute weather delay, only to watch their bullpen implode in a 10-4 loss to the Holyoke Blue Sox Wednesday night at Fuessenich Park.
Torrington entered the seventh inning trailing 3-0, but got Corey Huffine (Post University) on with a single and Jonathan Cluff (BYU)—pinch hitting for catcher Bryson Rahier (San Jose State)—worked the count to 2-0. The infield umpire saw lightning in the distance and the players were ordered off the field.
A Twister team that did not have much life in it before the delay seemed to be rejuvenated after it. Cluff worked a walk against reliever James White (UNC Greensboro). A Corey Shimada (Utah) single to center made it 3-1, and the throw from center hit the net behind home plate, allowing Cluff and Shimada to move up a base. A Joe De Pinto (USC) sacrifice fly made it 3-2 and designated hitter Jimmy Rivas (New Haven) tied the game on a groundout to first.
Just as quickly as Torrington drew even, the Holyoke blew the game open. After a groundout, reliever Miles Morton (Auburn) surrendered a single to Ken Gregory (St. Petersburg). Pinch runner Adam Dimino (Cortland State) stole second and third and pinch hitter Peter Fatse (UConn) walked. On the first pitch to Shevis Shima (Cal State Fullerton), the pitch went off the glove of new catcher Alejandro Crisostamo (St. Augustine College) for a passed ball to the back stop, allowing Dimino to score to give the Blue Sox a 4-3 lead. A triple by Shima made it 5-3, and Shima scored when James Wood (Trinity College) singled down the left field line to make it 6-3. Corey Jones (Cal State Fullerton) put a charge into a 2-0 pitch from Morton, slamming it off of the batting cage beyond the right field wall to make it 8-3.
The Twisters got one back in the eighth on a force out at second, but Holyoke answered with another two-run homer in the ninth from Fatse—again off of the batting cage in right field—to make it 10-4.
The Blue Sox took advantage of Torrington on the bases, stealing six (two each by Juan Perez, Shima and Dimino). Twister pitchers also issued 10 walks, seven by starter Andrew Triggs (USC), who lasted just two batters into the fourth.
Brian Baudinet (UMass-Amherst) continued his torrid hitting for Torrington with a 3-for-4 day. Shimada and Huffine added two hits of their own. The Twisters had two hits in both the second and third innings, but could not push a run across against Holyoke starter Michael Lachapelle (Pima Community College). Torrington also left two on in the eighth against reliever Brandon Aich (Kean University) as Crisostamo struck out and Shimada grounded out to third to end the inning.
Alex Valadja (James Madison) was unhittable in relief of Triggs. Valadja kept the Twisters in the game with four scoreless innings of relief as he struck out 11 of the 13 batters that he faced (one of the strikeouts was a passed ball that allowed a runner to reach first).
The loss dropped Torrington (11-20) a game behind Manchester (14-21), who was rained out Wednesday night. The Twisters host Southern Division rival Newport tonight at 7.
NOTES:
Torrington will honor the Waterbury Sandy Koufax League team at Saturday’s game against the Gulls. The Waterbury team won the state tournament and now has a chance to go to the World Series if it wins in the round-robin regional tournament. City native Cody Lemieux plays for the team.

Torrington ends losing streak

The slide is over.
The Torrington Twisters ended their five-game losing streak with a much-needed 10-6 win over the North Adams SteepleCats Tuesday night at sometimes rainy Fuessenich Park.
The Twisters got several contributions offensively, getting five players with at least two hits. Jaren Mathews (Rutgers) homered, doubled, singled and walked, reaching base four times. Jonathan Cluff (BYU) doubled, singled and walked twice, also reaching base four times. Brian Baudinet (UMass-Amherst) continued his hot hitting with two singles and three walks, reaching base in all five of his at-bats. Corey Huffine (Post University) had a two-run single and walked while Corey Shimada (Utah) singled twice and walked.
In the end, timely hitting, four errors and 12 walks led Torrington (11-19) to the win, only its second in the past 12 games. Clay Caulfield pitched five innings for the win, giving up four runs on five hits, striking out three while walking three.
Just like Monday night’s 9-7 loss to Newport, the Twisters got off to a quick start. Shimada walked to lead off the first. North Adams pitcher Nick Serino (UMass-Amherst) had Shimada picked off, but Shimada beat the throw to second and advanced to third after the throw hit him in the back. Shimada came around to score on a wild pitch.
Two walks to Jimmy Rivas (New Haven) and Chase Austin (Elon) brought Cluff to the plate. Cluff ripped a Serino offering to left and the ball stayed down on left fielder Brian Adams (Wright State), allowing Austin to score behind Rivas for a 3-0 lead.
Cue the SteepleCat rallies. North Adams scored a run in both the second and third innings to cut the Torrington lead to 3-2. For a team that blew a 7-0 lead Monday night, that could not have felt good. Unlike Monday night, the Twisters responded.
An Austin sacrifice fly in the third made it 4-2. The SteepleCats came all the way back in the fifth against Caulfield (College of Charleston). T.J. Greig (Malloy College) walked with one out. Back-to-back singles brought Greig around to score to make it 4-3. A sacrifice fly by Greg Van Horn (Brookdale Community College) tied the game at 4.
Once again, the Twisters responded. Cluff led off with a walk and Baudinet singled. After a Ricky Wilson (Chandler Gilbert) sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, Huffine brought both in with a hump-back single to right to make it 6-4. A perfectly-executed double steal made it 7-4 in the sixth. With Mathews on third, Cluff broke for second base. Mathews broke for home and was safe, while Cluff made it to third on a throwing error.
As if trying to write another Torrington nightmare, North Adams cut the lead to 7-6 in the seventh on a two-run homer to left by Van Horn. One swing of the bat from Mathews in the seventh was the Twister response. Mathews got a 1-0 offering he liked and deposited it over the right field wall for an 8-6 advantage.
Josh Zeid (Tulane) and defensive substitution Bryson Rahier (San Jose State) made sure there would not be a response from the SteepleCats in the eighth. Zeid struck out two and Rahier threw out the only baserunner Zeid allowed trying to steal second. Robert Chimpky (Utah) allowed a double, but struck out the side to end the game. The games against divisional foes continues Thursday after Torrington hosts Holyoke tonight.
A Manchester loss Tuesday night put the Twisters back within a half game of the final playoff spot in the Southern Division. Torrington plays at the Silkworms on Sunday.
NOTES: Tonight is Sibling Night at Fuessenich Park as the Twisters take on the Holyoke Blue Sox. Anyone who brings a sibling with them can get their sibling in for free. Torrington Chairman/Co-Owner Robin Wadsworth’s sister Karen Wadsworth Rella owns Holyoke, while her brother Barry is the team’s general manager.

Twisters welcome 4 new players

The Torrington Twisters added some depth to their roster recently with 4 new players.
The players are infielder Austin Christensen (Chandler Gilbert), catcher/outfielder Jimmy Rivas (New Haven), pitcher Clay Caulfield (College of Charleston) and pitcher Miles Morton (Auburn).
Rivas, Caulfield and Morton were eligible to begin playing on July 13. Christensen was eligible to play on July 14.

Twisters take early 7-0 lead, but fall to Newport

The Torrington Twisters would cross the plate seven times in the first two innings, just to see their seven-run lead slip away to the Newport Gulls, who prevailed 9-7 on Monday night in New England Collegiate Baseball League play at Cardines Field.
The Twisters (10-19) plated two runs in the first inning and five more in the second, chasing Gulls starter Kevin Moran. Newport (19-15) would peck away at the seven-run deficit the rest of the game, scoring a run in the third, three in the fifth, one in the sixth and four in the seventh when the Gulls went ahead for good. Torrington starting pitcher Josh Smith (Lipscomb) lasted four innings, allowing four runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and five walks. Reliever Danny Beck (USC) didn't fare much better, going 2 2-3 innings. He surrendered five runs on eight hits, while fanning three and walking one, to take the loss. Chase Austin (Elon) had a big day at the plate for the Twisters, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. Jaren Mathews (Rutgers) had two hits and an RBI and Jimmy Rivas (New Haven) drove in two runs.
Torrington is eight games back of the first-place Pittsfield Dukes (19-12) in the Southern Division. Torrington is 11/2 games behind the fourth-place Manchester Silkworms (14-20). The top four teams in each division make the NECBL playoffs.
The Twisters host North Adams tonight at 7.