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 loses to Pittsfield

Pitching and a lack of timely hits continued to haunt the Torrington Twisters Friday night as they lost 8-2 to the Pittsfield Dukes at Fuessenich Park.
Pittsfield (13-11) got four runs in the first inning off of USC's Andrew Triggs (6 IP, 10 hits, 6 runs, 5 earned runs, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts) and did not look back behind the strong pitching of Kyle Vazquez (Franklin Pierce). Vazquez went seven innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on eight hits, striking out five while walking one.
The Twisters had their chances to get back into the game, but could not put runs across. Torrington left 11 runners on base, including three innings where they left two runners on base, including big chances in the seventh and eighth..
In the seventh, second baseman Corey Shimada (Utah) served a double down the left field line with one out. Shortstop Joe De Pinto (USC) was hit by a pitch, setting up runners at first and second with one out. Vazquez got out of the jam, though he could have been in trouble thanks to his own defense. Chase Austin (Elon) grounded to Craig Hertler (San Jose State) at second base. Hertler, thinking there were two outs, threw to first, bypassing a chance at an inning-ending double play. Vazquez persevered, striking out first baseman Jaren Mathews (Rutgers) with runners on second and third to end the threat.
In the eighth, Torrington got another chance, this time against reliever Adam Knight (Georgia State). After back-to-back strikeouts by Josh Chasse (San Diego State) and Jonathan Cluff (BYU), Brian Baudinet wakled (UMass-Amherst) and Corey Huffine (Post University) singled to put runners on first and second with two outs. Knight wiggled his way out of the jam by striking out Alejandro Crisostomo (St. Augustine) looking. It was the third time in the inning that a Twister batter struck out looking.
With a limited pitching staff due to injuries, Torrington must score runs when the chances present themselves.
Twisters coach Gregg Hunt said the Twisters will look to add a couple arms to the staff before the rosters are frozen Tuesday. The rosters are frozen for the playoffs, meaning players can play after the deadline, but they will not be eligible for the postseason.
The Dukes struck first in the top of the opening inning on a run-scoring triple by Chris Edmondson (Le Moyne). Pittsfield scored its next three runs in the inning with two outs on a single by Matt Adams (Slippery Rock) and a two-run double by Kevin Clements (Manchester Community College).
Torrington got to within 4-1 on a bizarre play in the third. Mathews singled to right with Austin on first. Austin went to third, and the throw from Hertler was wild, going into the dugout, allowing Austin to score and Mathews to take third. Vazquez got out of the inning by getting Chasse to pop up to second on a 3-1 pitch.
The Dukes again added to their lead with two outs, this time in the fourth. With Hertler on first with two outs, Edmondson ripped a hit-and-run single to center. Chasse overran the ball, allowing Hertler to score to make it 5-1. A single by Jason Krizan (Dallas Baptiste) made it 6-1.
Chasse got one back in the sixth when he blasted a solo homer off of a light tower in left field to make it 6-2. After the Twisters could not take advantage of their opportunities in the seventh and eighth innings, the Dukes added two in the ninth off of reliever Craig Schneider (Alderson-Broaddus) on run-scoring singles by Jake Rosenbeck (Buffalo) and Hertler.
Pittsfield is a half game back of Southern Division-leading Newport (14-11), which lost 3-1 to Sanford Friday. Torrington hosts the Gulls tonight at 7. The Twisters trail Newport by 3.5 games.

Torrington loses slugfest to Sanford 17-16

The Torrington Twister offense finally broke out, but 16 runs on 21 hits were not enough as Torrington lost 17-16 to the Sanford Mainers Thursday night.
The Twisters nearly came back from a 17-10 deficit in the final three innings, but fell a run short after scoring 2 in the eighth and 4 in the ninth.
In a back and forth game, Torrington led 4-2 after 3 innings. Sanford scored 8 runs in the fourth to take a 10-4 lead. The Twisters responded with 6 of their own in the fifth to make it 10-10 after five. The Mainers scored five in the sixth to take a 15-10 lead. Two more runs in the seventh made it 17-10 Sanford.
In the eighth, Jaren Mathews (Rutgers) and Brian Baudinet (UMass-Amherst) had RBI doubles to make it 17-12. In the ninth, Joe De Pinto (Southern California) doubled to make it 17-13. A Chase Austin (Elon) single made it 17-14. After Ryan Cole (St. John's) was brought in to pitch for the Mainers, Josh Chasse (San Diego State) ripped a two-run double to make it 17-16. Chasse got to third on a wild pitch, but Cole struck out Baudinet to end the game.
De Pinto went 3-for-6 with a homer, double, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored. Austin went 2-for-5 with a homer, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored. Corey Shimada (Utah) went 3-for-6 with an RBI and 2 runs scored while Chasse went 3-for-6 with 2 RBIs and a run scored. Baudinet went 4-for-6 with 2 RBIs and a run scored. Jonathan Cluff (Brigham Young) was 2-for-5 with a double, RBI and 2 runs scored. Corey Huffine (Post University) went 2-for-5 with a double, 2 RBIs and a run scored.
In his first game with the Twisters, catcher Alejandro Crisostomo went 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored and 2 walks.
Will Greenberg (Maryland) had a big day for Sanford, going 2-for-5 with a grand slam, 5 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Corey Hunt (Virginia) and Branson Joseph (Canisius) each went 3-for-6. Hunt drove in 2 runs and scored twice while Joseph had a double, drove in one and scored 3 times. Steve Brooks (2-for-5, double, 2 runs scored), Michael Murray (2-for-4, RBI, 3 runs scored) and Matthew Nandin (2-for-4, 2 RBIs, run scored) all big days for the Mainers.

Torrington wins slugfest 17-11 over Dominican All-Stars

A big crowd at Fuessenich Park got its money’s worth Tuesday night as the Torrington Twisters and Dominican All-Stars combined for five home runs in a 17-11 Torrington victory.
"I’m happy with the way we swung the bats," Twisters coach Gregg Hunt said of the exhibition game. "Our swings looked better. We looked more comfortable tonight."
Chase Austin (Elon) was locked in, going 2-for-4 with a grand slam, two-run double, run-scoring walk and seven runs batted in. Josh Chasse (San Diego State) added a homer of his own while Joe De Pinto (Southern California) went 4-for-5 with three runs batted in. Rick Wilson (Chandler Gilbert) went 1-for-4 with a double, walk and three runs batted in as Torrington took advantage of 13 hits and 10 walks.
After striking out twice in his first three at bats, Dominican All-Star Julian Alvarez had a great day, smashing two homers and driving in three in the loss.
The Twisters got an early contribution from newcomer Robert Papenhause (Brown), but Papenhause was lifted for Corey Huffine (Post University). After the game, Papenhause had a cast on his wrist.
Kevin Mager (Maine) and Aaron Barrows (Eastern Kentucky) are no longer listed on Torrington's roster.

Matthews wins it for Torrington in 11th

Jaren Mathews (Rutgers) got the Twisters back to .500 with one swing, blasting an 11th-inning solo homer to lead Torrington to a 3-2 victory over the SteepleCats in North Adams, Mass.
Mathews added a double and two runs scored to his strong day while Josh Chasse (San Diego State) went 2-for-5 with two runs batted in for the Twisters (9-9). Danny Beck (Southern California) got the win (2-0) with one inning of scoreless relief. Robert Chimpky (Utah) picked up his fourth save. North Adams is 8-14.

Twisters stun Silkworms

The Torrington Twisters rallied from a 6-0 deficit entering the eighth inning to beat the Manchester Silkworms 7-6 Monday night.
Craig Schneider's three near-perfect innings of relief kept Torrington in the game long enough to make a comeback. Schneider (Alderson Broaddus) gave up one hit, striking out two in relief of Josh Smith (Lipscomb), who was roughed up for 6 runs on 8 hits. Smith walked 6, but was also hurt by Twister errors.
Torrington could not get it going against Manchester starter Tyler Hyde (Middle Tennessee State), despite Hyde's 5 walks. The Twisters struck for 3 runs in 1.2 innings against reliever James Kukucka (Eastern Connecticut State), thanks in part to 4 walks from Kukucka. Torrington also beat up on reliever Brandon Otto (Le Moyne), getting 4 runs (3 earned) on 2 hits in a third of an inning. Otto helped the Twisters by walking 2 batters.
Five Silkworm pitchers combined to walk 12 Twisters Monday. Robert Chimpky (Utah) surrendered only a walk in the ninth while picking up his third save of the season.
Sixth different Torrington batters drove in one run, led by Southern California's Joe De Pinto (4-for-5, double, 2 runs scored, stolen base). Utah's Corey Shimada (2-for-6, run scored), San Diego State's Josh Chasse (0-for-4, 2 walks), Rutger's Jaren Mathews (2-for-4, 2 walks), Brian Baudinet (0-for-3, 3 walks) and Chandler Gilbert's Rick Wilson (1-for-3, run scored, 2 walks) each drove in a run for the Twisters.
Torrington, back at .500 at 8-8, also got a strong day from Goshen native Andrew Rocco (UConn-Avery Point). Rocco went 2-for-4 and scored 2 runs. Pitcher Danny Beck (USC) scored a run as a pinch runner for the Twisters.
Torrington was rained out Tuesday night. The Twisters were due to play their third game in a row against Manchester.

Torrington wins pitcher's duel

The Torrington Twisters got eight strong innings from Eric Jokisch (Northwestern) and a timely hit from Corey Shimada (Utah) to defeat the North Adams SteepleCats 2-1 Sunday night at Fuessenich Park.
Jokisch pitched 8 innings, giving up one unearned run on 3 hits, striking out 6 while walking one. Robert Chimpky (Utah) pitched the ninth, giving up one walk, for the save.
Shimada's eighth inning single to center scored Josh Chasse (San Diego State) with the winning run. The Twisters made 3 errors and left 11 runners on base, but were able to pull out the win. Brian Baudinet (UMass-Amherst) came up big in the field again, throwing out TJ Greig (Malloy College) at the plate to end the third inning.
Shimada, Chasse and Chase Austin (Elon) each had 2 hits for Torrington, now back at .500 at 7-7. North Adams is 6-10. The Twisters face Manchester Sunday at 6 at Fuessenich.

Torrington loses to Pittsfield

Torrington fell back below .500 Friday night with an 8-2 loss to Pittsfield.
The Dukes hit Josh Zeid (Tulane) early, scoring three runs in both the second and third innings on their way to the win over the Twisters in Pittsfield.
Jake Rosenbeck (Buffalo) cleared the bases with a double in the second to give Pittsfield (7-8) a 3-0 lead. Matt Adams (Slippery Rock) laced a two-run double down the left field line in the third to give the Dukes a 5-0 lead. Rosenbeck brought in Adams with a single in the third to make the score 6-0.
Zeid gave up seven runs on 13 hits in seven innings, striking out three while walking two. USC's Joe De Pinto had a run-scoring ground out in the sixth to get Torrington (6-7) on the board at 6-1. A run-scoring single by Bryson Rahier (San Jose State) in the seventh brought in the second Twister run to make the score 6-2.
Pittsfield got one back in the seventh on a fielder’s choice. The Dukes tacked on one more in the eighth on a run-scoring triple by Chris Edmondson (Le Moyne) off of reliever Alex Valadja (James Madison) to make the score 8-2.
Rosenbeck tormented Torrington, going 3-for-4 with four runs batted in. Adams went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and two runs scored. Jason Krizan (Dallas Baptiste) went 2-for-4 with three runs scored while Edmondson went 2-for-5 with a run batted in. Brigham Young's JT Musso (2-for-4, run scored), Eastern Kentucky's Jayson Langfels (1-for-4, run scored) and Perry Silverman of Canisius (1-for-3, RBI, run scored) also played well for the Dukes.
The Twisters were led by Rahier, who went 2-for-3. Brian Baudinet (UMass-Amherst) went 1-for-3 with a double and run scored while BYU's Jonathan Cluff (1-for-3, double, run scored) and SDSU's Josh Chasse (1-for-4) each added a hit.
Torrington hosts North Adams tonight at 7 at Fuessenich Park. Eric Jokisch (Northwestern) is scheduled to start on the mound for the Twisters.

Torrington falls to Vermont

The Torrington Twisters fell back to .500 Thursday night, but remained in a tie for first place in the Southern Division after a 5-2 loss to the Vermont Mountaineers.
Torrington is tied at 6-6 with Newport for the division lead. The Gulls lost to the Holyoke Blue Sox 6-4 Thursday night. Vermont got four runs in the first off of starter Brett Miller (San Diego State), who fell to 1-2 on the season.
The Twisters trailed 5-1, but had the bases loaded with one out in the seventh. Josh Chasse (SDSU) was hit by a pitch, forcing in a run to make it 5-2, but Jaren Matthews (Rutgers) flew out to left and Chase Austin (Elon) popped out to second on a 2-o pitch to end the inning.
Kevin Nieto (Manhattan College) went 4-for-5 with a triple and an RBI for Vermont. The Mountaineers also got two hits from Jeff Mercer (Wright State) and Ethan Paquette (University of Vermont). Eric Smith (University of Rhode Island) pitched 6 innings and got the win to improve to 1-1 on the season.
Alex Valadja pitched 2 strong innings in relief, striking out one while walking one for Torrington. Matthews, Corey Shimada (Utah), Joe De Pinto (USC) and Bryson Rahier (San Jose State) each had one hit for the Twisters.
Torrington plays in Pittsfield tonight at 7 against the Dukes.

Torrington wins third straight

The Torrington Twisters collected their third straight win with a 7-3 triumph over the Holyoke Blue Sox Wednesday night.
Aaron Barrows (Eastern Kentucky) went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs batted in while Watertown native Brian Baudinet (UMass-Amherst) went 2-for-4 with a triple, run batted in and run scored for Torrington, now 6-5. Goshen native Andrew Rocco (UConn-Avery Point) went 1-for-2 with a double, run batted in and run scored while Jonathan Cluff (BYU) went 1-for-5 with two runs scored for the Twisters.
Danny Beck (USC) was strong on the hill for Torrington. Beck went six innings, giving up no runs on three hits while striking out five and walking two. Eric Jokisch (Northwestern) and Craig Schneider (Alderson-Broaddus) finished the game for the Twisters out of the bullpen.
Torrington got a run in each of the first three innings to take a 3-0 lead. Corey Shimada (Utah) opened the scoring by walking to lead off the game. Shimada came around to score on a fielder’s choice by Chase Austin (Elon). The Twisters got their second run when Joe De Pinto (USC) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second inning. In the third, Rocco drove in Cluff with a double. Cluff had reached on an error with two outs in the inning. Cluff then stole second.
Torrington broke the game open with two runs in the fifth inning. After Rocco walked with two outs, Baudinet tripled to right to score Rocco. Shimada struck out swinging for what should have been the final out of the inning, but the ball got past Holyoke catcher Craig Turner (Southern Wesleyan), allowing Baudinet to score to make it 5-0 Twisters.
Torrington added to its lead in the sixth on smart baserunning by Chasse. Chasse singled to lead off the inning. With Austin at the plate and one out, Chasse stole second. Chasse advanced to third on a fly out to center field by Austin. A single by Barrows brought home Chasse for a 6-0 advantage.
The Twisters scored their final run in the eighth. Austin doubled to left center with two outs. Barrows doubled, scoring Austin for a 7-0 lead.
Holyoke scored its first run on a fielder’s choice by Alex Wyche (Alexander Baldwin Agricultural College) in the bottom of the seventh. A bases loaded walk to Turner in the seventh made the score 7-2. The Blue Sox got their final run in the ninth. Shevis Shima (Cal State Fullerton) had an infield single with two outs. A Sean Killeen (Trinity College) single score Shima to make the score 7-3.
Torrington hosts Vermont tonight at 7 at Fuessenich Park.

Twister players among league leaders

Some of the current Torrington Twisters are among the league leaders in several categories in the early part of the season.
Jaren Matthews (Rutgers) is tied for third in RBIs with 9 and is tied for second with 2 home runs, according to the NECBL Web site. Chase Austin (Elon) is also tied for second in homers with 2. Kevin Mager (Maine) is tied for the league lead in triples with one. Josh Chasse (San Diego State) and Corey Shimada (Utah) are eached tied for fourth in the league in steals with 4 and both are tied for third in steal attempts with five.
On the mound, Josh Zeid (Tulane) and Steve Geltz (Buffalo) are among a slew of players tied for first in ERA with a mark of 0.00. Zeid has done it in one 7-inning start while Geltz has pitched four perfect innings. Geltz is also tied for first in opponent batting average with a mark of .000. Brett Miller (San Diego State) is third in innings pitched with 16.1.

Torrington wins second in a row

The Twisters captured their second win in a row and moved to .500 (3-3) with a 4-0 win over Manchester Sunday.
Josh Zeid (Tulane) was brilliant, carrying a perfect game into the seventh, where a lead off single ended it. Zeid ended up going seven innings, giving up one hit and walking a batter while striking out nine.
Chase Austin (Elon) hit his second home run of the season, a solo shot in the sixth inning that gave Torrington a 3-0 lead. Josh Chasse (San Diego State) had an RBI groundout. The other 2 Twister runs scored because of Silkworm errors.
Torrington travels to North Adams Monday to play a makeup game against the SteepleCats, then comes home Tuesday for an exhibition game against Team USA at Fuessenich Park at 7.

Twisters lose heartbreaker in Newport

The Twisters dropped their second straight game Monday, a 7-6 heartbreaker to the Newport Gulls in Newport.
Jack Murphy (Princeton) led off the Newport 11th with a single, according to the NECBL online play-by-play. He was sacrificed to second by Joey Manning (Vanderbilt). After an intentional walk to Taylor Meehan (Havard), Cody Grisham (Tennessee) singled to drive in Murphy with the winning run.
The walk-off single spoiled a great comeback by Torrington in the top of the ninth. With Robert Morey (Virginia) on to close the game for the Gulls, pinch hitter Jonathan Cluff (Brigham Young) singled. After Cluff advanced to second on a wild pitch, Josh Chasse (San Diego State) drew a walk. After Corey Shimada (Utah) struck out looking for the first out, Jaren Matthews (Rutgers) reached on an error to load the bases for Brian Baudinet (UMass-Amherst). Baudinet walked, forcing in Cluff to make the score 6-4.
The Gulls changed pitchers, bringing in Dan Mahoney (UConn). Blake Silguero (Cisco Junior College) greeted him with a sacrifice fly to score Chasse to cut the Newport lead to 6-5.
With the Twisters down to their final out, Aaron Barrows ( singled to score Matthews and tie the game at 6. Torrington had its chances to win the game in the 10th and the 11th. In the tenth, Chasse walked with two outs and stole second, but was stranded.
The Twisters had an even better chance in the 11th. With one out, Baudinet walked and stole second. Things got even better for Torrington when Mahoney uncorked a wild pitch, moving Baudinet to third. Mahoney stranded Baudinet at third by striking out Silguero and Corey Huffine (Post University) to end the jam.
The Gulls also had chances to end the game before the 11th. Newport had runners on first and second with two out in the ninth, but Steve Geltz (Buffalo) got Jeff Butler (Mississippi State) to line out to Chase Austin (Elon) at short to end the jam. In the tenth, the Gulls had a runner on first with one out. Alex Gregory (Radford) ripped a liner to center that was caught by Chasse. Chasse threw to first to double off pinch runner Pete Mastors (Rhode Island) and end the inning.
The Twisters are 0-2 on the season while Newport is 2-1. Torrington takes the road again Wednesday when they play at Danbury.