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.

Torrington v. Sanford - July 10

The Torrington Twisters (9-11) host the Sanford Mainers (17-9) tonight at 7 at Fuessenich Park.
Tonight is the United Way of Northwest Connecticut's "Night at the Twisters." Torrington is scheduled to start Josh Zeid (Tulane). Zeid is 1-2 this season with a 3.68 ERA in 4 games (3 starts), according to the NECBL's Web site. In 22 innings this season, Zeid has given up 13 runs (9 earned) on 22 hits, striking out 22 while walking 6. Opponents are batting .259 against Zeid this season.
Sanford is projected to pitch Mark Schmidt (University of Southern Maine). Schmidt is 2-1 with a 1.45 ERA in 5 games (3 starts) this season. In 18.2 innings, Schmidt has given up 3 runs on 13 hits, walking 14 while striking out 13. Opponents are hitting just .210 against Schmidt this season.

Torrington at Pittsfield - June 27

The Twisters take to the road to play the Pittsfield Dukes tonight at 7.
Scheduled to start for Torrington is Josh Zeid (Tulane). Zeid is 1-0 in one start this season with a 0.00 ERA, according to the NECBL's Web site. In a victory over the Manchester Silkworms June 15, Zeid surrendered just one hit, striking out nine while walking one. Zeid pitched six no-hit innings that game. Opponents are hitting a tiny .045 against Zeid this season.
Pittsfield is projected to start Alex MacKenzie (Canisius). MacKenzie is 0-0 in 3 starts with a 3.50 ERA this season. In 18 innings, MacKenzie has given up 9 runs (7 earned) on 20 hits, striking out 12 while walking 6. Opponents are batting .286 against MacKenzie this season.

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.

Zeid earns NECBL co-pitcher of the week

Josh Zeid (Tulane) has been named NECBL Co-Pitcher of the Week for Week 1 of the season along with Keene hurler James Wise (Washington State), according to the league Web site.
Zeid carried a no hitter into the seventh inning of his start against Manchester on June 15. Zeid went 7 innings, giving up a hit and walk while striking out 9. Torrington won the game 4-0.
Wise earned 2 victories in 3 appearances for the Swamp Bats, helping his team get off to a hot start.

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.

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.

Familiar face to join Twister roster tonight

Josh Zeid, a junior right-handed pitcher from Tulane University, is scheduled to join the Torrington Twister roster tonight for the game against the Pittsfield Dukes.
It will be the second time around for Zeid, who is from New Haven,. Zeid played for the Twisters in 2006, then moved to the Cape Cod League in 2007. Zeid had plenty of success in Torrington, going 4-1 with a 3.19 ERA in 10 appearances, which included six starts.
Zeid transferred from Vanderbilt to the Green Wave, according to Tulane's athletics Web site. Zeid went to Hamden Hall Country Day School. In his final two seasons, Hamden Hall won back-to-back New England Championships.