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 v. North Shore - July 31

Despite struggling all season (14-26), the Torrington Twisters are still alive in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the Southern Division of the NECBL. Torrington will need to win in North Shore Thursday night and get a loss from Manchester, who plays at Vermont. If that scenario happens, the Twisters and Silkworms will make up Sunday's rainout Friday. If Torrington won the makeup game, the teams would need to play a one-game playoff, in accordance with NECBL rules. The rules state that the final playoff spot would not be decided by records in case of a tie, but by a one-game playoff (NECBL.com under Playoffs). The Twisters are scheduled to start Danny Beck (USC). Beck is 2-3 with a 5.23 ERA in 10 games (3 starts) this season, according to the NECBL's Web site. In 31 innings this season, he has given up 26 runs (18 earned) on 30 hits, striking out 29 while walking 17. Opponents are hitting .254 against him. The Navigators are scheduled to pitch Mike DiCato (UMass-Amherst). DiCato is 2-3 with an ERA of 6.00 in 6 games (all starts) this season. In 33 innings pitched, DiCato has given up 23 runs (22 earned) on 36 hits, striking out 24 while walking 10. Opponents are batting .283 against him.
Torrington won its only contest against North Shore, a 3-2 victory on June 22 at Fuessenich Park. Corey Shimada singled in the ninth, stole second and scored on Joe De Pinto's game-winning single.

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 v. Pittsfield - July 29 (doubleheader)

The Twisters have a golden opportunity to make a move for the final playoff spot as they trail fourth-place Manchester by just a game with both teams scheduled for doubleheaders today.
Torrington will have to get past second place Pittsfield (first game scheduled for 5 p.m.), which has plenty to play for in its own right after losing 2 Monday to fall a half a game behind Newport for first place in the Southern Division. The Silkworms host Danbury in a doubleheader today.
The Twisters defeated the Dukes 1-0 in a game continued from July 18. The win was Torrington's first against Pittsfield this season (1-3). The Dukes are slated to start Jake Sabol (Central Michigan) and Kyle Vazquez (Franklin Pierce) of Berlin, Conn. Vazquez was dominant in his first start against the Twisters on July 11, an 8-2 win. Vazquez went 7 innings, giving up 2 runs (1 earned) on 8 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1.
Sabol has made just 1 start this season, but has been effective for the Dukes, going 2-1 in 12 appearances with a 2.66 ERA, according to the NECBL's Web site. In 20.1 innings this season, Sabol has allowed 9 runs (6 earned) on 25 hits, striking out 16 while walking just 2. Opponents, however, are batting .298 against him this season.

Torrington at Manchester - July 27

Torrington travels to Manchester Sunday night to play a pivotal game against the Silkworms.
The Twisters (12-23) trail the Silkworms (15-22) by 2 games for the final playoff spot in the Southern Division. Getting the start for Torrington is Josh Smith (Lipscomb). Smith is 2-1 in 6 games (all starts) this season with a 4.15 ERA, according to the NECBL's Web site. In 36 innings this season, Smith has given up 23 runs (17 earned) on 36 hits, striking out 43 while walking 25. Batters are hitting .259 against him this season.
Manchester is projected to pitch Jamil Acosta (Rio Hondo College). Acosta is 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 4 games (2 starts) this season. In 13 innings pitched, Acosta has given up 8 runs (6 earned) on 16 hits, striking out 9 while walking 4. Opponents are batting .291 against him this season.
The Twisters are 3-2 against the Silkworms this season.

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 at Manchester - June 30

Torrington plays its second game of three in a row against Manchester tonight at 7 in Manchester.
The Twisters are scheduled to start Josh Smith (Lipscomb). Smith is 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA in 2 starts this season, according to the NECBL's Web site. In 15 innings, Smith has given up 4 runs on 10 hits, striking out 20 while walking 3. Opponents are hitting just .200 against him this season.
The Silkworms are projected to start Tyler Hyde (Middle Tennessee State). Hyde is 0-1 with a 1.53 ERA in 3 starts this season. In 17.2 innings, Hyde has given up 4 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits, striking out 12. Hyde has issued 15 walks this season. Opponents are batting just .138 against him this season.

Manchester strands 13 Torrington runners in win over Twisters

Torrington left 13 runners on base in a 6-3 loss to Manchester Sunday night.
The Silkworms trailed 3-1 early, but rallied for 2 in the 4th to tie the game.
Manchester broke through in the eighth against reliever Alex Valadja (James Madison University). Sean O’Hara (Harvard) walked to lead off the inning. First baseman Jeff Cammans (Rhode Island) picked on Valadja’s first pitch and ripped it off of the top of the left field fence to put runners on second and third with none out. After Michael Gallic (Marist) was walked intentionally, Michael Bourdon (Fairfield) walked to give Manchester the lead at 4-3. On an 0-1 pitch to J.P. Polchinski (Army), Valadja hit him in the foot with a curveball. Hunt argued that Polchinski did not make an attempt to get out of the way of the pitch, but the protest was to no avail. The next batter, A.J. Rusbarsky (Seton Hall), lifted a fly ball to center field. Josh Chasse (San Diego State) threw home, but his throw was well up the third base line and Gallic scored. A good throw may have gotten Gallic at the plate. Instead, the score was 6-3.
Torrington put up a major threat against reliever J.J. Potrikus (SUNY-Cortland) in the eighth. After a Brian Baudinet (UMass-Amherst) single, Corey Huffine (Post University) grounded to first base and was thrown out 3-1. The Twisters argued that Potrikus’s foot was off the base, but the call was not changed. Corey Shimada (Utah) singled to center to put runners on first and second, but Joe De Pinto (Southern California) popped out to short. Austin was hit by a pitch to load the bases, bringing the go ahead run to the plate. Potrikus got Jaren Mathews (Rutgers) to pop to Bourdon to end the inning.
De Pinto went 2-for-5 for the Twisters. Torrington (7-8) also got hits from Shimada, Chasse, Baudinet and Chase Austin (Elon). Bourdon went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs for Manchester (7-9), which ended a five-game losing streak. The Silkworms also got 2 hits apiece from Matt Gross (Notre Dame) and Zach Hudson (Middle Tennessee State).

Torrington v. Manchester - June 29

The Twisters host the Manchester Silkworms Sunday at 6 at Fuessenich Park before hitting the road for the week.
Torrington is 2-1 against Manchester this season.
Scheduled to start for the Twisters (7-7) is Andrew Triggs (Southern California), according to the NECBL's Web site. Triggs is 0-2 in 4 appearances (3 starts) with a 5.11 ERA. In 12.1 innings, Triggs has given up 9 runs (7 earned) on 9 hits, striking out 13 while walking 7. Opponents are hitting .200 against Triggs this season.
Projected to pitch for the Silkworms is James Kukucka (Eastern Connecticut State) of Vernon, Conn. Kukucka is 1-0 in 4 appearances this season with a 2.25 ERA. In 8 innings this season, Kukucka has given up 2 runs on 7 hits, striking out 5 while walking one. Opponents are batting .241 against Kukucka 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.

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.

Miller pitched seven innings last night

Brett Miller (San Diego State) pitched seven innings in a 6-0 win over the Manchester Silkworms last night. A story on B1 of Saturday's Register Citizen reported that Miller pitched six innings.
Miller walked three batters in the first inning, but settled down in the other six, walking just one. Miller threw 25 pitches in the first inning and 57 over the first three, but needed just 50 pitches over the final four innings. Miller retired the side in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
Miller's official line for the game was 7 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts.
Craig Schneider pitching the eighth for Torrington, giving up a hit and walk while striking out one. Steve Geltz finished for the Twisters, striking out the side on 10 pitches.

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.

Torrington v. Manchester - June 13

The Torrington Twisters host the Manchester Silkworms tonight in the second game of a four-game homestand. The game begins at 7. Brett Miller (San Diego State) will get the nod for Torrington while Jeremiah Bayer (Trinity College ) goes for Manchester.
The Silkworms are 4-1 on the season and have won all four by two runs or less. Torrington is 1-3 and lost 5-1 to Pittsfield in its home opener Thursday night.

Torrington drops home opener to Pittsfield

The Torrington Twisters lost the 2008 home opener 5-1 Thursday to the Pittsfield Dukes.
Torrington's pitching and solid defense kept the team in it until the ninth, where Pittsfield score three runs. The Dukes got an RBI single from Craig Hertler (San Jose State) and a line drive two-run homer from Tyler Stampone (William & Mary) to take a 5-1 win. Pittsfield led 2-1 entering the ninth.
Leading the Twisters was Chase Austin (Elon). Austin drove in Torrington's only run with a solo home run deep over both walls in left center field in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Twisters play the second game of the four game homestand against the Manchester Silkworms tonight at 7.