Recap of Twister season

Twisters recap story from Aug. 5:

The wheels are already turning for the Torrington Twisters after finishing a frustrating season with a tough 1-0, 10-inning loss to the North Shore Navigators on Thursday.

General Manager Kirk Fredriksson is already looking at players for next season, including some in Connecticut.

A difficult 14-27 season ended with Torrington dropping 18 of its final 23 games after being tied for first place with a 9-9 record on July 6.

"We were 9-9 and were in first place," Twisters coach Gregg Hunt said. "We knew that wasn't going to continue. We thought we had a legitimate shot to get on the right track."

Torrington got to .500 at 9-9 with a 3-2, 11-inning win over in North Adams against the SteepleCats. A Jaren Mathews homer in the 11th won the game.

The euphoria was shortlived, as the Twisters made another trip to North Adams the next night. Torrington made eight errors and lost 13-3.

"Everything seemed to go downhill after that game," Hunt said.

Players forced to play out of position in the field and in the batting order due to a host of injuries and players leaving early for different reasons contributed to the Twisters' slide, Hunt said.

"(The roster) never gelled and we had some guys that we were depending on coming here," Hunt said. "We probably passed on some guys that in hindsight maybe we should have gone after."

It didn't help that Torrington was rained out 14 times this season.

"With the number of rainouts we had, we didn't have any rhythm," Fredriksson said.

Fredriksson said it was hard to lose the players that the Twisters lost early in the season.

"Baseball's a game of exposure," he said. "To the kids' credit, most of them dealt with it well."

Torrington had a 19-player turnover for the season, Hunt said. It started before the season ever began.

Catcher Kevin Silvett of San Diego State, Southern California pitcher Ryan Cabral, pitcher Michael Dixon of San Diego State, Central Michigan infielder Billy Anderson and Arizona shortstop Bryce Ortega could not make it due to injuries. Brigham Young's Steve Parker, a good player for the Twisters last season, went to summer school. James Teas of Central Michigan also did not make it. Chris Epps of Clemson had offseason surgery and was unable to join the team. Others that did not play a game in Torrington included Ryan Wilkins of Lipscomb and Kory Twede of Wright State.

Other players who left for various reasons included Aaron Barrows, Goshen's Andrew Rocco, Kevin Mager, Scott Shuman and Clay Caulfield.

Blake Silguero, a player who hit for power at Cisco Junior College in Texas, played just four games and was sent home because of a back injury. USC's Jordan Hershiser, son of former major league pitcher Orel Hershiser, left because of an arm injury. Robert Papenhause, an infielder from Brown, played in one game, breaking his wrist on a swing.

Steve Geltz, who was slated to be Torrington's closer, was signed by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after pitching in three games for the Twisters.

Turnover is not unusual in summer leagues, but Torrington got bit by it early and often this season.

The statistical bottom line for the Twisters is not pretty.

Offensively, Torrington was tied for last in the NECBL in team batting average (.218), second to last in runs batted in (129), second to last in slugging percentage (.309), second to last in runs scored (146), second to last in on-base percentage (.300) and second to last in sacrifice hits (7). When the Twisters did get on base, they made life tough on opposing catchers, finishing fifth in the league in stolen bases (62).

The offensive woes did not make life easy for Torrington's pitching staff.

"Our pitchers are thinking, 'I got to hold teams to three runs or less or we have no chance to win,'" Hunt said.

Another problem was the Twisters had a hard time holding down their opponents in the first few innings of a game. Torrington was outscored by its opponents 38-24 in the first inning, 26-15 in the second, 29-13 in the third and 30-6 in the fourth. For an offense that had trouble scoring runs, being put behind the 8-ball early did not help. Torrington was 2-13 when opponents scored in the first inning and was 1-15 when its opponent scored first in a game. Comebacks were also not in the cards for the Twisters. Torrington was 3-24 when trailing after six innings, and that record slipped to 1-19 when trailing after seven and 1-21 when trailing after eight.

"We had games where we would not do well in the beginning and we were out of it," Fredriksson said.

The pitching staff was hurt by injuries and inconsistency. Several pitchers had good performances at the end of the year, but were hurt by a lack of run support.

Overall, the Twisters finished third to last in team earned run average (4.44), fourth in most hits allowed (350), second in most runs allowed (232), third in most walks allowed (183), tied for fourth in most triples allowed (8), fourth in most hit batters (40), tied for first in most wild pitches (37) and for second in most balks (6). On the positive side, Torrington pitchers finished tied for third in most strikeouts (346). Twisters hurlers also had the second most strikeouts where batters were called out looking with 105.

Torrington will not change how it recruits despite its worst record in its 12th season, Fredriksson said."We'll recruit the same," Fredriksson said. "You can't have that bad a luck every year. You can't lose 19 players every year."Baseball is a game of adjustments, Hunt said, and everyone from owners to general managers to coaches will make the necessary changes."

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 v. Newport - July 26

The Twisters play the second of four doubleheaders when they host Newport today, starting at 5 p.m.
Torrington is scheduled to start Miles Morton (Auburn) and Craig Schneider (Alderson-Broaddus). Morton is 0-2 with a 14.54 ERA in 3 games this season, according to the NECBL's Web site. In 4.1 innings pitched, Morton has given up 7 runs (all earned) on 8 hits, striking out 3 while walking 1. Opponents are batting .400 against him this season.
Schneider is 1-0 with a 2.29 ERA in 10 appearances this season. In 19.2 innings pitched, he has given up 8 runs (5 earned) on 18 hits, striking out 22 while walking 11. Opponents are hitting .234 against Schneider this season.
Newport is projected to pitch Stephen Peterson (Marist) in Game 1. Peterson is 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA in 11 appearances (2 starts). In 28 innings pitched, he has given up 16 runs (10 earned) on 33 hits, striking out 32 while walking 9. Opponents are batting .306 against Peterson this season.
Game 2's starter is scheduled to be Geoff Brown (University of Washington). Brown is 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 10 games (0 starts) this season. In 21.1 innings pitched, Brown gave up 12 runs (8 earned) on 20 hits, striking out 22 while walking 11. Opponents are hitting .241 against him this season.

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 v. Holyoke - July 23

The Twisters host the Holyoke Blue Sox tonight at 7.
Torrington is scheduled to start Andrew Triggs (USC). Triggs is 0-3 with a 5.13 ERA in 7 games (5 starts) this season, according to the NECBL's Web site. In 26.1 innings, Triggs has given up 21 runs (15 earned) on 30 hits, striking out 23 while walking 16. Opponents are batting .283 against him this season.
The Twisters are 11-19, a half game out of the final playoff spot in the Southern Division. Torrington has lost 10 of its last 12 games, but won Tuesday night 10-6 over North Adams.
Holyoke is 15-15, 1.5 games out of the final playoff spot in the Northern Division. The Blue Sox have lost 4 out of their last 6 after winning 3 straight earlier this month.

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. North Adams - July 22

The Twisters begin a pivotal stretch of home games tonight against the North Adams SteepleCats.
Clay Caulfield (College of Charleston) is scheduled to start for Torrington (10-19). Caulfield is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in one start during his brief time with the Twisters. In 5 innings against Sanford on July 16, Caulfield gave up 4 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, striking out 3 while walking 2.
North Adams is projected to start Nick Serin0 (UMass-Amherst). In 8 games (5 starts) this season, Serino is 2-2 with a 5.45 ERA. In 34.2 innings, Serino has given up 29 runs (21 earned) on 34 hits, striking out 30 while walking 16. Opponents are batting .258 against him this season.

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.

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.

Southern Division defeats Northern Division in All-Star game

Two-thirds of the way through a trying season, three Torrington Twisters got the chance to play in the NECBL All-Star game at Fuessenich Park on Sunday night.
Robert Chimpky threw a scoreless eighth inning for the Southern Division team while Brian Baudinet and Chase Austin each played four innings, garnering two at-bats apiece in a 5-2 win for the Southern Division over the Northern Division.
"It’s a dream coming out here," Chimpky said. "It was a long day for all of us."
The day began with skills competitions that did not start until 1:45 p.m., almost five hours before game time. Chimpky, Baudinet and Chasse all enjoyed their chance to play. Baudinet (0-for-2) played four innings in left, while Austin (0-for-1, walk) got in four of his own at third base.
"It was a fun experience," said Baudinet, a Watertown native. "All the guys were good players."
"It was awesome," Austin said. "It was just cool seeing all the talent here."
Newport’s Mike Melillo earned Most Valuable Player honors, going 2-for-2 with a double and two runs batted in. Melillo’s first-inning single drove in John Malloy of North Adams to make it 1-0. Malloy doubled off starter Casey Harmen of Vermont to lead off the inning. After a fly out to center by Pittsfield’s Chris Edmondson, Mike Tamsin of Newport looped a single into shallow left field to make it first and third. Newport’s Alex Gregory struck out, but Pittsfield’s Matt Adams walked, bringing up Melillo.
The South got four more in the third off Holyoke’s Justin Albert. Edmondson singled to center. Walks to Tamsin and Gregory loaded the bases for Adams. Adams grounded into a well-turned, 6-4-3 double play, but Edmondson scored to make it 2-0.
Cue the MVP again.
Melillo drove the first pitch he saw from Albert to deep left-center field to make it 3-0. On the next pitch, Danbury’s Michael Olt blasted a two-run homer well over both fences between the light towers in left for a 5-0 advantage.
"It’s a long day, but it’s a fun day," said Torrington coach Gregg Hunt, an assitant coach for the Southern Division.
More than 20 scouts took in the game behind home plate, Hunt said. The North scored both its runs in the fifth inning off Kyle Vazquez of Pittsfield. North Shore’s Tyler Kuehl reached on an error by Olt to lead off. Lowell’s Nicolas Pecora singled through the right side to put runners on first and second with none out. After James Wood of Holyoke struck out, Kuehl and Pecora executed a double-steal with Keene’s Alex Lee at the plate. A Lee groundout made it 5-1. A wild pitch with Vermont’s Nick Harris at the plate made it 5-2. Vazquez struck out Harris to end the inning.
Four Southern pitchers held the Northern Division’s best players scoreless over the final four innings, yielding one hit and one walk, while striking out four.
NECBL Skills Competition
Several Twisters competed in different events during a skills competition held Sunday afternoon. Joe De Pinto finished second in the most accurate infield arm competition. Chase Austin competed in the home run derby, while Josh Chasse did well in the most accurate outfield arm competition.
UConn’s Michael Olt, of the Danbury Westerners, won the home run derby with 11 homers over three rounds. Danny Petro of the Keene Swamp Bats finished second in the derby. Newport’s Alex Gregory blasted seven homers in the first round.
Adam Dimino of the Holyoke Blue Sox won the 60-yard dash. Steven Felix of the Vermont Mountaineers won the most accurate outfield arm competition, while Jayson Langfels of the Pittsfield Dukes won the infield event and Cody Stanley of the North Adams SteepleCats won the catcher’s competition.
Former Torrington player Jeff Hourigan, a three-time Twister and two-time league all-star, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Torrington v. Pittsfield - July 11

The Torrington Twisters, coming off of a 17-16 loss to Sanford Thursday night, take on the Pittsfield Dukes Friday at 7 at Fuessenich.
Scheduled to pitch for Torrington (9-12) is Andrew Triggs (Southern California). Triggs is 0-2 with a 4.43 ERA in 6 appearances (4 starts), according to the NECBL's Web site. In 20.1 innings this season, Triggs has given up 15 runs (1o earned) on 20 hits, striking out 20 while walking 12. Opponents are hitting .250 against him this season.
Projected to pitch for Pittsfield (12-11) is Kyle Vazquez. Vazquez is 2-0 with a strong 0.98 ERA in 5 appearances (4 starts) this season. In 27.2 innings this season, Vazquez has given up 7 runs (3 earned) on 21 hits, striking out 23 while walking just 5. Opponents are batting .221 against him this season.
The Dukes are in second place in the Southern Division, 1.5 games behind Newport and 2 games ahead of the Twisters. Torrington is 3.5 games behind the Gulls (14-10).

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 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.

Halfway point here

The Torrington Twisters have reached the halfway point in the season and are 9-11.
Torrington is still hitting below .200 as a team, batting .195, according to the NECBL's Web site. The Twisters have scored the least amount of runs (72), driven in the least amount of runs (64), drawn the least amount of walks (76) and have the lowest slugging percentage at .279 and lowest on-base percentage at .297.
Torrington is tied for fourth in an obscure category offensively. Twister batters have been hit by the pitch 22 times this season.
On the mound, Torrington has fared better as a team. The Twisters are ranked fifth in ERA (3.58) and second in the least amount of home runs given up (4). Opponents are hitting just .236 against them, third lowest in the NECBL, but Torrington pitchers have walked batters in bunches at points this season. Twister pitchers have recorded two shutouts, good for a tie for third with six other teams.
Torrington has been plagued by rainouts this season. The Twisters have played the least amount of games (20) of any team in the league. Most teams have already played between 22 and 25 games, with Sanford having played the most at 26.

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.

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 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 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 v. North Adams - June 28

The Twisters host the SteepleCats of North Adams tonight at 7 at Fuessenich.
Scheduled to start for Torrington (6-7) is Eric Jokisch (Northwestern). Jokisch is 0-1 in 2 games (one start) with a 8.53 ERA, according to the NECBL's Web site. In 6.1 innings, Jokisch has given up 6 runs on 9 hits, striking out 7 while walking 4. Opponents are batting .333 against Jokisch this season.
North Adams (6-9) is projected to start Matt Sommo (University of New Haven). Sommo, who is a native of Clinton, Conn., is 0-2 in 4 appearances (3 starts) with a 5.06 ERA. In 16 innings this season, Sommo has given up 10 runs (9 earned) on 15 hits, striking out 10 while walking 6. Opponents are hitting .254 against Sommo this season.

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 v. Vermont - June 26

The Torrington Twisters return home tonight to play the Vermont Mountaineers at 7 at Fuessenich Park.
Torrington (6-5) is scheduled to start Brett Miller (San Diego State). Miller is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 3 appearances (2 starts), according to the NECBL's Web site. In 16.1 innings, Miller has given up 7 runs on 13 hits, striking out 12 while walking 10. Opponents are hitting .220 against Miller this season.
Vermont (6-6) has won 4 in a row after starting the season 2-6. The Mountaineers are scheduled to start Eric Smith (Rhode Island) of Milford, Conn. Smith is 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA in 3 appearances (2 starts). In 12 innings pitched, Smith has given up 8 runs (7 earned) on 12 hits, striking out 7 while walking 6. Opponents are batting .261 against Smith this season.

Torrington beats Keene

After being rained out for the sixth time this season Monday night, the Twisters got back into the swing of things with a 3-1 win over the Northern Division-leading Keene Swamps Bats in Keene, N.H., Tuesday night, according to the NECBL's Web site.
The win puts Torrington back at .500 at 5-5. The Twisters were rained out Monday night in Lynn, Mass., where they were scheduled to play the North Shore Navigators.
Jonathan Cluff (BYU) got the night started for Torrington with a solo homer to right center in the top of the third. Three batters later, Corey Shimada (Utah) made it 2-0 with a solo shot of his own to right center.
The Twisters extended their lead to 3-0 in the seventh on an RBI single by Brian Baudinet (UMass-Amherst). Keene scored its only run in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Josh Chester (St. Petersburg). Chester was thrown out by Cluff (the right fielder) attempting to stretch his single into a double.
Josh Smith (Lipscomb) picked up his second win of the year with another strong performance. Smith went 8 innings, allowing a single run on five hits, striking out 12 while walking just 2. Robert Chimpky (Utah) pitching the final inning, giving up no runs on two hits while striking out three, picking up his first save of the season.
James Wise (Washington State), the NECBL's co-pitcher of the week with Josh Zeid of Torrington in Week One, suffered the loss. Wise pitched 7 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, striking out 2 while walking one.
Baudinet and Chase Austin (Elon) each had 2 hits.

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.

Twisters have busy weekend

The Torrington Twisters (3-4) will play three home games this weekend, starting tonight at 7 against the Lowell All-Americans (4-5 as of June 19).
Torrington plays Team China in an exhibition game at 7 Saturday and closes out its four-game homestand against the North Shore Navigators at 6 p.m.
Barring rainouts -- which have been frequent for the Twisters this season -- Torrington will not have another day off until Wednesday, July 2, meaning the Twisters will play 12 straight games.
As of June 19, the Keene Swamp Bats hold the NECBL's best record at 8-1. The Newport Gulls lead the Southern Division with a 6-2 mark. Torrington is in fifth place out of six teams in the Southern Division, though the Twisters are only 2.5 games out of first place.

Torrington v. Lowell - June 20

The Torrington Twisters play the second game of a four-game homestand tonight against the Lowell All-Americans at 7.
Scheduled to start for Torrington will be Eric Jokisch (Northwestern). It will be Jokisch's first start of the season for the Twisters. Jokisch last pitched against Team USA in an exhibition game Tuesday. Jokisch went one inning, giving up a run on two hits, striking out one and walking none.
Lowell is scheduled to start Conor Fahey (Worcester Polytechnic Institute), according to the NECBL Web site. Fahey is 0-1 on the season with a 1.80 ERA. In two starts, Fahey has pitched 10 innings, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits, striking out 7 while walking 2. Batters are hitting .229 against him this season.
Torrington is 3-4 while Lowell is 4-5.

Twisters nearly no-hit by North Adams

The Torrington Twisters almost made the wrong kind of history Thursday night as they came within two outs of being no-hit by North Adams in a 7-0 loss.
Tim Boyce, normally a closer when he pitches for the University of Rhode Island, made his third start of the season for the SteepleCats. Boyce was on his game, surrendering only a hit batsmen in seven innings while striking out nine. Reliever Derek Shaw (Florida Gulf Coast) walked two in the eighth but go out of it without giving up a run or hit.
Chase Austin (Elon) broke up the no-no in the ninth with one out when he singled past a diving T.J. Greig at third. Dayton Marze (University of Louisiana-Lafayette) had come in to pitch the ninth for North Adams.
Brett Miller (San Diego State) took the loss for Torrington.
The Twisters host Lowell tonight at 7.

Torrington v. North Adams - June 19

Tonight, the Torrington Twisters host North Adams at 7.
This game is the first of two regular season NECBL games that Torrington will play before another exhibition game Saturday, this time against Team China. The SteepleCats are 3-4 on the season, but have won their last two games, both against the Pittsfield Dukes.

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.

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.

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.

Schneider on Torrington roster

Craig Schneider, a junior left-handed pitcher from Alderson-Broaddus College (Philippi, W.V.) has been added to the Torrington roster. Schneider made an appearance in the game against Newport Monday, going 2 innings (2 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 2 strikeouts, 1 walk).
Schneider is from Marcy, N.Y.

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.

Twisters drop opening game at Manchester

The Torrington Twisters opened the season a day late with a 9-7 loss to the Manchester Silkworms in Manchester Saturday night.
Andrew Triggs suffered the loss for Torrington as the Manchester offense scored six runs in the first two innings. Despite the 6-0 hole at the end of two innings, the Twisters rallied for four runs in the third to cut the deficit to 6-4.
Torrington would get within 6-5 after the top of the fourth, but the Silkworms scored twice in the bottom of that inning to take an 8-5 lead. After Manchester added a run in the seventh for a 9-5 advantage, the Twisters scored twice in the eighth to get within two at 9-7. That would be as close as Torrington would get, however, as the Silkworms shut the door.
Blake Silguero (Cisco Junior College) went 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Twisters, who fall to 0-1. Josh Chasse (San Diego State University) added a 2-for-5 day that included a RBI, a stolen base and a run scored. Corey Shimada (University of Utah) went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks, two runs scored and two steals.
Shortstop Kevin Mager, recently signed by Torrington from the University of Maine (Orono), went 1-for-3 with a triple, a walk and two runs scored.
Manchester was led by Zach Hudson (Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro) went 2-for-3 with a double, RBI, three walks and three runs scored. Matt Grosso (Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.) of Marlborough, Conn., went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored while JD Broderick (West Virginia State, Institute) went 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs and two walks for the Silkworms. Despite not recording an official at-bat, J.P. Polchinski (Army, West Point, N.Y.) scored three runs because he was hit by pitches twice and walked once.
Manchester took advantage of three hit batters and 10 walks issued by Twister pitching. Torrington is scheduled to play again Monday at Newport at 6:35 p.m. Sunday's home opener against the Gulls was rained out.

Opening Night rained out

Tonight's game between the Torrington Twisters and the Newport Gulls at Fuessenich Park has been postponed due to rain. No makeup date had been announced as of 6:40 p.m. Sunday.
Torrington is scheduled to play at Newport Monday at 6:35 p.m. The next scheduled home game is Thursday at 7 p.m. against the Pittsfield Dukes.

Let the home games begin

On Sunday, the time will arrive for the Torrington Twisters to begin its 2008 home schedule. Torrington will host the Newport Gulls at 6 p.m. after a parade to Fuessenich Park.
The parade begins at 4:30 p.m. and will feature around 500 people, including 350 little leaguers from Thomaston. The Twisters were scheduled to open the season in North Adams, but the game was postponed until Monday, June 16.