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04/17/2013 12:00 AMThe East Haven baseball team is in the midst of turning its season around after consecutive wins against Hand and Branford after starting the season 0-5. The Yellowjackets were able to defeat Branford at home on April 15, 3-1, thanks to quality pitching and timely hitting. TheYellowjackets improved to 2-5 (1-1 SCC Oronoque) with the win, while Branford dropped to 3-3 (1-1 SCC).
Tom Moore pitched a complete game for the Easties, allowing one run (unearned) on four hits and a strikeout.
“He’s been phenomenal all year,” said East Haven Head Coach Butch Johnson. “He’s 2-2 right now, but could be 4-0. We finally got some hits for him.”
Moore had every pitch working for him in the game as he was hitting his spots and was working ahead in the count to almost every batter faced.
“I had the curveball working for me today,” Moore said. “The top of their order is pretty good. They were hitting me, but I was trying to keep my fastball away from them.”
Moore dazzled the Hornets late, not allowing a hit after the third inning.
“Unbelievable,” shortstop Nick Lamberti said of Moore’s performance. “The kid won us our last game in the seventh inning, comes in today and throws 68 pitches in seven innings. He’s crazy. He’s a machine.”
The lone run allowed by Moore shouldn’t have even been on base. Robert Petrillo hit a ground ball to second base that Nick Savalli allowed through his legs for an error. Petrillo stole second and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Charles Ahern. He eventually scored on a groundout by B.J. Massey.
Lamberti had two hits and two RBI for the Yellowjackets, including the game-winner in the fifth inning. His first RBI came in the third inning, as he knocked in John Kikosicki. With two outs in the inning, Kikosicki singled just over the head of Branford shortstop Tyler Criscuolo. He moved to second on a pass ball and was driven home by Lamberti’s single.
In the fifth, with the game knotted at one, Jon Criscio led off the inning with a walk and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kikosicki. Lamberti came to the dish with a man in scoring position, but first base open.
“I heard them say they were going to pitch around me, so I thought they were going to intentional me,” Lamberti said.
Branford starter Robert Miniter hung a changeup up in the zone and Lamberti deposited it into center field, driving home Criscio and giving the Yellowjackets a 2-1 lead.
“When he threw him the first strike, I thought he made a mistake,” Johnson said. “But when he had him 2-2, and he threw him a fastball, or whatever he threw him, I was shocked. He’s one of the best hitters in the state. I would’ve let somebody else beat us.”
East Haven tacked on another run in the top of the sixth inning when third baseman Matt Wynne plated Stephen Perricone with one of his two hits on the day. Perricone got on base by hitting into a fielder’s choice on a failed sacrifice bunt attempt and moved to second on a groundout by Pete Grippo. Wynne hit a fastball right up the middle into center field and Perricone barely beat the throw home giving the Yellowjackets a 3-1 lead heading into the seventh inning.
East Haven is riding high with confidence after these two wins. Lamberti called the wins—coupled with the return of Andrew Hinckley back to the lineup from an elbow injury—a turning point and boost for the Yellowjackets moving forward.
“Their confidence is up. I think now they know they can score. It’s like anything. Now they know we have Cross and Career. We win those two and we’re 4-5 all of a sudden with a four-game winning streak,” Johnson said. “You can see the attitude changing now. They’re more positive, they’re thinking they can win, and before I don’t know if they thought they can win. Now I think the attitude is that they think they can win.”