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08/12/2013 12:00 AMFor the fourth time since 2005, the Branford Senior Legion baseball team is on its way to the Northeast Regional final and Post 83’s athletes sure hope this one turns out like the last three.
Branford defeated host Middletown 6-5 at Palmer Field on Aug. 11, hanging on for the victory when reliever John Amendola got Post 75’s big bat to ground out to second base with runners on first and second in the top of the ninth.
Later on Aug. 11, Branford took a 14-7 loss to Worcester, Massachusetts in what was an elimination game for Worcester. Worcester then defeated Barnstable, Mass. 7-3 on Aug. 12 and Post 83 will face Worcester in a winner-take-all game for championship at 7 p.m. at Palmer Field.
Branford (35-2) has won the Northeast Regional in its other three championship game appearances en route to the World Series. This year’s World Series is in Shelby, North Carolina from Friday, Aug. 16 to Tuesday, Aug. 20.
“The kids are really excited about getting here and now it gets down to crunch-time,” Coach Rich Balzano said. “They feel like they’ve crossed the border to North Carolina and now we just have to punch it home to Shelby.”
Branford jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning versus Middletown, a squad Post 83 had edged 1-0 in the single-elimination portion of the State Tournament. Chris Stankiewicz and Mike Funaro had RBIs singles and Kyle Hart lashed a two-run single to put Branford in the driver’s set.
Middletown scored three runs against Branford starter Greg Zullo in the fifth, yet Post 83 avoided further damage when Hart threw out a runner at home. Branford then plate two in the bottom half as Hart doubled and scored on a double by Perrelli, who later crossed home on Zullo’s single.
Middletown scored two more against Zullo in the eighth inning, although Tyler Criscoulo kept the tying run from scoring when he threw out a runner at home, where Alex Pantani made the tag.
In the top of the ninth, Zullo retired the first two batters, then allowed the next two to reach base. Balzano called for Amendola who, despite just pitched five innings two days prior, sealed Branford’s spot in the final by getting Will Woods, who had been 4-for-4, to ground out. Middletown was eliminated from the tournament by Barnstable later in the day.
“Greg really threw well and they only hit two or three balls hard all day,” Balzano said. “John is John. He wants the ball in these pressure situations and he delivered.”
Later that night, Branford faced Worcester, which scored six in the fifth en route to victory. Nick Debroi, Sean Halligan, and Perrelli shared the pitching duties for Post 83. Branford’s runs came on an RBI single from Hart, an RBI single by Zullo, a fielder’s choice by Hart that scored Alex King, an RBI triple from Tyler Criscuolo, a pair of RBI singles by Tyler Forgione, and a wild pitch that scored Perrelli.
Second baseman Mike Funaro doubled in his first at-bat and then was hit in the head by a pitch from Worcester starting pitcher Zach Zona in his second at-bat. Funaro was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, but fortunately, did not suffer a concussion.