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07/25/2015 12:00 AMThe North Haven Prep Legion baseball team recently put a bow on a solid regular season and then got ready to compete in the second season when it opened State Tournament play on July 27.
North Haven claimed victory in seven of its final nine regular season contests to finish second in Zone 2 at 11-9 while posting an overall mark of 15-10. To start its recent run of games, Jake DeRosa's club took a 5-2 loss in Stratford, swept a doubleheader in West Haven by scores of 5-1 and 8-3, and then dropped a home doubleheader to East Haven with finals of 8-3 and 10-7. Post 76 rebounded by notching a 6-2 home victory versus Stratford to wrap up zone play, after which they defeated Shoreline 5-3 in a non-zone home game in their regular season finale.
North Haven began play in the State Tournament by facing Wallingford earlier this week. Coach DeRosa feels his team is playing its best baseball of the summer as Post 76 gets ready to embark on their postseason journey. The state final takes place at Palmer Field in Middletown on Sunday, Aug. 2.
"I am blown away by how far they've come in terms of their skill set and their work ethic. It's truly amazing to see how far they've come. Our bats have really come alive and we're starting to swing the bats really well. We made a few lineup changes and now we've found the lineup that will create some serious damage in the playoffs," DeRosa said. "I think they feel good about getting in and the biggest thing for them is that they're playing against guys who are a year or two older than them. The fact that we're competing with them is a feat within itself, but the fact that we're beating some of those teams is big. We're playing with a lot of confidence and will do some big things in the playoffs."
A few weeks ago, North Haven was vying for a playoff spot against Zone 2 foe West Haven and had lost its first two games against that team. However, Post 76 defeated West Haven 7-2 on July 11 and then won both ends of a doubleheader on July 19 to take the season series, three games to two. In the 5-1 triumph for the opener, Justin Shea threw five solid innings with Leo Konopka closing it out by working the final two. Offensively, Shea drove in two runs, Konopka scored a pair, and Alex Ciaburro and Dave Christoforo each had multi-hit showings.
"We told them before the game that we have to come out and win the series and it starts with Shea on the mound to set the tone. That's exactly what he did by pounding the strike zone and shutting them down," Coach DeRosa said. "Justin is a guy who came in a little shaky and couldn't find the zone, but as the season has gone along, he's put in the hard work to make a change to benefit himself and the team when he's on the mound."
For the latter contest, Post 76 played excellent defense that helped Ryan Sullivan toss four scoreless frames. Joe Gargano pitched three solid innings to finish it off for North Haven, which was led at the dish by two walks and a two-run triple from Konopka, plus multiple hits by Shea, Ciaburro, Gargano, and Sullivan.
"Sullivan isn't our one or two guy, but he's improved and we can give the ball to him with confidence in any situation and he will get the job done," DeRosa added. "[Winning the season series with West Haven] shows far we've come as far as being able to step up and beat teams. Our first two games against them was when we weren't at our best. It was a climb for us to reach our potential and those two wins solidified the fact that we are a team to be reckoned with."
Hosting Zone 2 champion East Haven on July 21, Post 76 came up on the short end of two contests that were there for the taking. In Game 1, Christoforo gave a great effort on the hill for five innings and it was a 3-3 ballgame entering the sixth, but a few walks and errors led to East Haven plating five runs that frame for the 8-3 win. Post 76 had taken a 3-2 lead in the fourth when Mason Balmer, Shea, Gargano, Christoforo, and Matt DeRosa all got base hits to account for their team's three runs.
The nightcap was an offensive slugfest that featured multi-hit performances from Shea, Gargano, and Balmer. East Haven's offense did its damage early before Sullivan allowed just one run in three innings of relief with Somma limiting the damage in his two.
North Haven lost four of its five games against East Haven in the regular season, but could see the 89ers again in the State Tournament—an opportunity that Coach DeRosa and his boys would relish.
"We are definitely looking forward to playing them again. Most guys on the team want to play them again," said DeRosa. "They had a bitter taste about the last doubleheader and our mindset is that we can beat them."
Two days after the East Haven doubleheader, Post 76 faced another solid squad in Stratford and posted a 6-2 victory that gave them a bye through the opening rounds of the state bracket. North Haven's first six batters of the game got aboard, which paved the way to a quick 3-0 lead. Ciaburro, Sullivan, and Christoforo each reached base multiple times. On the mound, Gargano, Shea, and Christoforo were spurred by some exceptional defense and combined for a sterling effort. Stratford got two guys on in the sixth inning, but outstanding defensive plays from Ciaburro at second base and DeRosa at shortstop helped save the day.
"Stratford has always been a thorn in our side. We just don't play that well against them, but that game, they came out on fire and brought a level of intensity," DeRosa said.
Then on July 24, North Haven closed out the regular season by facing Zone 3 squad Shoreline and prevailed 5-3. DeRosa's RBI single and a two-run base hit by Sullivan led to another three-spot in the opening inning for Post 76. Somma hurled four innings for the win, Dan Meyers threw the next two, and Ciaburro pitched the seventh to get the save. Catcher Christoforo had a great game behind the plate by blocking several balls in the dirt that prevented Shoreline from scoring a few runs.