As the end of the season draws closer, the Shoreline Cougars U-18 baseball team is trying to grab as many wins as it can in order finish the summer on a positive note. Last week, the Cougars picked up a victory, and it was perhaps their biggest one of the year, as Head Coach Dennis Annicelli’s club handed the New England Knights their first loss of the season in an East Shore Travel League matchup.

On July 19, the Cougars played two games to make up rainouts from earlier in the season. Shoreline took a 9-5 loss to the Connecticut Pirates in their first contest, but then came back to post a 4-0 victory over the previously undefeated Knights behind a stellar pitcher performance from Matt Bjorkland at the Connecticut Sportsplex in North Branford.

The Cougars’ bats were working against the Pirates, but they saw some struggles on the mound and in the field. However, Coach Annicelli was pleased to see his team put together a complete seven innings of baseball when Shoreline blanked the Knights later that day.

“A positive from the first game is that we’re starting to hit the ball and string base hits together,” said Annicelli, whose team is 4-12. “In the second game, we carried that offensive momentum forward, and we were able to clean up the pitching and defense. We took care of the baseball and hit cutoffs. If you do all the right things with the baseball in pitching, hitting, and defense, you put yourself in a really good spot. That’s been the story; we’ll come out and do one and not the others. We just have to keep coming out and try to put it all together.”

Facing the Pirates, Shoreline plated a run in the first inning when Owen Marica walked, stole second, and scored when Ross Meglin drove him in with a single. The Pirates responded by putting up two runs in the first and three in the third to make it 5-1. In the fourth inning, Bjorkland and Trevor Rydel drew walks, after which Meglin singled again to bring home Bjorkland. Old Saybrook’s Scott Masse followed with a single that scored both Rydel and Meglin to close it to 5-4. Unfortunately, the Pirates went on to score four more runs in their 9-4 victory.

In the game against the Knights, Shoreline got on the board in the first inning, when Rydel walked, swiped second, and raced home on Marica’s base hit. The Cougars scored another run in the third as Rydel singled, stole second again, and raced home on a base knock from Meglin. One inning later, Rydel walked his way on base again, and then Killingworth’s Jack Parmentier—a recent addition to the roster—hit a single to put two men on. Marica came to the plate and laced a double off the wall to drove in both runners for a 4-0 advantage.

Marica had three hits, three RBI, a steal, and a run scored on the day, while Meglin had two hits, three RBI, and a run. Mike Leffingwell added a hit, and fellow Chester resident Jake Robertson displayed a discerning eye at the plate by drawing a couple of walks. Masse had a hit and two RBI for Shoreline in the win.

The Cougars’ performance came in the form of a complete game shutout from Bjorkland, who kept the Knights’ batters off-balance by effectively mixing up his pitches. Coach Annicelli felt grateful for his pitcher’s effort on the mound, as well as the determination he showed in the face of stiff competition.

“He really kept the hitters in tough counts all day. He’s pitched great throughout the year, but today, he really kept the ball down and got a ton of ground balls. He got the other guys in a spot where they were at a disadvantage,” said Annicelli. “He’s a deceiving pitcher. He took a big step, and I’m looking for him to carry that forward. To face a team that good and only throw 80 pitches, that’s great. He’s definitely a war horse.”

Later in the week, the Cougars played a doubleheader against the Connecticut Capitals at East Shore Field in New Haven on July 22, dropping decisions by the final scores of 15-1 and 8-5. In the first game, Cougars scored in the top of the first inning when Darren Hiller walked, stole second, and scored on a passed ball. However, the Capitals scored two runs in each of the first two innings and then put the game out of reach by plating 11 runs in the fourth.

In the second game, the Capitals struck first with two runs in the second and then added four more runs in the third for a 6-0 lead. Shoreline started battling back in the fifth, when Bjorkland walked and Tobey Callendar roped a double to put runners at second and third. Mike O’Toole hit a ground ball to the left side that moved Callendar to third and scored Bjorkland. Griffin Izzo followed with ground ball that drove in a run to cut the deficit to 6-2.

The Capitals grabbed two runs in the seventh to make it 8-2, but the Cougars fought hard to put three more runs on the board in the bottom half of the frame. Bjorkland walked, and then Callendar singled to put runners on first and second. After a pop out and a fielder’s choice, Kyle Kemp hit a triple down the right field line to drive in two runs. Hiller hit a single to drive in Kemp, but the Capitals were able to prevent any further damage, and came away with the 8-5 win.

Even with those two defeats, the Cougars still have a chance to reach the postseason if everything breaks the right way down the stretch. Coach Annicelli said that every victory counts, and so he just wants his athletes to keep working hard as the campaign nears its conclusion.

“I think we’re at a point where we are turning a corner. I really like how we are playing going into this stretch to lead to the playoffs,” said Annicelli. “At the same time, when we have people missing it’s hard to adjust, but we’re doing a good job. We were able to keep the second one close. We’re starting to hit the ball a bit more. My hope is that we continue to get better, and we’ll have everyone available for the playoffs.”

From the Sidelines

The Shoreline Cougars’ roster includes captains Owen Marica (Haddam) and Ross Meglin (Killingworth), along with Scott Masse (Old Saybrook), Mike Leffingwell (Chester), Jake Robertson (Chester), Michael O’Toole (Killingworth), Sam Erskine (Killingworth), Pat O’Leary (Killingworth), Carmelo Rosa (Killingworth), Trey Callender (Haddam), Tobey Callender (Haddam), Jackson Parmentier (Killingworth), Griffin Izzo (Haddam), Trevor Rydel (Haddam), and Matt Bjorkland (Middletown).

The Cougars’ wins thus far on the season have come against the Connecticut Capitals (3-0), the Clinton Huskies (5-1 and 5-1), and the New England Knights (4-0).