Post 76 Juniors Rally for Walk-Off Win Versus Hamden
The North Haven Junior American Legion baseball team picked up its first win of the season when Post 76 rallied for a 6-5 home victory over Hamden in walk-off fashion at Bailey Road Field on June 27.
North Haven was trailing 5-1 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, but came back to score two runs in that frame and then plated three runs in the seventh to win it. Chris Hager hit a sacrifice fly that scored Chris Tobin to make it 5-4, after which Jason Senberg scored the tying run on an error for North Haven. Post 76 won the game when Owen Pincince came home on another error by Hamden.
Pincince went 4-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, and three stolen bases to lead the North Haven offense. Hager was 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI, and a stolen base; Senberg scored two runs and had a walk with a stolen base, Anthony Acampora drove home a run on a sacrifice fly, and Ryan Balzano had an RBI single for Post 76. Balzano also earned the win on the mound by pitching one scoreless inning of relief.
Prior to that game, North Haven lost both ends of a doubleheader against Cheshire and then took two defeats versus Hamden. Post 76 has a record of 1-7 in Zone 2 play and is 2-11 overall on the season.
On June 23, North Haven was on the road to face Zone 2 opponent Cheshire for a doubleheader and lost each game of the set. In the opener, Post 76 dropped a 5-2 decision to Cheshire. In the second game, Cheshire prevailed by a 7-4 final.
Then on June 25, North Haven took a 14-4 road loss against Hamden in a Zone 2 matchup at Hamden High School. Post 76 jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and held that lead until the sixth inning. However, Hamden scored three runs in the sixth to tie the score and then scored 11 runs in the seventh inning to take control of the game. Mike Anquillare hit an RBI double, while Hager and Pincince both had a single and scored a run for North Haven.
The next day, Post 76 faced Hamden on the road at Legion Field and lost by a 9-0 final. Harrison Rainey had two hits for North Haven in the loss.
--Chris Piccirillo
