Despite falling to Shelton in the SCC title game, Amity remains the top team in the latest Register Top 10 poll. The Spartans are no longer a unanimous choice though. See what other teams received first-place votes here.

Final

Amity managed to score one run in the ninth, but it wasn't enough as No. 3 Shelton won its second SCC title with a 4-3 win in nine innings over the top-seeded Spartans at Yale Field.

The Gaels last won the SCC title in 2000.

It was Amity's first loss of the season.
With the game tied at 2, Tom Carroll and Jim Pjura hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the ninth off relief pitcher Lou Concato.

Ninth inning

Shelton leads 4-2 going into the bottom of the ninth. Tom Carroll puts Shelton ahead 3-2 with an RBI double, which scored pinch runner Tyler Tice from first base. Then Jim Pjura followed with a double down the right field line to score Carroll.

Eighth inning

It remains tied at 2 going into the ninth. Lou Concato has relieved Joe Ciancola on the mound for Amity. Concato picked up the win Thursday against Xavier. He threw six innings.

Pitching change

Right-hander Tom Carroll has relieved Dan St. George for Shelton heading into the bottom of the eighth inning.

Seventh inning

Headed into extra innings with the game tied at 2. Dan St. George is running out of gas for Shelton. With the bases loaded, St. George walked Nick Baviello to force in the game-tying run. It was St. George's third walk of the inning.

Sixth inning

Shelton takes 2-1 lead. Eric Christensen singled to left-center field and Ryan Zahornasky drove him home with a deep double to left field.

Amity's Vin Siena singled to right field, but that was all the Spartans could manage in the frame.

Fifth inning

Five innings down and still tied at 1. Amity pitcher Joe Ciancola retired the side for the third time today. Mark Esposito reached on an infield single for Amity. The Spartans have two hits and both are infield singles.

Some more notes

How they got here...

Amity def. No. 8 North Haven 3-2 and No. 5 Xavier 5-2.

Shelton def. No. 6 Notre Dame-West Haven 7-0 and No. 2 Law 10-6.

Previous SCC title game appearances...

Amity 3-3 (won 2004-06); Shelton 1-0 (2000).

Fourth inning

Game is tied at 1. Dan St. George broke up Joe Ciancola's perfect game with a two-out single. Then Mike Georgalas singled and Amity center fielder Brian Kernan bobbled the ball, allowing St. George to score. It was Shelton's first run against the Spartans in 18 innings.

Then in the bottom of the inning, Brian Kernan reached on an error for Amity and stole second and third base. Kernan tied the game when he later scored on Anthony's Aprile's sacrifice fly.

Third inning

Wow. Game is flying by. No score. Already three innings down in just 32 minutes. Amity pitcher Joe Ciancola retired the side on five pitches. He is perfect so far. In the bottom half of the frame, Shelton pitcher Dan St. George retired the side and picked up his first strikeout.

Second inning

Still no score. Amity's Anthony Aprile got the game's first hit, an infield single just inside the grass of left field.

First inning

Both pitchers didn't allow a runner. A few highlight reel plays in the field. Amity second baseman Nick Baviello and Shelton second baseman Jon Groth both robbed each team's leadoff hitter of a hit. Then Shelton center fielder Jim Pjura made an incredible catch to rob Brian Kernan of a hit.

Pregame

The top-seeded Spartans will face No. 3 Shelton at Yale Field for the SCC title. First pitch is moments away.
Righthander Joe Ciancola (6-0) will pitch for the Spartans.
Righthander Dan St. George (5-4) will throw for the Gaels. Amity beat Shelton in both regular season meetings this season. The Gaels did not score in either meeting.
Amity comes in at 22-0. Shelton is 16-6.

Shelton senior Eric Christensen is three hits shy of tying Matt Memoli’s school record of 108 career hits.
Christensen, a senior who will play at Westfield State next season, has 105 hits entering Saturday's SCC title game against Amity. Memoli, a former standout for the Gaels, who now coaches Newtown, set the record in 2002.

CLASS S

Cromwell will play for a Shoreline Conference title Saturday and then jump into the state tournament as the top seed in this field.

Keep an eye on a likely second round game between No. 8 Lyman Memorial and No. 9 St. Bernard. Lyman Memorial beat St. Bernard twice in the regular season, but by scores of 2-0 and 2-1. Canton draws a bye as the No. 4 seed and Coginchaug gets a bye as the No. 5 seed. Both should get by their second-round games and meet in the quarterfinals.

No. 2 Northwest Catholic is the favorite, but the Indians can't sleep on a potential second round game with No. 18 Old Saybrook. The Rams can hit if their pitching can hold up, they can be a sleeper.

Watch out for No. 7 Wheeler. Wheeler draws a bye and though was inconsistent down the stretch, it does have some quality wins on its resume this season.

Two Shoreline Conference foes square off in the first round for the third time with No. 10 Old Lyme taking on No. 23 Westbrook. They split in the regular season.

A senior-laden Morgan team gets the No. 3 seed, but will likely have a tough game against No. 14 Trinity Catholic in the second round. Behind ace Ryan Walsh, Trinity Catholic reached the semifinals as the No. 20 seed last season.

Champion: Northwest Catholic. The Indians are loaded and proved themselves in the regular season against the bigger schools.
 
Here is the Class S bracket.

CLASS M

Berkshire League champion Lewis Mills earns the No. 1 seed. The top-seed may have some trouble with No. 16 Foran. If the Lions are to hold ace Brian Ward for Lewis Mills, Foran looks to be set up for nice run in this field.

A hard-hitting Montville team will be a dangerous opponent at No. 4. Its seeding does not do this team justice, therefore No. 12 St. Joseph is technically a sleeper and should make a deep run.

Haddam-Killingworth gets the No. 2 seed. The Cougars have been finding different ways to win all season and will have to continue do so in the second round against possibly No. 15 Woodland.

NVL powerhouse Holy Cross is No. 7. Look for No. 23 Bacon Academy to upset No. 10 Northwestern if ace David Mahoney takes the mound for the Bobcats. Ellington has won seven of its last eight and are No. 3 in this field. Ellington should coast to the semifinals.

No. 6 Waterford gets a good draw, as it faces O'Brien Tech in the first round. That means Waterford could save ace Colin O'Keefe for a potential second round game against East Catholic.

Champion: The ECC is always strong, so the pick is Montville. The Indians have a loaded offense and solid pitching.
 
Here is the Class M bracket.

Click here for the game story from Thursday's SCC semifinals.

CLASS L

Playing for a ECC title tonight, East Lyme draws the No. 1 seed and receive a bye.

And who may the Vikings face in the second round? None other than New London, the team they will face tonight for the conference title. FCIAC champions Fairfield Ludlowe gets the No. 8 seed.

A hot RHAM team, which won seven of its eight, is the No. 4 seed. It should face perennial power No. 13 Berlin the second round. Seeded No. 5, Notre Dame-West Haven gets No. 28 Wethersfield in the opening round. The Green Knights will possibly No. 21 Branford. The Hornets are looking to make another magical run like it did last season when it won the Class L title as the No. 14 seed.

Bethel is the No. 2 seed and will get a bye in the first round. No. 15 North Haven, which nearly upset Amity in the first round of the SCCs, will face No. 18 Avon in the first round.

Fitch, always a tough and seeded No. 10, should reach the quarterfinals. Wilton draws a bye at No. 3. The best first-round game in this field is between SCC foes No. 14 Sheehan and No. 19 East Haven. Law looks to have a favorable draw at No. 6.

Champion: For now (though it may change after a closer look),  Bethel appears to be the favorite. The Wildcats have a deep and talented pitching staff and a good draw.

Here is the Class L bracket.

CLASS LL

So as expected, unbeaten Amity is the top seed.

If all goes according to plan the Spartans could face No. 8 Xavier's ace Shaun Coughlin in the semifinals. That could potentially be Amity's first tough matchup of the state tournament.

First, Xavier may have to get by a speedy and scrappy No. 9 New Britain team that is battle tested coming out of the CCC West Division.

No. 4 Bristol Central draws a high seed once again. The previous three years Bristol Central has been a top five seed and has not been able to reach past the quarterfinals. It could face a tough No. 13 Masuk squad in the second round, which upset Bristol Central in 2008.

FCIAC runner-up Greenwich is the No. 5 seed and could have a potential intriguing matchup in the second round with No. 12 Southington. Southington is another team coming out of a strong CCC West Division.

But first Southington will get No. 21 Westhill, a team that surprised Staples in the first round of the FCIAC tournament.

The Wreckers will look to rebound as the No. 2 seed in the field. No. 7 Shelton and No. 10 Newington make up the best possible second round game in Class LL. Then the winner would likely get Staples in the quarterfinals.

SWC powerhouse Pomperaug gets the No. 3 seed. The Panthers have a strong pitching staff, so that will be helpful for the postseason. But Pomperaug could face No. 14 Cheshire in the second round. The Rams are one of those teams that are better than their record after getting beat up in the SCC during the regular season.

Champion: Amity. It's the safe choice and with pitchers Louis Concato and Joe Ciancola, why go against them?
Here is the Class LL bracket.

Check out the game story from Thursday's semifinals here.

Shoreline Conference
Carson Mislick drove in three runs on two hits to lift top-seeded Haddam-Killingworth into Saturday's Shoreline Conference final with a 7-2 win over No. 4 Old Lyme.
The Cougars will face No. 2 Cromwell Saturday at Coginchaug at 1 p.m for the conference title.

FCIAC championship
No. 5 Fairfield Ludlowe 7, No. 2 Greenwich 4

Top-seeded Amity beat No. 5 Xavier 5-2 tonight at Yale Field to reach the SCC title game.

The Spartans will face No. 3 Shelton. Amity beat the Gaels twice this season.
After struggling early, Amity pitcher Lou Concato settled down and picked up his 10th win. He struck out nine, while allowing just four hits and two runs.
Vin Siena, Joe Ciancola and Mark Esposito all drove in runs as part of Amity's three-run first inning.

Shelton scored eight unanswered runs as the No. 3 Gaels beat No. 2 Law 10-6 in the first of two SCC semfinal games moments ago at Yale Field.
It's Shelton's second SCC final appearance. The Gaels beat Notre Dame-West Haven to win the conference title in 2000.
It was the third time Shelton beat the Law, the defending SCC champs, this season.
Mike Georgalas went 2-for-3 with three RBIs to lead the Gaels.
Top-seeded Amity will face No. 5 Xavier at 7 p.m. in the other semifinal matchup.
The SCC championship is set for Saturday at noon at Yale Field.  

Notre Dame-West Haven senior catcher T.J. Shea suffered a wrist injury in the Green Knights’ regular season finale against North Haven.

Notre Dame coach Lou Kessler said originally Shea’s wrist looked to may have been broken, but turned out to be just a deep bruise. He did not play in Notre Dame’s 7-0 loss to Shelton in the opening round of the SCC playoffs, but Kessler said he is expected to be back in time for next week’s Class L state tournament.

Semifinals, today at 3:45 p.m.

No. 4 Old Lyme at No. 1 Haddam-Killingworth
No. 3 Morgan at No. 2 Cromwell

Championship

Saturday at Coginchaug, 1 p.m.

Mark McCormack, UMass-Boston

High school: Shelton 2008

Position: OF

Games: 47

Avg.: .359
Runs: 57

HR: 7

RBI: 52

SB: 23

For more on McCormack, click here.

As its offense goes, so does Montville this season. 

The Indians are averaging over 10 runs in its 18 wins and under four runs per game in their three losses.

Right now top two seeds are locked in.

No. 1 Haddam-Killingworth

No. 2 Cromwell

If Morgan beats Portland tonight, the Huskies will get the No. 3 seed and Old Lyme will get the No. 4 seed. If Morgan loses to Portland, Old Lyme gets the No.3 seed and the Huskies get the No. 4 seed.

Playoff schedule is as follows...

Semifinals, Thursday at 3:45 p.m.
Morgan/Old Lyme at No. 1 Haddam-Killingworth
Morgan/Old Lyme at No. 2 Cromwell

Championship
Saturday at Coginchaug, 1 p.m.

Quarterfinals and semifinals are both today...

No. 1 Montville (15-2) vs. No. 8 New London (10-7) at Dodd, 3:45 p.m.

No.4 Fitch (11-5) vs. No. 5 Plainfield (11-6) at Dickenman Field, 3:45 p.m.

Winners of this game play at Dodd at 7 p.m.

No.2 East Lyme (14-2)  vs.No. 7 Wheeler (10-6), 3:45 p.m.

No.3 Waterford (13-3) vs. No. 6 Lyman (10-6), 3:45 p.m.

Winners of this game play at Stonington at 7 p.m. 

Championship is Friday at Dodd at 7 p.m.

No. 1 Amity 3, No. 8 North Haven 2: Mark Esposito’s game-winning single scored Joe Ciancola in the bottom of the seventh to help the Spartans avoid an upset against the Indians.

Ciancola and Lou Concato combined to hold North Haven to three hits. Ciancola pitched six innings and struck out seven, while Concato struck out the side in the seventh for Amity. Mark Zurlis had a single and a run for North Haven.

So the semifinals are set for Thursday at Yale Field.

No. 2 Law vs. No. 3 Shelton, 4 p.m.

No. 1 Amity vs. No. 5 Xavier, 7 p.m.

Early quarterfinal games...

No. 2 Law 7, No. 7 East Haven 2: Chris Peloso had a double and two RBIs as the Lawmen knocked off the Easties. Zack Soulier picked up the win for Law. Vin Guglietti went 2-for-3 with an RBI for East Haven.

No. 3 Shelton 7, No. 6 Notre Dame-West Haven 0: Dan St. George struck out nine and allowed just four hits to lift the Gaels over the Green Knights.
Mike Georgalas and St. George each had two hits for Shelton. The Gaels opened the game with three extra-base hits.

No. 5 Xavier 4, No. 4 Foran 2: Hayden Stanton had two hits and two RBIs in the Falcons win over the Lions. Shaun Coughlin picked up the win and struck out 11 for Xavier. Mike Pascarella had a two-run triple for Foran.

Semifinals, Thursday at Yale Field
No. 2 Law vs. No. 3 Shelton, 4 p.m.
No. 5 Xavier vs. Amity/North Haven winner

Amity heads into the postseason in the same spot it began the year — at the top.

The Spartans’ 8-1 win over Law Friday finished off an undefeated regular-season campaign and Amity remains the No. 1 team in the Register Top 10 poll for the seventh straight week.

In hopes of capturing their fourth conference title, the Spartans open up the Southern Connecticut Conference playoffs today against North Haven.

So what does it take to knock off the top team in the state?

“You have to play a perfect game against them,” Shelton coach Scott Gura said. “You have to have a superb pitching performance and hope they make a mistake. They don’t have many weaknesses. Dan St. George pitched one of the best games of his career against them and we still got beat by two runs.”

TOP 10 BASEBALL POLL

Even a gem like the one St. George threw isn’t enough, because runs are so difficult to come by against the Spartans right-handed tandem of Joe Ciancola and Louis Concato. Amity’s nearly untouchable pitching has allowed it to squeeze out wins like their 2-0 victory over the Gaels and Foran, along with their 3-2 wins they pulled out against Branford and Notre Dame-West Haven.

The Spartans haven’t given up more than five runs in a game this season.

“Our pitching has kept us in games,” Amity coach Sal Coppola said. “We’ve been able to have an off day and still come out on top.”

Meanwhile, the Spartans lineup isn’t one to overlook. There may not be one name that highlights the order, but from one through nine, there are no easy outs. Amity has proven it could put runs on the board. The Spartans scored 38 runs during one three-game stretch and also scored 12 runs in a win over the Green Knights and a season-high 15 runs against Lyman Hall.

So will Amity lose this season?

Law coach Dennis Sweeney, whose team saw its eight-game winning streak snapped by Amity Friday, took a long pause.

“You have to go out hard,” Sweeney said. “Sal does a great job and prepares his team for success. It will be very difficult, but it could happen.”

In what was certainly the most impressive performance in the three upsets in the FCIAC tournament Monday, Dan Julian tossed a no-hitter and struck out nine in No. 6 St. Joseph 4-0 win over No. 3 Norwalk.

Interesting note...
St. Joseph was on the other end of a no-hitter last week against Greenwich, the team it will face in the second round.
Also Cadets coach Bob Studley didn't know of Julian was throwing a no-hitter Monday until Norwalk coach Angelo Bruno told him in the seventh inning.

Derby's Ryan Skelly nearly matched Julian. Skelly threw a two-hitter in a 3-0 win over Naugatuck Monday. Skelly also struck out nine and didn't walk a batter.

FCIAC quarterfinals
No. 8 Westhill 7, No. 1 Staples 4
No. 2 Greenwich 7, No. 2 Ridgefield 1
No. 6 St. Joseph 4, No. 3 Norwalk 0
No. 5 Fairfield Ludlowe 12, No. 4 Wilton 6
NVL quarterfinals
No. 1 Holy Cross 5, No. 8 St. Paul 4
No. 2 Wolcott 6, No. 7 Ansonia 2
No. 3 Derby 3, No. 6 Naugatuck 0
No. 4 Woodland 5, No. Torrington 4
SWC quarterfinals
No. 1 Bethel 20, No. 8 Bunnell 6
No. 2 Pomperaug 8, No. 7 Notre Dame-Fairfield 1
No. 6 Weston 7, No. 3 Newtown 1
No. 4 Masuk 9, No. 5 New Milford 3
Shoreline Conference
Coginchaug 3, Hale-Ray 2
Haddam-Killingworth 4, Old Saybrook 2
Valley Regional 3, Westbrook 2
Others
Abbott Tech 5, O'Brien Tech 4
West Haven 18, Platt Tech 0
Wilbur Cross 9, Hyde 1

Amity polished off an undefeated regular season with wins over Foran, West Haven and Law last week. The Spartans head into the SCC tournament Tuesday as the unanimous No. 1 team in the latest Register Top 10 poll.
Here is the Top 10 poll.

Check out this week's edition of Diamond Gems.

For SCC pairings click here. Check back later in the week for Shoreline Conference and ECC pairings.
Find CSC, FCIAC, NVL and SWC below.

CSC
Quarterfinals
Monday
No. 8 O'Brien Tech at No. 1 Abbott Tech, 4 p.m.
No. 7 Goodwin Tech at No. 2 Windham Tech, 4 p.m.
No. 6 Bullard Havens at No. 3 Cheney Tech, 4 p.m.
No. 5 Norwich Tech at No. 4 Wilcox Tech, 4 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday at highest remaining seed
No. 8/No. 1 winner vs. No. 5/No. 4 winner
No. 7/No. 2 winner vs. No. 6/No. 3 winner
Championship
Thursday at Beehive Stadium, 6:30 p.m.

FCIAC
Quarterfinal
Monday
No. 8 Westhill at No. 1 Staples, 4 p.m.
No. 7 Ridgefield at No. 2 Greenwich, 4 p.m.
No. 6 St. Joseph at No. 3 Norwalk, 4 p.m.
No. 5 Fairfield-Ludlowe at No. 4 Wilton, 4:15 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday at Harbor Yard
No. 2/7 winner vs. No. 3/6 winner, 5 p.m.
No. 1/8 winner vs. No. 4/5 winner, 8 p.m.
Championship
Thursday at Harbor Yard, 7:30 p.m.

NVL
Quarterfinals
Monday
No. 8 St. Paul vs. No. 1 Holy Cross at Municipal Stadium, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Ansonia vs. No. 2 Wolcott at Nolan Field, 4 p.m.
No. 6 Naugatuck vs. No. 3 Derby at Nolan Field, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Torrington vs. No. 4 Woodland at Municipal Stadium, 4 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday at Municipal Stadium, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Championship
 Thursday at Municipal Stadium, tba

SWC
Quarterfinals
Monday
No. 8 Bunnell at No. 1 Bethel, 3:30 p.m.
No. 7 Notre Dame-Fairfield at No. 2 Pomperaug, 4:15 p.m.
No. 6 Weston at No. 3 Newtown, 3:30 p.m.
No. 5 New Milford at No. 4 Masuk, 3:30 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday at Bethel
No. 7/No. 2 winner vs. No. 6/No. 3 winner, 4 p.m
No. 8/No. 1 winner vs. No. 5/No. 4 winner, 7 p.m.
Championship
Thursday at Bethel, 7 p.m.

Quarterfinals

No. 8 North Haven vs. No. 1 Amity
Comment: Like most teams, the Indians simply don’t have the pitching to match up with the Spartans.
Pick: Amity

No. 7 East Haven vs. No. 2 Law
Comment: The Easties have been a nice surprise this season. But they have struggled lately and that does not mix well with a Law team that has won eight of its last nine.
Pick: Law

No. 6 Notre Dame-West Haven vs. No. 3 Shelton
Comment: Clearly the best first-round matchup. Late mistakes cost the Gaels both games against the Green Knights this season. Backed by solid pitching, a high-powered offense leads Notre Dame to a third win over the Gaels.
Pick: Notre Dame-West Haven

No. 5 Xavier vs. No. 4 Foran
Comment: If the Lions start ace Brian Ward, Foran advances. If not, last year’s SCC runner-up suffers an early exit.
Pick: Foran

Semifinals

No. 4 Foran vs. No. 1 Amity
Comment: If somehow the Lions get by Xavier and save Ward for this game, Foran has a shot. But either way, it’s likely the Spartans will win their third game against the Lions this season.
Pick: Amity

No. 6 Notre Dame-West Haven vs. No. 2 Law
Comment: This depends on the pitching matchup. If Law coach Dennis Sweeney decides to save Brett Michael Doran for this game, the Lawmen have the edge. Otherwise, the Green Knights knock off the defending conference champions.
Pick: Law

Championship

No. 2 Law vs. No. 1 Amity
Comment: It comes down to pitching in the postseason. And with essentially two aces in Joe Ciancola and Louis Concato, the Spartans go on to win their fourth SCC title.
Pick: Amity

Here’s the post with the SCC playoff schedule.

Coginchaug 1, Morgan 0: Tommy Ryan allowed just three hits, struck out nine and walked one as the Blue Devils blanked the Huskies.

Mike Sbona scored the game’s lone run in the third innning when he doubled and later scored on a wild pitch for Coginchaug.

Derby 11, Ansonia 2: Ryan Skelly had two hits, including a three-run home run, and five RBIs for the Red Raiders.

Lyman Hall 9, Foran 5: Lance Powell had three hits, three runs and two RBIs to lead the Trojans.
Bill Graeb had three hits, two runs and an RBI and Mark Popolizio had two hits and two RBIs for Lyman Hall.

Hamden Hall 8, King 3: Vinny Teixeira picked up the win and went 2-for-5 as the Hornets beat King.
With the win, Hamden Hall advanced to today’s New England Small Schools championship at Salem State College at noon.
Austin French and Mike Cox both homered for Hamden Hall.

North Haven 5, Notre Dame-West Haven 4: Chris LaVorgna picked up the win as the Indians beat the Green Knights. Dave Beisler homered for Notre Dame.

East Haven 6, North Branford 5: Adam Poulin’s base hit in the top of the seventh inning drove in the winning run for the Easties.
Paul Spadacenta added a solo homer for East Haven.

Amity 8, Law 1: Nick Baviello had two hits and two RBIs for the Spartans. Ted Ballou had two hits and two RBIs for Amity.

Shelton 9, Hand 4: Eric Christensen had three hits, three RBIs and two runs to lift the Gaels over the Tigers. Christensen became just second player in school history to record 100 career hits.

Sheehan 8, Guilford 3: Reid Nelson homered and had two RBIs as the Titans knocked off the Indians. TK Kiernan went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for Sheehan.

BASEBALL

FCIAC

St. Joseph 2, Wilton 1

Non-league

East Haven 6, North Branford 5

Shoreline

Coginchaug 1, Morgan 0

SCC interdivision

Amity 8, Law 1

Branford 3, Xavier 1

Career 12, Hillhouse 2

Lyman Hall 9, Foran 5

North Haven 5, Notre Dame-West Haven 4

Sheehan 8, Guilford 3

Shelton 9, Hand 4

NVL

Derby 11, Ansonia 2

Woodland 7, Seymour 5

SWC

Bunnell 6, Stratford 2

Preps

Hamden Hall 8, King 3

Quarterfinals

Tuesday

No. 2 Law vs. No. 7 East Haven at Quigley Stadium, 3:45 p.m.

No. 3 Shelton vs. No. 6 Notre Dame-West Haven at West Haven, 3:45 p.m.

No. 8 North Haven vs. No. 1 Amity at Quigley Stadium, 7 p.m.

No. 4 Foran vs. No. 5 Xavier at Cheshire, 4 p.m.*

Semifinals

Thursday at Yale Field, 4 and 7 p.m.

Championship

Saturday at Yale Field, noon

If Bethel beats New Fairfield Saturday, it gets the top seed and Pomperaug gets the No. 2 seed in the SWC tournament. If Bethel, loses Pomperaug will be No. 1 and Bethel will be No. 2.


No. 3 New Milford

No. 4 Newtown

No. 5 Masuk

No. 6 Weston

No. 7 Notre Dame-Fairfield

No. 8 Bunnell*

*With the Bulldogs win over Stratford tonight, Bunnell clinched conference and state tournament berths, not to mention bragging rights in the city rivalry.

Also worth noting...
Notre Dame-Fairfield finished 7-13, so the Lancers clinched a spot in the conference tournament, but not the state tournament.

Quarterfinals 

Tuesday

No. 2 Law vs. No. 7 East Haven at Quigley Stadium, 3:45 p.m.
No. 3 Shelton vs. No. 6 Notre Dame-West Haven at West Haven, 3:45 p.m.
No. 8 North Haven vs. No. 1 Amity at Quigley Stadium, 7 p.m.  

Xavier vs. Foran at Cheshire, 4 p.m.*
* If Xavier defeats Branford tonight, the Falcons will be the No. 4 seed. If
Xavier loses to Branford, Foran will be the No. 4 seed.

Semifinals

Thursday at Yale Field, 4 and 7 p.m.

Championship

Saturday at Yale Field, noon

The state tournament will be without a familiar face this year.

With a loss to Ansonia Thursday, Seymour was eliminated from the state tournament. It's the first time the Wildcats won't compete in the state tournament since 1995. 

Notre Dame-West Haven 6, Shelton 5: Sean Goldrich’s RBI single scored Kris Matthews in the bottom of the seventh to cap a four-run inning and lift the Green Knights over the Gaels.
Dan St. George had three hits and two RBIs for Shelton.
North Haven 15, East Haven 7: Chris Lavorgna had four hits, including a triple, and four RBIs to lift the Indians over the Easties.
With the victory, the Indians share the SCC Oronoque division title with East Haven. Eric Yavarone added three hits and three RBIs for North Haven.
Ansonia 8, Seymour 3: Julian Sobin had three hits, including two home runs, and four RBIs to lift the Chargers over Seymour.
Derby 9, St. Paul 3: Ray Kreiger had two hits and two RBIs for the Red Raiders.
Stratford 5, Notre Dame-Fairfield 2: Brian Caselli tossed a four-hitter and allowed no earned runs with six strikeouts for the Red Devils.
Foran 2, Branford 0: Dan MacAllister pitched six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits as the Lions blanked Branford.
Brian Ward and Matt Aspinwall each had an RBI double for Foran.
Haddam Killingworth 5, Ellington 1: Rob Flynn picked up the win, striking out six and scattering five hits for the Cougars.
Sheehan 9, Hamden 2: Reid Nelson went 2-for-4 with four RBIs for the Titans.

NVL
Ansonia 8, Seymour 3
Derby 9, St. Paul 3

SCC Oronoque Division
North Haven 15, East Haven 7

SCC interdivision
Foran 2, Branford 0
Notre Dame-West Haven 6, Shelton 5
Sheehan 9, Hamden 2

Non-league
Haddam-Killingworth 5, Ellington 1
Platt Tech 5, Career 4 (9)
Stratford 5, Notre Dame-Fairfield 2

Shoreline
Morgan 5, North Branford 2
Old Saybrook 11, Portland 5

CSC
University 15, Whitney Tech 9

Dominic Leone, Clemson

High school: Norwich Free Academy 2009

Position: RHP

Games: 16

IP: 44.0

W-L: 2-1

ERA: 4.30

SO: 30

BB: 14

For more on Leone, click here.

Check out the game story from the Hilltoppers win.

Hopkins 9, Brunswick 0: David O’Brien pitched a complete-game shutout and allowed just two hits as the Hilltoppers beat Brunswick for the Fairchester League championship. It was O’Brien’s first start of the season. Mike Iannotti went 2-for-3 with four RBIs for the Hilltoppers.


Law 2, East Haven 1: Josh Rouse’s fourth inning double drove in both runs for the Lawmen. Brett Michael Doran threw a complete game, allowing just six hits for Law.

Hillhouse 11, Hyde 5: Winning pitcher Will Diaz had three hits, including a double, for the Academics.

Hand 11, Wilbur Cross 1: Jeff Buck had a double, triple, home run and four RBIs to lead the Tigers their victory.

O’Brien Tech 8, Abbott Tech 5: Shane Sweeney and Chad Sweeney each had two hits and two RBIs for the Condors.

Xavier 4, Cheshire 2: Greg Marino had three hits and two RBIs to lead the Falcons.

Amity 7, West Haven 4: Mark Esposito picked up the save, had three hits and three RBIs for the Spartans.

Wednesday’s results


BASEBALL

NVL

Woodland at Seymour, ppd. to Friday, 3:30 p.m.

Ansonia at Derby, ppd. to Friday, 3:45 p.m.

SWC

Stratford at Bunnell, ppd. to Friday, 3:45 p.m.

CSC

O’Brien Tech 8, Abbott Tech 5

SCC interdivision

Amity 7, West Haven 4

Fairfield Prep 17, Lyman Hall 2

Guilford 5, North Haven 4

Hand 11, Wilbur Cross 1

Law 2, East Haven 1

Xavier 4, Cheshire 2

Hamden at Sheehan, ppd. to today, 3:45 p.m.

Foran at Branford, ppd. to today, 3:45 p.m.

Shelton at Notre Dame-West Haven, ppd. to today, 3:45 p.m.

Shoreline

Haddam-Killingworth 7, Valley Regional 6

North Branford at Morgan, ppd. to today, 3:45 p.m.

Non-league

Coginchaug 12, SMSA 4

Hillhouse 11, Hyde 7

Preps

Fairchester League championship

No. 3 Hopkins 9, No. 4 Brunswick 0

New England Small Schools tournament

No. 1 Hamden Hall 12, No. 4 South Kent 1

Law put the finishing touches on its second straight run to a SCC Hammonasset Division title Saturday with a win over Hillhouse.


Since losing to Guilford in the 2008 regular season, the Lawmen are 18-0 against divisional opponents.

BASEBALL
NVL
Ansonia at Derby, ppd. to Wednesday, 3:45 p.m.
Shoreline
Coginchaug at Morgan, ppd. to Saturday, 10 a.m.
SCC Oronoque
North Haven at East Haven, ppd.to Thursday, 3:45 p.m.
Fairchester League Championship
No. 4 Brunswick at No. 3 Hopkins, ppd. to Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.

The Haddam-Killingworth baseball team doesn’t do anything spectacular, and the Cougars really don’t have any eye-catching wins.

So call Haddam-Killingworth the silent assassin.

Quietly, the Cougars are knocking teams off one by one on their way to a 15-1 record entering this week. They have emerged as the favorite to win their first Shoreline Conference title since 2006 and will be a clear contender when the Class M state tournament comes around.

“It’s beginning to get that way,” Haddam-Killingworth coach Mark Brookes said about others now taking notice of his team. “We’re not going to get recognition unless we pile up those wins. We’ve just minded our own business and rolled along.”

Brookes did not know what to expect this season after graduating six starters on a struggling offense that managed to hit just .260.

There has been much progress as the Cougars are hitting over .300. It starts with leadoff hitter Dan Milardo, who is hitting .400 with 19 stolen bases and 10 RBIs. Catcher Carson Mislick has a team-high 14 RBIs, and then there several consistent hitters like Matt Stojak, Colin Sledzik and Chris Milardo.

The pitching has been just as strong.

Senior Rob Flynn is 6-0 with a 2.19 ERA and Sledzik is 5-0 with a 1.68 ERA. Meanwhile, sophomore Wes Nuhn has come on as a reliable No. 3 pitcher (he tossed a two-hit shutout and struck out five in a 1-0 win over East Hampton last week).

“We’re not blowing anyone away,” Brookes said. “We’re managing to win, but we don’t think we’re untouchable.”

Amity 2, Foran 0: Joe Ciancola threw a four-hitter, struck out seven and didn't walk a batter in the Spartans win over Foran. Ciancola also added two hits and an RBI.

Law 8, Cheshire 1: Brett Michael Doran had a three-run home run and an RBI single to lift the Lawmen over the Rams.

Bunnell 8, New Milford 5: Bryan Castelot had three hits and four RBIs in the Bulldogs victory.

Derby 8, Woodland 5: Ryan Skelly had a grand slam as part of a five-run fifth inning for the Red Raiders.

Hopkins 5, Rye 1: Max Luciani scored three runs as the No. 3 Hilltoppers knocked off No. 2 Rye in the Fairchester League playoffs. Hopkins will host No. 4 Brunswick for the league title today. Brunswick upset top seed Hamden Hall 3-1.

Morgan 8, Westbrook 3: Zak Repscher had a double, triple and three RBIs for the Huskies.

North Haven 7, Hamden 1: Eric Yavarone had three hits, including two triples, and two RBIs for the Indians.

Old Saybrook 11, Hale-Ray 0: Sophomore Justin Beal and freshman Alex Cabral combined to pitch a no-hitter for the Rams. Beal added three hits and two RBIs.

West Haven 11, Lyman Hall 3: Tom Spencer homered, doubled and had three RBIs in the Westies win.

Xavier 11, East Haven 1: Oliver Hart had a three-run home run and four RBIs as the Falcons snapped East Haven's seven-game winning streak.

NVL
Ansonia 14, Watertown 12 (completion of 4/8 suspended game)
Ansonia 8, Watertown 5
Derby 8, Woodland 5
Wolcott 3, Seymour 1

SWC
Bunnell 8, New Milford 5
Pomperaug 4, Stratford 0

Shoreline
Haddam-Killingworth 12, Valley Regional 4
Morgan 8, Westbrook 3
North Branford 16, East Hampton 3
Old Saybrook 11, Hale-Ray 0

SCC interdivision
Amity 2, Foran 0
Branford 9, Hand 2
Fairfield Prep 17, Wilbur Cross 0
Notre Dame-West Haven 16, Career 3
Law 8, Cheshire 1
North Haven 7, Hamden 1
West Haven 11, Lyman Hall 3
Sheehan 13, Hillhouse 0
Shelton 7, Guilford 0
Xavier 11, East Haven 1

CSC
Grasso Tech 8, O’Brien Tech 4
Whitney Tech 15, University High 13

FCIAC
Fairfield Ludlowe 3, St. Joseph 1

Preps
Fairchester League tournament semifinals
No. 4 Brunswick 3, No. 1 Hamden Hall 1
No. 3 Hopkins 5, No. 2 Rye 1

Amity scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday in a 4-3 win over Notre Dame-West Haven to avoid its first loss. Amity remains the unanimous No. 1 team in the Register Top 10 poll.

Check out this week's edition of Diamond Gems.

No. 4 Brunswick at No. 1 Hamden Hall, today at 4:15 p.m.

No. 3 Hopkins at No. 2 Rye, today at 4:15 p.m.

Championship will be Tuesday at 4:30 at higher seed.


Also, Hamden Hall qualified for the New England Small Schools tournament. The Hornets are the top seed in the West Bracket. They will host South Kent Prep in the opening round Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.

Xavier 4, Notre Dame-West Haven 3: Nick DeRita’s solo home run in the sixth inning lifted Xavier to a win over Notre Dame-West Haven to clinch to Southern Connecticut Confernece Quinnipiac Division title.
It’s the Falcons fourth division title in the last five years. Shaun Coughlin struck out seven and walked just one to pick up the win

East Haven 3, Hand 2 (9): Paul Spadacenta led off the ninth inning with a home run to lift the Easties win over Hand.
Spadacenta also had two RBIs and pitched three scoreless innings of relief to earn the win for East Haven.

Haddam-Killingworth 1, East Hampton 0: Wes Nuhn tossed a two-hit shutout and struck out five as the Cougars blanked East Hampton.
Dan Milardo’s single in the third inning drove in Andrew Brough for Haddam-Killingworth.

Fairfield Prep 7, Cheshire 5: Dustin Fidaleo went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run as the Jesuits knocked off the Rams

Hamden 5, West Haven 1: Nick Velardi had a two-run homer in a four-run second inning for the Green Dragons.

Law 7, Guilford 0: Brett Michael Doran went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs for the Lawmen. He also earned the win, holding the Indians to five hits in a complete-game shutout.

Hamden Hall 9, Kingswood Oxford 4: Marco Gasparro’s three-run double highlighted a five-run eighth inning for the Hornets. Vin Teixeira went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and three runs.

Sheehan 9, Lyman Hall 0: Ryan Moore tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits and striking out five. Reid Nelson and Mark Brennan each homered for the Titans.

Friday’s results


BASEBALL

FCIAC

Staples at St. Joseph, ppd. to Saturday, 3 p.m.

SCC Quinnipiac

Hamden 5, West Haven 1

Xavier 4, Notre Dame-West Haven 3

SCC Hammonasset

Law 7, Guilford 0

SCC Housatonic

Sheehan 9, Lyman Hall 0

SCC interdivision

East Haven 3, Hand 2 (9)

Fairfield Prep 7, Cheshire 5

Shoreline

Coginchaug 12, Valley Regional 7

Haddam-Killingworth 1, East Hampton 0

Westbrook 10, Hyde 3

North Branford at Morgan (Indian River Complex), ppd. to Saturday, 7 p.m.

Preps

Hamden Hall 9, Kingswood-Oxford 4 (8)

Poor Putnam.

The Clippers are 0-15 and haven't been able to compete in the Eastern Connecticut Conference.

They opened the season with a 33-2 loss to Wheeler and were outscored 80-3 in their first three games.

Putnam is moving from the ECC to the Constitution State Conference next season in hopes of breathing some life into its struggling program.

I'm sure most heard about the hype.

He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, has blasted home runs over 500 feet and throws runners out from his knees.

Now Bryce Harper may be the top pick in next month's MLB Draft. Harper passed up his last two years at Las Vegas High School, got his GED and now plays at the College of Southern Nevada. 

Check out this YouTube video of Harper highlights.

Hamden Hall 13, Masters 0: Jordan Kubilus tossed a one-hitter in the Hornets win. He added three hits, two RBIs and three runs. Mike Sowerby drove in four runs for Hamden Hall.


Amity 5, Shelton 0: Joe Ciancola struck out 10, allowed just four hits and went 2-for-3 with two runs for the Spartans.

Sheehan 4, Cheshire 3: Nick Parillo’s two-out single in the seventh scored Reid Nelson to lift the Titans over the Rams. Sophomore pitcher Jim Davitt earned his first varsity win.

Branford 9, Career 6: Nick Dummar went 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBIs and two stolen bases for the Hornets.

Cromwell 11, Old Saybrook 10: Bob Jordan drove in the game-winning run with a single in the seventh.
James Canavan went 2-for-2 with four RBIs and two runs for Old Saybrook.

Derby 6, Sacred Heart 0: Ryan Skelly pitched a complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts. He added a double and two runs.

Stratford 2, New Fairfield 1: Alec Ward’s two-out single scored Josh Vega in the seventh as the Red Devils edged New Fairfield.

St. Paul 6, Ansonia 5: Mike Scanlon drove in the game-winning run in the eighth inning for St. Paul. Scanlon also homered.

SCC Housatonic

Amity 5, Shelton 0

Sheehan 4, Cheshire 3

SCC Hammonasset

Foran 14, Hillhouse 3

SCC Oronoque

Branford 9, Career 6

North Haven 3, Wilbur Cross 0

NVL

Derby 6, Sacred Heart 0

Naugatuck 8, Seymour 5

St. Paul 6, Ansonia 5 (8)

SWC

Stratford 2, New Fairfield 1

Shoreline

Coginchaug 5, East Hampton 1

Cromwell 11, Old Saybrook 10

Haddam-Killingworth 8, North Branford 2

FCIAC

St. Joseph 10, Stamford 4

Preps

Hamden Hall 13, Masters 0

Hopkins 11, King 1 (5)

Each Thursday, the Batter's Box blog will feature a Connecticut native now playing in college.

Matt Carasiti, St. John's
High school: Berlin 2009
Position: RHP
Games: 14
IP: 42.2
W-L: 6-2
ERA: 5.48
SO: 30
BB: 30

For more on Carasiti, click here.

A California legislative committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would place a two-year ban on the use of metal bats in high school baseball, responding to safety concerns which were raised when a Marin County teenager was severely injured in March, the Associated Press reported.

So what about Connecticut?

“There hasn’t been any serious discussion,” said CIAC official Joe Tonelli.

Tonelli added that the CIAC’s main concern lies with safety and follows the rules of the National Federation of High Schools.

This past summer, the American Legion moved to an all-wooden bat state tournament. Also, seven of the eight American Legion zones in Connecticut shifted to wooden bats during the regular season. Connecticut was the only state to do so at the Legion level.

According to the Associated Press story, metal bats already are banned in New York City and North Dakota.

Check out this article about American Legion's switch to wooden bats.

Shoreline

Morgan 8, Valley Regional 2

SCC Quinnipiac

Xavier 7, Hamden 1

Check out this interesting story by Tom Yantz of the Hartford Courant.

CSC

Bullard-Havens Tech at Platt Tech, ppd. to Friday, 3 p.m.

NVL

Seymour at Torrington, ppd. to Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Derby at Sacred Heart (Municipal Stadium), ppd. to Thursday, 6 p.m.

Shoreline

Portland at Old Saybrook, ppd. to May 20, 3:45 p.m.

Haddam-Killingworth at North Branford, ppd. to Thursday, 3:45

Coginchaug at East Hampton, ppd. to Thursday, 3:45 p.m.

SCC Quinnipiac

Fairfield Prep at West Haven, ppd., TBA

SCC Hammonasset

Law at Hillhouse, ppd. to Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

Hand at Foran, ppd. to Saturday, 10 a.m.

SCC Oronoque

North Haven at East Haven, ppd. to Tuesday, 3:45 p.m.

SCC Housatonic

Cheshire at Sheehan, ppd. to Thursday, 3:45 p.m.

SCC interdivision

Notre Dame-West Haven at Amity, ppd. to Saturday, 1 p.m.

Guilford at Branford, ppd. to Saturday, 1 p.m.

SWC

Notre Dame-Fairfield at Bunnell, ppd. to Saturday, 3 p.m.

FCIAC

Stamford at St. Joseph, ppd. to Thursday, 4 p.m.

Hamden Hall 3, King 2: Jordan Kubilus’ single drove in Marc Cafasso with two outs in the seventh to lift the Hornets past King.

Career 4, Wilbur Cross 1: Juliano Nieves struck out 11 and scattered four hits in the Panthers win over the Governors. Joe Tiroletto went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for Career.

O’Brien Tech 6, Wilcox Tech 4: Tyler Lafo went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and a RBI and Cody Steinberg went 2-for-3 with two RBIs for the Condors.

CSC

O’Brien Tech 6, Wilcox Tech 4

FCIAC

St. Joseph 8, Westhill 7

SCC Oronoque

Career 4, Wilbur Cross 1

Shoreline Conference

North Branford 12, Portland 1

Old Lyme 15, Hyde 4

Preps

Hamden Hall 3, King 2

It didn’t take long for Newington to turn the page after New Britain blanked the Indians 4-0 Tuesday.

Sparked by a six-run seventh inning, Newington answered back with a 7-1 win Wednesday over previously undefeated Northwest Catholic.

“Coming off that loss, our guys were really focused,” Newington coach Eric Frank said. “We hung in there and scored six in the seventh to pull out the win.”

Despite being a youth-laden group — just one senior on the team — No. 9 Newington (11-2 entering Monday) looks to be a Class LL contender this year. It will certainly be battle tested, after playing among teams like Southington, Northwest Catholic, New Britain and Simsbury in a loaded Central Connecticut Conference West Division.

Junior Tyler Barrett, who had a two-run single during Wednesday’s rally, is hitting .440 with 17 RBIs and three home runs. On the mound, junior right-hander Cole Bryant is 6-1 with a 1.06 ERA. He went 7-0 last year as a sophomore.

Before the season, Derby coach Sumner Sochrin knew this year’s group of Red Raiders looked promising. And the move from the Southern Connecticut Conference to what seems to be a more fitting Naugatuck Valley League has only helped.

So now the Red Raiders have their first state tournament berth since 2001 and find themselves still in the hunt for a NVL Brass Division crown.

“They made a good adjustment to the NVL,” Holy Cross coach Mike Phelan said. “They gave us a run for our money. They should have a shot in the NVL tournament.”

Derby nearly knocked off the NVL-leading Crusaders, falling to Holy Cross 7-6 early in the season. Senior right-hander Ryan Skelly has led a steady Red Raiders pitching staff, posting a 5-1 mark and 1.90 ERA before Monday’s game against Wolcott. Phelan calls Skelly one of the top pitchers he’s seen all season.

Sophomore Ray Krieger is also 4-0 entering the week.

But the biggest surprise has been Derby’s lineup, a question coming into the season. The Red Raiders have made a huge improvement at the plate, going from a team that hit .227 last year to a unit that is batting .324.

“Compared to last year, it’s been unreal,” Sochrin said.

Derby certainly showed offensive progress in a 27-5 win over Torrington on April 29. Heading into this week, Angelo DiSorbo is hitting .409. Along with his stellar season on the mound, Skelly is hitting .405. Mark Ippolito is also batting .392 and John Haydu is hitting .357.

East Haven 12, Wilbur Cross 2: Paul Spadacenta had two triples and three RBIs for the Easties. Vin Guglietti added two doubles and four RBIs. Spadacenta also picked up the win.
Foran 4, Guilford 0: Brian Ward struck out 11 and picked up the win for the Lions.
Cheshire 7, Lyman Hall 0: Max Slade had a double, triple and an RBI and Dom Severino added two hits, including a two-run home run, and two RBIs for the Rams.
Amity 12, Sheehan 5: Nick Baviello went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Anthony Aprile went 2-for-5 with three RBIs for the Spartans.
Ansonia 18, Kennedy 3: Christian Dzienkiewicz had three triples and four RBIs in the Chargers victory.
Fairfield Prep 5, Hamden 2: Connor Marr had three hits, three RBIs and two stolen bases for the Jesuits.
Haddam-Killingworth 5, Coginchaug 2: Dan Milardo had three hits as the Cougars knocked off the Blue Devils.
Hand 19, Hillhouse 0: Weston Fahey tossed a one-hitter and added three hits and three RBIs for the Tigers.
North Branford 15, Valley Regional 4: Rich Pfieffer had six hits and Sage Leonard added a home run and drove in six runs for the Thunderbirds.
Notre Dame-West Haven 7, West Haven 3: Sean Goldrich had three hits and drove in three runs for the Green Knights.
Old Lyme 16, Old Saybrook 12: James Canavan had a grand slam and six RBIs for the Wildcats in the Shoreline Conference slugfest.
Shelton 7, Xavier 1: Eric Christensen picked up the win and chipped in with two hits, including a double, and a run for the Gaels.

CSC
O'Brien Tech 13, Vinal Tech 4
Wilcox Tech 15, Whitney Tech 6
FCIAC
St. Joseph 28, Harding 1
NVL
Ansonia 18, Kennedy 3
St. Paul 2, Seymour 1
Wolcott 10, Derby 8
Shoreline
Haddam-Killingworth 5, Coginchaug 2
Morgan 5, East Hampton 4
North Branford 15, Valley Regional 4
Old Lyme 16, Old Saybrook 12
SCC Hammonasset
Foran 4, Guilford 0
Hand 19, Hillhouse 0
SCC Housatonic
Amity 12, Sheehan 5
Cheshire 7, Lyman Hall 0
SCC Oronoque
East Haven 12, Wilbur Cross 2
SCC Quinnipiac
Fairfield Prep 5, Hamden 2
Notre Dame-West Haven 7, West Haven 3
SCC interdivision
Law 7, Career 0
Shelton 7, Xavier 1
SWC
Stratford 5, Barlow 3

Once again, Amity was unanimously voted as the No. 1 team in the state in the latest Register Top 10 poll. The Spartans improved to 14-0 after wins over Branford, Cheshire and Lyman Hall. For the Register Top 10 poll, click here. 

Check out this week's edition of Diamond Gems.

Click here to read the game story about Hamden Hall's 9-3 win over Hopkins.

Notre Dame-West Haven 6, Hamden 5: Mike Panza’s RBI single drove in T.J. Shea in the bottom of the 10th as the Green Knights edged the Green Dragons.

Cheshire 6, Shelton 5: Dom Severino scored the game-winning run on an infield error in the ninth to lift the Rams over the Gaels in a SCC Housatonic Division game.
Ryan Rougeot picked up the win for the Rams (10-4). Shelton falls to 10-4.

Law 3, Hand 2: Jeff St. Pierre drove in the winning run in the sixth to lift the Lawmen over the Tigers. Nick Merullo had a two-run home run for the Tigers.

Hamden Hall 9, Hopkins 3: Matt Pietrandrea had a three-RBI triple to break and 3-3 tie and lead the Hornets to the win over their prep school rival.
Vin Teixeira had three hits, two runs and two RBIs for Hamden Hall.

Branford 5, Wilbur Cross 1: Nick Dummar had two hits, two runs and a stolen base in the Hornets win. Andrew Luzzi added two hits and two RBIs for Branford.

Guilford 8, Hillhouse 2: Ian Remmington went 4-for-4 with an RBI for the Indians.

Foran 8, North Haven 3: Ed Michaud had two hits and two RBIs in the Lions win.

Sheehan 3, West Haven 2: Bill Horbin’s single drove in the winning run in the seventh as the Titans edged the Westies.

Bunnell 6, New Fairfield 4: Greg White had four hits in the Bulldogs win.

East Haven 4, Career 3: Mike Perry went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Easties. Joe Tiroletto went 2-for-3 with a home run for the Panthers.

Valley Regional 12, East Hampton 6: Logan Whaley went 3-for-4 with a triple and four RBIs for the Warriors.

SCC Quinnipiac

Notre Dame-West Haven 6, Hamden 5

Xavier 10, Fairfield Prep 2

SCC Hammonasset

Guilford 8, Hillhouse 2

Law 3, Hand 2

SCC Housatonic

Cheshire 6, Shelton 5

SCC Oronoque

Branford 5, Wilbur Cross 1

East Haven 4, Career 3

SCC interdivision

Sheehan 3, West Haven 2

Foran 8, North Haven 3

Shoreline

Coginchaug 5, North Branford 2

Haddam-Killingworth 8, Morgan 2

Old Saybrook 11, Hyde 8

Valley Regional 12, East Hampton 6

NVL

Seymour 9, Derby 1

Wolcott 9, Ansonia 4

SWC

Bunnell 6, New Fairfield 4

Oxford 10, Stratford 2

FCIAC

Norwalk 5, St. Joseph 1

Preps

Hamden Hall 9, Hopkins 3

It's no secret. Law has Foran's number.

The Lawmen blanked their city rival 2-0 Wednesday, sweeping the season series against the Lions. It's also worth noting, Law beat Foran ace Brian Ward in both games.

And it was Foran, which Law beat to win the Southern Connecticut Conference title last season.

Furthermore, Law has beat Foran in the last six meetings. The last time the Lions came out on top was in April 2008 in a 3-1 win.

Trailing 2-1 heading into the final inning against Career back in April, Shelton managed to rally and pull out a 4-3 win. Once again, the Gaels trailed the Panthers heading into seventh on Thursday.

This time they found themselves down 3-2. And once again, Shelton managed to come from behind to knock off Career 7-5.

Shelton coach Scott Gura said his team just can't seem to figure out Career pitcher Sheldon Poole. He pitched against the Gaels in both games.

At the very least for the Panthers, hanging with a very strong Shelton team is a boost of confidence for a Career program that is rebuilding.

Shelton 7, Career 5: Trailing 3-2 heading into the seventh, the Gaels scored five runs in the seventh inning to beat the Panthers.
Eric Christensen had two hits and two runs for Shelton.

Law 4, Xavier 3: Jeff Rouse had a solo home run while Brett Michael Doran scored the go-ahead run on a stolen base and overthrow in Law’s victory.
Oliver Hart had a two-run homer for Xavier.

Fairfield Prep 2, Hand 0: Max Freccia allowed just three hits to pick up the win for the Jesuits.

Haddam-Killingworth 8, Portland 1: Andrew Brough had two hits and three RBIs for the Cougars.

Lyman Hall 4, Wilbur Cross 2: P.J. Higgins went 4-for-4 with two RBIs for the Trojans.

O’Brien Tech Sweeps Whitney Tech: The Condors beat the Inventors 9-6 in the opener and followed with a 5-3 victory. Chris Turaj picked up the win in the opener and went 1-for-1 with two RBIs in the nightcap.

Stratford 6, Notre Dame-Fairfield 2: Alex Tyler had three hits and three RBIs in the Red Devils win.

Valley Regional 20, North Branford 5: Tim Mesite went 4-for-5 with a double and two triples for the Warriors.

CSC


O’Brien Tech 9-5, Whitney Tech 6-3

Shoreline

Haddam-Killingworth 8, Portland 1

Valley Regional 20, North Branford 5

SCC interdivision

Fairfield Prep 2, Hand 0

Law 4, Xavier 3

Lyman Hall 4, Wilbur Cross 2

Shelton 7, Career 5

SWC

Bunnell 5, Immaculate 2

Stratford 6, Notre Dame-Fairfield 2

Each Thursday, the Batter's Box blog will feature a Connecticut native now playing in college. 

Brian Monack, Quinnipiac senior

High school: Branford 2006                                                               

Position: OF

Games: 40

Avg.: .318

Runs: 30

HR: 7

RBI: 36

Slg%: .507

For more on Monack, click here.

Amity 13, Cheshire 4: Anthony Aprile had three hits and four RBIs in the Spartans win. Mark Esposito added two hits and two RBIs for Amity.
East Haven 6, Branford 5: Lou Pane's RBI double in the sixth inning lifted the Easties to a victory over the Hornets.
Law 2, Foran 0: Zack Soulier tossed a four-hitter as the Lawmen blanked their Milford rival. Brian Ward struck out nine for the Lions.
Coginchaug 16, Valley Regional 2: Eric Hewitt went 4-for-4 with four RBIs in the Blue Devils Shoreline Conference win. Jeff Tiedemann added a grand slam for Coginchaug.
Darien 6, St. Joseph 5: Sam Gillespie had a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift Darien to the win over the Cadets. Jerry Kramer went 3-for-4 for St. Joseph.
Haddam-Killingworth 9, Old Saybrook 7: Jeff Waterbury doubled twice in the Cougars win over the Rams.
Hamden Hall 14, Greens Farms Academy 8: Vin Teixeira had four hits and four RBIs in Hamden Hall's victory.
Lyman Hall 7, Hamden 2: P.J. Higgins had two hits, a run and two RBIs as the Trojans beat the Green Dragons. Will Hindinger homered for Hamden.
Shelton 6, Sheehan 4: Ryan Zahornasky had two hits as the Gaels edged the Titans. 
Stratford 2, Weston 1: Joe DeLuca had two hits and scored the deciding run on a wild pitch in the fourth inning for the Red Devils.

                                                                              CSC

Bullard-Havens 7, O’Brien Tech 1

Platt Tech 15, Whitney Tech 5

NVL

Ansonia 15, Torrington 3

Derby 9, Kennedy 5

Wilby 7, Seymour 3

Shoreline

Coginchaug 16, Valley Regional 2

Westbrook 7, Old Lyme 3

Haddam-Killingworth 9, Old Saybrook 7

SWC

Pomperaug 12, Bunnell 2

Stratford 2, Weston 1

SCC Hammonasset

Hand 8, Guilford 2

Law 2, Foran 0

SCC Quinnipiac

Notre Dame-West Haven 9, Fairfield Prep 0

Xavier 6, West Haven 2

SCC Oronoque

East Haven 6, Branford 5

North Haven 6, Career 4

SCC interdivision

Lyman Hall 7, Hamden 2

Hillhouse 6, Wilbur Cross 2

SCC Housatonic

Amity 13, Cheshire 4

Shelton 6, Sheehan 4

FCIAC

Darien 6, St. Joseph 5

Preps

Hamden Hall 14, Greens Farms 8

The St. Joseph-Westhill showdown at historic Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y., on April 23 finished in a tie at 7. The game was suspended after seven innings because of darkness.

The two FCIAC foes will pick it up in the top of the eighth inning on May 11 in Trumbull at 4 p.m. The Vikings’ seven runs are the most the Cadets have given up. St. Joseph’s rotation has posted a 1.50 ERA through 10 games and is holding opponents to a .177 batting average.

East Haven struggled early. The Easties lost their first five games and gave up at least 10 runs in each.

Then the pitching settled down and they has won six of their last seven, with the latest being an impressive 10-2 victory over Cheshire.

Ace Paul Spadacenta scattered five hits and picked up the win in a 6-2 victory over Branford, which started the turnaround. Spadacenta has been throwing well since.

No. 2 pitcher, sophomore Mike Anastasio, has been improving, and junior Vin Guglietti has returned from a shoulder injury to bolster the rotation. The Easties haven’t given up more than four runs in their last seven games.

Meanwhile, Guglietti has been on a tear to led the offense. He’s hitting .550 with four home runs and 19 RBIs.

“He’s in a zone,” East Haven coach Ray Johnson said about Guglietti. “He’s on another planet right now.”

Preps

Hopkins 9, Brunswick 2

Non-league

Fitch 9, Coginchaug 4

NVL

Ansonia 5, Woodland 2

Watertown 6, Seymour 5

Shoreline

Portland at Haddam-Killingworth, ppd. to Thursday, 3:45 p.m.

SCC interdivision

Shelton at Career, ppd. to Thursday, 3:45 p.m.

Wilbur Cross at Lyman Hall, ppd. to Thursday, 3:45 p.m.

Foran 2, West Haven 1

Hamden 18, Hillhouse 1

Amity 4, Branford 0

Sheehan 6, North Haven 5

Notre Dame-W.H. 12, Guilford 9

SWC

Bunnell at Immaculate, ppd. to Thursday, 3:45 p.m.

Stratford at Notrre Dame-Fairfield, ppd. to Thursday, 3:45 p.m.

FCIAC

St. Joseph 8, New Canaan 3



Sheehan 6, North Haven 5: Mark Brennan’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted the Titans to a win ovr the Indians. TK Kiernan also homored for Sheehan. Titans pitcher Jim Davitt struck out nine over eight innings in his first varsity start.

Amity 4, Branford 0: Lou Concato allowed just three hits and struck out 14 as the Spartans blanked the Hornets. Ian Farrell went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs for the Spartans.

Foran 2, West Haven 1: Christian Malave led off the seventh with a triple and later scored on Dan Geyer’s single to break a 1-1 tie and lift the Lions to the win.

Ansonia 5, Woodland 2: Chris Dzienkiewicz tossed a two-hitter to lead the Chargers over Woodland.

Hamden 18, Hillhouse 1: P.J. Scott had a three-run home run, a double and four RBIs for the Green Dragons. Hamden had six doubles.

Notre Dame-West Haven 12, Guilford 9: T.J. Shea had four hits, including a home run, and four RBIs in the Green Knights win over Guilford.

Entering this week, Greenwich (11-0) had not lost. The Cardinals outscored opponents by an astounding 112-23 margin before Monday’s game against Stamford and have jumped to No. 3 in the Register Top 10 poll.

Now it’s time to see if Greenwich is for real.

The Cardinals’ second-half schedule if filled with some of the FCIAC’s top teams, including Fairfield Ludlowe, Staples and St. Joseph.

So far, the Greenwich rotation has been close to unhittable. Versatile senior Yuta Okazaki (he has played seven positions during his high school career) is 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA.

At the plate, players like Joe Marianacci (.436) has come up with timely hits, and the Cardinals have shown they can pound the ball. Mike Dunster had eight RBIs in a 23-1 win over Fairfield Warde.

“A young outfield has been holding up,” Greenwich coach Mike Mora said. “The questions we’ve had seemed to be answered. We’re confident with the pitching we have. Our schedule is getting tougher, but we’re hungry.”

For a team that won a Southern Connecticut Conference title last year and a state championship the season before, losing three of its first four games was cause for concern for the Law baseball team.

“There was some panic at 1-3 with the schedule we have,” Law coach Dennis Sweeney said. “We were just hoping for a win here and there.”

But that panic turned into a sense of urgency, and the urgency led to wins. Six straight victories before the run ended Friday with a 5-4 eight-inning loss to Shelton.

Sweeney said the turning point came with a 2-1 win against town rival Foran on April 19, the second victory during the winning streak.

Law managed to pull out the win despite going up against Lions ace Brian Ward, one of the top pitchers in the SCC, if not the state. Sweeney called Law pitcher Brett Michael Doran’s outing a “gusty performance.”

“He didn’t have his curveball or his fastball,” Sweeney said of Doran. “He just battled and battled and made pitches when he had to.”

Doran also went 2-for-3 and Buddy Bajerski went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Sweeney has also made a defensive adjustment, which proved to be critical. Chris Peloso moved from shortstop to center field and Josh Rouse shifted from third base to shortstop, improving the middle.

Sophomores Joe Bannon, Matt Ferraiolo and Sean Cameron have established themselves as solid players for the Lawmen, too.

Law outscored its opponents by 44 runs during its winning streak, but the very tough schedule lightened up during that stretch.

Now, it gets tougher again.

“We were better than we were playing,” Sweeney said. “I think we’ve turned the corner. I expect us to play better. It will be interesting to see how it pans out with our schedule.”

1. Amity
2. Staples
3. Greenwich
4. Northwest Catholic
5. Notre Dame-West Haven

For the rest of the poll, click here.

Check out this week's edition of Diamond Gems.

Check out the game story from Foran's 3-2 over Sheehan Friday.