The Waterbury Post 1 senior American Legion baseball team will have its back against the wall tomorrow night at Palmer Field in Middletown.
Waterbury faces Cheshire in a Southern Division Super Regional elimination game at 6:30. Post 1 was forced into the game against Cheshire following a 5-1 loss to Stamford on Sunday at Palmer. Cheshire scored nine runs in the final two innings of its game against Stratford to claim a 10-3 victory and stay alive.
Waterbury scored first against Stamford in their game Sunday. Elias Torres reached on a two-base error. Tyriq Harris reached first safely on a bunt that moved Torres over to third. Nate Zappone, who left Saturday’s game with an injury, hit a sacrifice fly to score Torres and put Post 1 ahead 1-0. A double play kept Waterbury from scoring any further runs.
Stamford responded to Waterbury’s one run in the top of the third with four in the bottom of the inning. Stamford combined three hits with two Post 1 errors for a four-run outburst. Another error by Waterbury helped Stamford score its final run in the sixth.
Harris, Peyton Stephens and Elias Torres each had one hit for Post 1.
Waterbury faces elimination for the first time in the state tournament tomorrow. Post 1 was in a similar situation several times last year. In the Regional portion of the Southern Division, Waterbury lost the first game to Greenwich but won two straight times in a best-of-three series to move on. Waterbury also won two elimination games at the Super Regional level before being knocked out by Stamford.
Post 1 has been in this situation before, and it is a veteran group. Waterbury will again need to show what its made of with its season on the line.