When the Bristol American Legion senior baseball team walked onto Muzzy Field on Monday, destiny was under its control.
If Post 2 could claim victory over Avon, then beat Southington in a completion of a suspended game, it would have a 1.5 game lead in Zone 1.
As it turns out, neither happened, and Bristol is now 1.5 games behind Avon with time running out on the regular season. Post 2 has a zone game tonight against Avon at 5:30 at Muzzy Field, then plays Torrington on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Fuessenich Park in its zone finale.
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| It was a tough night for Bristol Post 2 and head coach Jerry LaPenta on Monday at Muzzy Field. |
Bristol outhit Avon 7-6, yet couldn’t get a run across in a 4-0 loss. One bad inning, a four-run top of the sixth, did Post 2 in.
Bristol still had a chance to be just a half game behind Avon in the standings with a win over Southington.
After a break in between games, Bristol and Southington resumed a contest locked in a 3-3 heading into the top of the eighth inning. Noah Cruz, who pitched the seventh inning before the game was originally suspended by city curfew earlier this month, gave Post 2 four more innings of scoreless relief on Monday. That streak included several strikeouts and an 11th inning that saw him strand two runners on base, including one on third.
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| Noah Cruz came back for four scoreless innings in the resumption of a suspended game against Southington. |
Cruz had reached his innings limit after the 11th though, so Bristol head coach Jerry LaPenta called on Cory Fradette. Southington finally broke through for two runs in the top of the 12th inning to go ahead 5-3.
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| Zach Marquis’ 12th inning RBI single pulled Bristol to within 5-4 of Southington, but that was as close as Post 2 got. |
Bristol got one back in the last of the 12th on Zach Marquis’ RBI single, but a force out at shortstop on the ground ball ended the game in a 5-4 defeat.
Bristol dropped to 15-7 on the season. Post 2 has games remaining against Avon and Torrington, but hopes of a Zone 1 title likely faded away with Monday night’s losses.
For photos from Monday night’s game between Bristol and Southington, go here.
