(Copyright, Sports on CT-69)
Third-seeded Wolcott got off to a great start against NVL foe and ninth-seeded Seymour during Saturday night’s Class M state final at Palmer Field in Middletown.
Eagle starting pitcher Jack Drewry retired the Wildcats 1-2-3 in the top of the first inning. In the bottom of the first, Drewry smacked a solo home run to right field to put his team ahead 1-0. The home run had his teammates and the Wolcott fans going crazy.
That’s where the good times ended for the Eagles. The Wildcats scored four times in the top of the second inning, then scored three times in three different innings on the way to a convincing 13-2 victory and the program’s first state championship since 2007. Wolcott finished the season with a record of 22-5 while Seymour ended up 20-7.
“Seymour, they battle, battle, battle,” Eagles head coach Tary Scott said. “They’re a very pesky team.”
Scott was not pleased with the performance of his team.
“Very disappointing because we didn’t come out and play Wolcott baseball,” Scott said.
The Eagles usually win with pitching and defense, but they gave up 13 runs on 13 hits and made five errors. The Wildcats seemed to take advantage of every mistake made, every extra chance given. Seymour got hot during the Class M state tournament and went on a magical run.
“They keep fighting, they keep grinding,” Wildcats head coach Jeff Gilbert said of his team.
Seymour tied the game 1-1 in the second on senior Ethan Szerszen’s RBI double. Fellow senior Jake Todice added an RBI single for a 2-1 lead, then a throwing error from the outfield moved the runners up to second and third. A hit by pitch loaded the bases, then an infield error scored two more runs and put the Wildcats up 4-1.
Seymour’s eight seniors have played together since they were young, and their camaraderie showed throughout the game. In the postgame celebration, the Wildcats made sure to hold Gilbert so they could give him an ice water bath.
“I actually filled up that water bucket and I put a bunch of ice in it,” Gilbert said with a smile.
While seniors like Szerszen, Zack Edwards, Brandon Ellsworth and Austin DeRosa paced the Seymour offense, Austen Green was good on the mound. He threw a complete game and limited the Eagles to two runs.
“He stayed in command the whole time,” Gilbert said. “He bent a few times but he never broke.”
Seymour earned its state championship, but Wolcott couldn’t help but feel like it helped them along.
“I told them baseball is a funny game,” Scott said, adding that one day things go your way and another day everything goes against you.
“You got to be prepared to play,” Scott added.
Wolcott got the tying run to the plate in the second and third innings, but didn’t score. Jeff Nicol pushed a run across in the fourth with an RBI single following senior Ethan Gillotti’s leadoff double. Nicol moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt and third on a flyout to center, but he was stranded at third.
From the fifth inning on, Seymour blew the game open. For Wolcott, this game needs to be a motivator for 2019.
“I told them you got to get on that CIAC website, and that score will be up there until this time next year,” Scott said.
Despite the nightmare ending, Scott was still proud of the Eagles.
“They gave their heart, they just came up one game short,” Scott said.
Wolcott loses seniors Gillotti, Nick Longo, Nick Trager, Tino Ciarlo and Alex Martinez to graduation. The Eagles have some very good players returning in 2019, and they will have plenty of motivation to play Wolcott baseball when it counts most.
GALLERY
Here are my photos from Saturday’s Class M state final.
