The Bristol Junior American Legion baseball team moved one win closer to a Zone 1-7 title on Wednesday with a 5-1 comeback win over West Hartford at Riley Field.
Post 2 improved to 18-4 in the zone, a full two games ahead of Post 96 (16-6). Each team has just two games left in the regular season, and Bristol beat West Hartford in three of their four meetings.
West Hartford scored a run in the top of the first inning and held a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth. Bristol struck for three runs in the frame to grab a 3-1 lead. Matt D’Amato’s RBI single scored Tyler Donohue and tied the game at 1-1. Post 2 took the lead when a Post 96 throw home on a force play was too high. The West Hartford catcher couldn’t get his foot on the plate before the Bristol runner, and the runner was called safe. Post 2 added another run in the inning to go ahead 3-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, Bristol scored twice more. An Anthony Marrotti grounder to third was mishandled and allowed Evan Bouchard to score. A Joe Crowley sacrifice fly brought in the other run.
Trevor Mays and the Bristol defense made the new-found 5-1 lead hold up over the final two innings. Mays went the distance and allowed a single run on 74 pitches. Crowley made two awesome plays in center field. His diving catch on a short fly ball ended the top of the fourth, then he ran down a deep drive near the tree line for the last out of the fifth.
D’Amato had a nice play of his own at second base when he fielded a grounder to his left, spun and threw to first base for the out.
Bristol closes the regular season with games on Thursday against RCP Post 105 and Friday against Avon Post 201. Both games are at 5:30 p.m. at Riley Field.
GALLERY
Here are my photos from Wednesday’s game.
VIDEOS
Here is my playlist from Wednesday’s game.
