The first full day of the Senior American Legion state tournament saw Waterbury Post 1 and Bristol Post 2 pick up wins.
Waterbury beat Wilton 13-2 on Saturday, and Bristol walked off on Waterford, 7-6 in 10 innings at Tunxis Mead in Farmington. Both teams are scheduled for winner’s bracket games today, though Mother Nature will have the final say on whether they get played. Rain is in the forecast. Post 1 is in the Southern Division “Regional Tournament” while Post 2 is in the Northern Division.
Waterbury, the third place finisher in Zone 5, was tied with Wilton, Zone 4’s second place team, 2-2 after two innings. Post 1 took a 3-2 lead with a run in the third inning, then ran away with the game. Waterbury scored three runs in the fourth, two in the sixth, and five in the seventh to blow the game wide open, according to a story from Rich DePreta for The Norwalk Hour. Adrian Velez was a home run short of the cycle after a three-hit day that included four RBI and three runs scored. Noah Knappe had three runs scored. Jalen Monroe gave up two runs on eight hits and threw 97 pitches in a complete-game effort for Waterbury. Monroe’s effort allowed other Post 1 pitchers to stay fresh for today’s game, weather permitting.
Bristol trailed 3-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning but struck for four runs off Waterford starter Collin Bakken to take the lead. Waterford scored two runs off Alex Balfour in the top of the seventh to retake the lead 5-4, but Bristol answered with a run off reliever John Pellegrino to tie the game and send it to extra innings. Balfour threw scoreless eighth and ninth innings before allowing a run in the 10th, but Bristol had his back. Post 2 scored two runs in the bottom of the 10th to claim a wild victory. Mac Goulet was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI, and Balfour was the winning pitcher, according to a tweet from The Bristol Observer’s Michael Letendre.
Waterbury is scheduled to play Cheshire today at 1 p.m. at Cheshire High School. RCP’s 3-1 win over Pod D top seed Tolland on Saturday gives Bristol an actual home game today, again weather permitting. Bristol is scheduled to host RCP at 1 p.m. at Muzzy Field.
