The Wolcott Scrappers stayed hot in the Connecticut Tri-State Baseball League with a 16-0 thrashing of the short-handed Winsted Whalers on Thursday night at the BAW Complex.
Wolcott (10-4) rolled to the win behind a bevy of big bats and the complete-game pitching of Tyler Smith. Winsted (6-9) was saving its pitching for two important games this weekend against the Southington 66ers (6-7), and the Scrappers took full advantage.
Eric Soucy had three hits and two RBI to lead a 14-hit Wolcott attack. Mike Perugini and Ryan Soucy each had two hits and two RBI while Elvis Martinez and Angel Torres added a hit and an RBI apiece. Wolcott struck for seven runs in the bottom of the first inning, then erupted for eight more in a third inning that felt like it would never end.
The Scrappers, winners of four straight games, moved into fourth place in Tri-State, a half-game ahead of the Naugatuck Dogs (9-4). That placement is significant given the Top 4 teams in Tri-State get a first round bye through the playoffs while seeds 5-12 have to play a best-of-three series in the first round.
Wolcott has four games left in the regular season, though the last one, a makeup against the East Mountain Cougars on July 22, may not need to be played if it doesn’t affect the playoff standings. The regular season is supposed to end on July 21, but the game couldn’t be scheduled until July 22.
Wolcott’s other three remaining games are against the Tribury Twisters (Sunday at 2 p.m. at Bucks Hill Park), the Southington 66ers (next Tuesday, 7 p.m., Recreation Park) and the Litchfield Cowboys (next Saturday, 11 a.m., Litchfield High School).
The Scrappers struggled with injuries and limped into the postseason in 2017. Wolcott wants to avoid that fate this season, so any extra rest would be appreciated.
GALLERY
Here are my photos from Thursday night’s game at the BAW.
