June 9, 2018, is a date that resonates with Wolcott baseball, and not in a good way.
On that night nearly one year ago, the Eagles played NVL foe Seymour in the Class M state final at Palmer Field in Middletown. The Wildcats embarrassed Wolcott by a score of 13-2, and the Eagles haven’t forgotten about it.
Add some personal, emotional motivation following the death of a legendary local coach, and Wolcott had every reason to return to the scene of last year’s blowout.
“It’s amazing. After last year, that sour taste we had, we’ve just been pushing all year, staying determined,” senior catcher Jeff Nicol said. “We’re doing this for Coach Dave, so we want to keep going.”
“Coach Dave” is Dave Pelletier, who taught so many of these Eagles how to play the game of baseball when they were just little boys. Pelletier passed away last November, and it has left a big void in the Wolcott baseball community.
To get back to Palmer Field, Wolcott had to beat Woodland Regional on Wednesday night at Muzzy Field in Bristol. The top-seeded Eagles did just that, winning by a score of 3-2 over the fifth-seeded Hawks. Wolcott will play No. 11 St. Joseph of Trumbull in the Class M final on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Palmer Field in Middletown.
“This is the best feeling I’ve had in a while, for us to go back to the championship game. These guys deserve this,” coach Tary Scott said.
Wolcott took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning on an error off a ball hit by Reece Ketchum. The inning began with a error off a Trey Nastri ground ball, followed by a Nicol single and an intentional walk to Anthony Ligi following a balk call.
After a strikeout, Ketchum grounded to third base. The ball was misplayed for an error, and Nastri scored for the 3-2 lead.
Senior ace Jack Drewry returned to the mound for the top of the seventh inning. Scott didn’t even want Drewry to pitch after Drewry hurt his arm in the first round win over Bacon Academy.
“I really didn’t want him to throw, but he said I need the ball today. He didn’t want [the run] to end,” Scott said.
“He’s been our guy all year,” Nastri said. “He went down a little at the beginning of the state tournament with an arm injury, but fought, came back, threw this game, and was just lights out all game.”
Drewry got through six innings of two-run ball, but Woodland’s Matt Belcher greeted him with a pinch-hit double to begin the top of the seventh inning. Drewry’s night was done, and Wolcott turned to its senior closer, Dane Hassan. The Hawks sent in a pinch runner, and the Eagles noticed something important.
“The pinch runner was taking his secondary lead when the pitcher was warming up, and he was big,” Nicol said. “As soon as I saw that, I told Trey: Pitch out, we’re going to get him, and we got him.”
On the first pitch, Hassan pitched out and Nicol fired a throw in behind the runner. Nastri caught the throw and forced the runner toward third base, where Alex James was waiting for Nastri’s throw. James caught the throw, put the tag on the runner, and Wolcott had a huge first out.
“We knew [the batter] was bunting, obviously, with a runner in scoring position at that point in the game,” Nastri said. “Thankfully he was as far off as we thought he would be, and we picked him off at the right time, so that was huge.”
Scott called Nicol the catalyst of the team. After the first out, Hassan picked up a strikeout for the second out. For the last out, Hassan got a grounder to Drewry, who was playing first base. Drewry flipped to Hassan, who just beat out the head-first dive of the Woodland batter.
“That’s been us all year. We battle, we battle, we don’t give up, and that’s what I like about this team,” Scott said.
Woodland struck first with a sacrifice fly for a run in the top of the first inning. Wolcott responded with two runs in the bottom of the first inning for a 2-1 lead. Hassan reached on an error to lead off the inning. After a walk to James, Drewry singled to load the bases. An infield single by Nastri scored Hassan to tie the game at 1-1. Nicol hit into a double play, but James scored to put the Eagles ahead 2-1. The Hawks got a two-run single in the top of the third inning to tie the game at 2-2.
Nastri (run scored) and Nicol both went 2-for-3 while James and Drewry each had a single. Drewry gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits in just over six innings of work. He struck eight and walked one on 103 pitches (68 strikes). Hassan threw seven pitches (four strikes) in his one inning of work for the save. He struck out one batter.
Cover photo: Wolcott baseball in its joyous postgame huddle following a 3-2 Class M state semifinal win over Woodland Regional at Muzzy Field.
Top photo: Jack Drewry delivers a pitch in the top of the seventh inning.
Bottom photo: Jeff Nicol takes his lead off of second base.
Gallery
Here are my photos from the end of the game.
