Going into the 2021 NVL baseball tournament, many probably had top-seeded St. Paul and second-seeded Woodland in the championship final.
Other teams had other ideas, and the Falcons and Hawks were eliminated in the quarterfinal round. Third-seeded Holy Cross won its quarterfinal in convincing fashion, 9-2, over sixth-seeded Oxford. The Crusaders played seventh-seeded upstart Naugatuck in the semifinal round and won going away, 6-1, behind Logan Bessette on the mound.
In the final against eighth-seeded Watertown, Holy Cross got a complete game, 11 strikeouts, and the eventual game-winning RBI double from Tommy Galusha in a 3-2 victory. The win gave the Crusaders their fourth NVL championship in the past seven years and 12th overall.
Here’s a look at each game:
Quarterfinal: Holy Cross 9, Oxford 2
Bessette did his damage at the plate in this game, played at Alumni Field. He tallied three hits and drove in four runs for the Crusaders.
Zach Laferriere joined the hit party with a double, single and two RBI. Leadoff batter Pat Giancarli scored four times.
On the mound, Galusha fired a complete game with five strikeouts and three walks. He yielded two runs on just five hits.
Semifinal: Holy Cross 6, Naugatuck 1
Bessette was the complete-game winner this time around at Municipal Stadium. He struck out 10, walked three and gave up one run on just three hits.
At the plate, Laferriere had two hits and two RBI, as did Rob Rosko. Tyler Ciavarella (RBI) and Zak Morales each doubled and scored a run while Luke Daddona singled, walked and scored twice. A five-run second inning put Holy Cross ahead to stay.
Final: Holy Cross 3, Watertown 2
Galusha may have issued six walks, but he found his way out of jam after jam on the way to six innings of two-run ball. Besides the 11 strikeouts, he yielded just three hits. Both runs he gave up were unearned.
At the plate, Galusha’s RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning scored Morales, who had singled, with the eventual winning run. Galusha was named tournament MVP for his efforts.
Laferriere and Andreas Effes each had a hit and RBI while Giancarli provided a hit and two runs scored from his leadoff spot.
GALLERIES
Here are my photos from the NVL semifinal game.
Here are my photos from the NVL final game.
CAPTION: Tommy Galusha fires in a pitch during Wednesday’s NVL final against Watertown at Municipal Stadium. (Copyright, Sports on CT-69)
