The St. Paul baseball team will play for a Class S state championship for the first time since 2016 on Friday night.
The top-seeded Falcons (22-2) defeated No. 28 Immaculate-Danbury, 12-8, in a thunder-delayed and water-logged contest at Zippadelli Field in Berlin’s Sage Park on Monday afternoon. St. Paul will take on third-seeded Coginchaug (19-3 in regular season and CIAC games), a 12-0 winner over No. 23 Northwest Catholic-West Hartford, on Friday at 7 p.m. at Palmer Field in Middletown.
Devin Kulas went 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored to lead the St. Paul offense. Casey Cerruto was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI while Shaun Remillard added a double, a run scored and two RBI for the Falcons.
St. Paul led Immaculate, 4-0, in the bottom of the fourth inning when the game went into a long delay. There was no rain, but there was plenty of thunder to go around. When the game resumed, the Mustangs found their offense and erupted for six runs in the top of the fifth inning to claim a 6-4 lead. Pitchers from both sides couldn’t find their control, and it showed in both the top and bottom of the fifth innings. In the bottom of the fifth, two walks led to Immaculate’s starting pitcher being replaced. Remillard rocketed a two-run double to the right field wall off the Mustang reliever to tie the game, 6-6. With pinch runner Pat Russo on third, Brendan Foley lifted a fly ball to left and Russo scored for a 7-6 Falcon lead.
St. Paul reliever Jamie Leggett, who had struggled with his control in the top of the fifth inning, redeemed himself big-time by striking out the side in the sixth. The Falcons scored five times in the bottom frame to break the game open. Ryan Daniels walked and Cerruto singled to start the rally. A Remillard grounder turned into an error and Daniels scored to put St. Paul ahead, 8-6. Owen Davis’ sac fly scored Cerruto for a 9-6 advantage.
After that, the wheels came off the bus for the Mustangs. Foley and Steve Morelli were hit by pitches, then another infield error scored two runs to make it 11-6. Kulas’ RBI single provided St. Paul’s final run of the game and made the score 12-6. Immaculate scored twice in the seventh against St. Paul pitchers Leggett and Mario Izzo, but Izzo got a flyout to deep center from what was the tying run to end the game.
