It was a tough end to a great season for the St. Paul baseball team.
The top-seeded Falcons lost the Class S state championship game, 8-0, to third-seeded Coginchaug. St. Paul was held to four hits and three walks. Stephen Morelli had two of those hits while Devin Kulas and Jamie Leggett added one hit apiece. The Blue Devils scored three runs in the top of the third inning, then added five more in the fourth to put the game away.
Ok, that’s enough about the game. St. Paul had a terrific season. The Falcons finished 22-3, including an 18-1 regular season where they earned the No. 1 seed in Class S. St. Paul had a powerful offense, led by 3-4-5 hitters Ryan Daniels, Casey Cerruto and Mario Izzo. Daniels hit 16 home runs and drove in 46 runs, Izzo tallied 15 homers and 53 RBI, and Cerruto bagged five dingers, nine doubles and 49 RBI. All nine starters in Friday night’s game were hitting .367 or better. It took a terrific performance by UConn-bound senior left-hander Kolby Pascarelli (8 strikeouts, 3 walks, 3 hits) to shut down the Falcons.
St. Paul loses senior starters Owen Davis and Shaun Remillard to graduation, along with Patrick Russo, Michael Lodge and Connor Wilson. What the Falcons return bodes well for next season. The top five hitters in the lineup – Kulas, Leggett, Daniels, Cerruto and Izzo – are all back. The No. 8 and 9 batters – Brendan Foley and Morelli – are also back, along with left fielder Jon Remillard, whom Morelli hit for in the game as designated hitter.
St. Paul hopes to return to the top of both the NVL and the state in 2022, and it has a great foundation to work with.
PHOTO CAPTION: St. Paul baseball gathers for the final postgame huddle of its season Friday in Middletown.
(Copyright, Sports on CT-69)
