Bristol American Legion baseball, the lone area program still currently in operation, is having a solid season at the 19U level after an up-and-down start.
Post 2 fell to 9-6 in Zone 1 play following a 12-2 loss to West Hartford on Tuesday evening at Muzzy Field. Bristol has one game remaining in the regular season, a home game against Simsbury on Wednesday evening at 5:30 at Muzzy.
Bristol responded well the last time it lost to West Hartford, which is undefeated in Zone 1 (15-0). Post 2 stood at 6-5 in Zone 1 play following a 7-1 loss at West Hartford on July 7. Bristol responded with three straight wins, including a doubleheader sweep of Meriden this past Sunday.
The win streak began with an 8-7 victory at Torrington on July 9. Bristol scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to break a 6-6 tie. Tyler Martin went six innings for the win while Dylan Woodsome picked up the last two outs for the save. Post 2 came back to lead, 6-4, before the P38s scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game, setting up the visiting team’s game-winning rally.
In the first game of the Meriden doubleheader, Bristol was able to survive a late blown lead and win in nine innings, 10-7. Post 2 led, 7-1, after an inning and a half but Meriden chipped away for a run in the second and fourth innings before erupting for four more runs in the sixth to tie the game. Bristol, however, scored three times in the top of the ninth inning to take the lead, and Woodsome closed out the game for the win.
Bristol again jumped out to an early lead in the second Meriden game, but this time the ride was smoother. Post 2 led 5-0 after two times at bat and added two more runs in the fourth for a commanding 7-1 lead. Matthew Beaucar went all seven innings for the complete game victory. Of note, St. Paul incoming senior Jonathan Remillard pitched in relief during the second game for Meriden.
Bristol is 2-1 so far this season against Simsbury. Each team won once on the other’s home field before Post 2 claimed a 6-3 victory on July 5 at Memorial Field in Simsbury.
STATE TOURNAMENT
Four of Zone 1’s five teams will make the state tournament under the 32-team format, and Bristol is obviously one of those four teams. Under this year’s tournament format, Post 2 is designated Z1-2 (No. 2 seed of Zone 1) and would play NCL (Bloomfield, Suffield, Windsor, Windsor Locks), the Z3-4, in the second game of POD C at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. There are eight pods, four in both the Northern and Southern regions, and the pod is at the site of the higher seed. In the case of Northern Division Pod C, that host is Waterford (Z6-1).
