Fun matchups aplenty between Plowboys, Scrappers in Tri-State game

Wolcott Scrapper second baseman Nick Sconziano takes a pitch during Tuesday night’s Connecticut Twilight League game against Bethlehem at the BAW Complex in Wolcott. The Plowboy catcher is Jesse Swartout.

The undefeated Bethlehem Plowboys faced the Wolcott Scrappers in a Connecticut Tri-State Baseball League contest Tuesday night at the BAW Complex in Wolcott.

Bethlehem improved to 9-0 with a 2-0 win over Wolcott, which fell to 3-6. Tyler Boisvert, a former Woodland hurler, fired a complete game one-hitter and struck out 11. Former Terryville backstop Ian Schmidt provided the offense with a two-run double that scored former Sacred Heart High standouts Matt Mancini and Jesse Swartout. It was noted on the Tri-State website that former Heart head coach Eric O’Toole was in attendance watching his former protégés.

Bethlehem is made up of a plethora of veteran players who are hunting a Tri-State title after back-to-back World Series losses to the Tri-Town Trojans. In the other dugout, Wolcott has players who have mostly graduated from Wolcott High School in the last couple years, including a bunch from the Class M state finalist club of 2023.

Tuesday’s game made for some fun interactions between the clubs. Mancini, an assistant coach at Wolcott High, traded smiles with Scrapper starting pitcher A.J. Martinez when the former stepped into the batter’s box. Mancini also did some razzing of his former players.

Chase Belisle, who caught for the Eagles, played right field for the Plowboys and got the chance to hit against former teammate Martinez. Martinez, who moved on to Taft after Wolcott, got the lone hit off Boisvert.

There were players on the Plowboys who were taught in Thomaston High School by Alex Sconziano, the manager of the Scrappers. The connections went on and on Tuesday.

GALLERY: Here are my photos from Tuesday night’s game.