Inferno Heats Up To Claim District Title

The Newtown 11 year old 40/60 travel baseball team, the Inferno, won the Cal Ripken District 5 Tournament played at Posypanko Park in Oxford, July 8 -11. The boys from Newtown outscored their opponents 38-13 in winning all three of their games.

In the first game Newtown beat Southbury 13-2. CJ Shambelan led off with a line single to center and came around to score on an RBI single by Joe Palanzo. Peter Debona and Owen McInerney hit RBI singles in the first inning as well, staking Newtown to a 4-0 lead. 

Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the second, tournament MVP Joe Palanzo hit the first of his four tourney home runs, a two-run shot to left. Shambelan finished 2-for-3 at the plate, Henry Primavera was 2-for-2, and Debona 3-for-3 with three RBI. Patrick Godino pitched three strong innings, allowing only two hits, for the win.

Game two was played the next day against a tough Oxford team and the Inferno prevailed for a 10-6 win. Once again, Shambelan led off the bottom of the first with a single and came around to score on a single by Debona. Oxford rallied for four runs in the top of the second. In Newtown’s bottom half, Ethan Aug started a two-run inning by getting hit by the pitch. Harry Eppers put down a sacrifice bunt and reached safely on a fielder’s choice. Nick Venezia singled to center scoring Aug. Later in the inning Palanzo hit a sacrifice fly to plate Eppers.

The Inferno tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when, with one out, Eugene Citrano laid down a perfect push bunt up the first base line for a single, stole second and came around to score on a clutch two-out single to right by Aug. Also in the fourth inning, Palanzo hit his second home run of the tournament with one man on to give Newtown a 6-4 lead.

Oxford once again rallied in the fifth inning for two runs before Shambelan ended the threat with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning. The Inferno fought back in the bottom of the fifth. Rob Lombardo led off with a line double to left and, after a sacrifice bunt by Jacob Steinebrey, scored on a single by Shambelan. Primavera doubled to plate Shambelan and with two out Eugene Citrano laced a two–run double down the left field line giving the Inferno a 10-6 lead.

Shambelan gave up a one-out single in the sixth but the runner was erased by Peter Debona who nailed the runner attempting to steal second, to end the game.

In the championship game, the Inferno overcame an early deficit and routed Oxford 15-5. Oxford took a 3-0 lead in the first inning before the Inferno came to bat. Shambelan led off the bottom of the first for the Inferno with a single — his third leadoff single in the tournament — and jogged home on a tremendous home run to deep center field by Palanzo. Steinebrey led off the secpnd with a walk before Shambelan reached on a bunt single and Primavera hit an RBIdouble to right. Palanzo then came up with two runners on and hit the first pitch well over the center field fence, putting the game out of reach.

Steinebrey reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances and scored all four times. Eppers went 2-for-2, Primavera finished the game 4-for-5 with five runs batted in, and pitcher Patrick Godino got the victory with three innings of work.

The team advances to play in the Cal Ripken State tournament beginning on Saturday, July 23, in Danbury.