Regional Champs! — Inferno Claims Another Title

The Newtown Inferno, the Cal Ripken 46/60 11-year-old baseball team, followed up its state championship with a New England Regional Tournament title in East Falmouth, Mass. on August 12.

Newtown won the winner-take-all game against loser’s bracket winner East Falmouth, prevailing 10-4.

Patrick Godino pitched his second complete game of the tournament, and his third victory by tossing six innings, scattering ten hits, and earning the player of the game for Newtown.

Newtown’s Jacob Steinebrey got hit by the first pitch of the game. Steinebrey was forced out at second on a fielder’s choice by Henry Primavera who reached third base on successive passed balls. He then scored on a single to left by Joe Palanzo who was playing his last game for Newtown because on Saturday he and his family moved to Arizona.

East Falmouth scored twice in the bottom of the second on four hits to take a 2-1 lead. After back-to-back singles put runners on the corners, East Falmouth elected to try a double steal. Catcher Peter Debona threw out the trailing runner at second base as the runner on third scored. Two more hits and a walk later it was 2-1 with runners on second and third when Citrano made a diving catch in center field on a sharp line drive and fired to second base doubling off the runner to end the inning. The boys from Newtown came roaring back to the bench and the momentum turned their way as they scored five runs in the top of the third on one hit and six walks by the hard throwing East Falmouth pitchers.

Newtown’s batters had great plate discipline, working out four of those walks on full count pitches. Nick Venezia knocked in Newtown’s sixth run of the a game with a hard hit ground ball to first base before Steinebrey hit a long fly ball that threatened to break the game open but was fielded nicely by the Massachusetts left fielder.

Godino shut down East Falmouth’s heart of the order on six pitches in the bottom of the third inning to maintain the Newtown lead at 6-2. Ethan Aug made a nice play on a tricky grounder to his left at shortstop to get the first hitter. CJ Shambelan then made a difficult catch under the lights in deep right center for the second out. A soft liner to Primavera ended the inning.

Primavera led off the fourth inning with a soft blooper over the pitcher’s head for an infield hit. After a fielder’s choice by Palanzo, Debona walked. Citrano then hit a 1-1 offering to deep center field for a three-run homerun, his second of the tournament, to pad the Inferno’s lead, making it 9-2.

Steinebrey made two nice plays on hard hit ground balls in the bottom of the fourth inning sandwiched around a strikeout by Godino to squelch any comeback attempt by the potent East Falmouth lineup.

In the top of the Newtown fifth inning, Rob Lombardo led off with a pinch-hit double to the base of the wall in left center. Godino laid down a perfect bunt up the first base line and the throw to third was too late to get the sliding Lombardo. Steinebrey then bounced one to short that was booted by the shortstop scoring Lombardo and extending the Newtown lead to 10-2.

East Falmouth would not go down easily scoring two more times in the bottom of the fifth on four more hits but Godino held on, getting a big strike out, fielder’s choice, and a ground ball out to end the inning.

After a one-out single in the bottom of the sixth, with Patrick looking for his second complete game of the tournament, he induced a hard-hit ground ball to right side of second base that Steinebrey fielded easily and cleanly flipped to shortstop Primavera who threw on to first for a tournament-ending 4-6-3 double play. The Newtown players and coaches then mobbed the pitcher’s mound in celebration of a well deserved victory after a long week of baseball, rain delays, and high emotions.

The Inferno had a chance to win the tournament in the first game of what turned out to be a double header, but East Falmouth won 20-5 to force the decisive game. Cam Tobey hit two long home runs for East Falmouth, his fourth and fifth dingers of the tournament.

In the first inning, Citrano made a nice diving catch on a looping liner to left center for the first out. After a walk, the next hitter hit a hard hit grounder to the right of second base. The ball was knocked down by Harry Eppers who flipped to shortstop Henry Primavera for the second out of the inning. Owen McInerney stuck out the cleanup hitter looking to end the inning.

In the top of the fourth inning East Falmouth rallied for 12 more runs, the most runs given up by the stingy Newtown staff in all of the 35 games the team played this summer. Citrano was named Newtown player of the game for his fine defensive plays in center field.