Connecticut Dodgers End Memorable Season, Gain Life Lessons

This summer, a group of 13U Newtown baseball players tried a new brand of baseball not usually offered in town. After playing Newtown Babe Ruth every spring, summer and fall since they were seven years old, these young men decided to take their love of the game to the next level and form, the Connecticut Dodgers. A team designed to compete exclusively in tournaments against the best 13U players on the east coast. 

The Dodgers competed in 26 tournament games from Maryland to Rhode Island. They played games at Ripken Stadium, home of the Baltimore Orioles minor league affiliate Aberdeen Ironbirds, Central Connecticut State University’s new Division I turf field, the Ripken Yankee Stadium replica field, and many other top level fields.

Spot closer Jack Moulder stepped up with tremendous composure. With command on the mound and confidence in his defense, Moulder kept the Dodgers competitive during a learning curve with a new level of pitching in place. 

The Dodgers advanced to the semifinal game of the Independence Day Shootout in North Branford, and faced the Connecticut Pirates behind the dominant pitching of Geoff Santore and some timely hitting by Matt Davis, Mike Capaldo, and Danny Pearson.

The Dodgers dropped the semifinal game 8-0. A month later they found themselves in the championship game in Rhode Island’s Ocean State Diamond Premier. The Dodgers fell short 3-2 behind a tremendous pitching effort from surprise hurler Jake Oliger who entered the game in relief in the second inning and pulled out a bag of tricks, keeping the opposing hitters off stride and scoreless throughout the rest of the game.

The Dodgers then traveled to the Cal Ripken Complex in Maryland for the third time of the season and advanced to the semifinal game by beating Easton, Pennsylvania’s top team in a thriller. With two outs and down by 3 runs in the bottom of the seventh, the Dodgers got consecutive hits by Jamie Cochrane, Matt Gerics, Chris Blanco, Adam Tyrrell, and Ryan Shaw with the walk-off hit. The Dodgers dropped the semifinal game at Ripken Stadium, but gained a lasting memory in the process. The Dodgers finished the season 17-11.

Dodgers Benefit Food Pantry

In planning the Dodgers concept, manager Lou Blanco wanted to prepare these young men for high school level baseball and at the same time help them experience the act of giving so as to transition them from youth sports to a more mature and well-rounded citizen-athlete. Originally, in the midst of school district budget cuts, the Dodgers proposed a fundraiser baseball game at Newtown High School that would benefit the NHS baseball program. The fundraiser was cancelled as a result of not being allotted Newtown’s High School Baseball field usage by Newtown Parks and Recreation in accordance with Newtown Babe Ruth.

All was not lost. The Dodgers decided to donate their remaining funds to a worthy cause. In a final lesson on what really matters in life, this group of boys that formed the Dodgers met in Sandy Hook to present a check for nearly $500 to the Newtown Faith Food Pantry.