Lightning Baseball Highlights

15U

Ridgefield 15A 11, Lightning 6: The Lightning battled back against one of the state’s best teams but fell short Sunday at Fairfield Hills Field. The Lightning, with a season record of 6-2, yielded seven first-inning runs and couldn’t recover. Trailing 11-0 in the fourth inning, the Lightning struck for six runs. Cole Baldino walked, Mike LoBosco crushed a double over the left fielder’s head, and Anthony Maki walked to load the bases. Baldino scored on a wild pitch, and Greg Frattaroli slapped an RBI single through the left side of the infield to score LoBosco. After Alex Saviano walked to reload the bases, Ben Stoller drilled a two-RBI single to right field to score Maki and Frattaroli. Saviano and Stoller scored two more runs on wild pitches. Maki now leads the team in runs scored, and Stoller leads the team in RBIs. Maki also pitched brilliantly, relieving in the first inning and stopping a long Ridgefield rally. Maki, Ryan O’Keefe and Alex Saviano pitched for 6 1/3 innings without yielding an earned run and giving up just five hits.

Lightning 9, Aspetuck 7: The Lightning dominated the game and then called on clutch reliever Anthony Maki to record the last out with the tying runs on base during a game last week at Fairfield Hills Field. It was the Lightning’s fifth straight victory. Maki struck out the final batter looking with runners on second and third. Lightning starter and winning pitcher Alex Saviano pitched five tremendous innings, scattering six hits and allowing just one earned run. Kyler Harmeling, who caught a solid game in his first start as catcher, also tossed a shutout inning. Down 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning, the Lightning evened the game when Saviano and Maki reached on errors, Ian Kirner ripped a single and Saviano scored on another error. In the second inning, the Lightning scored three more. James Rebman choked up with two strikes and lined a single to right center. He stole second and moved to third on a single by Chad Magoulas. The twp players pulled a double steal and Rebman scored. Cole Baldino singled and combined with Magoulas for another double steal for another run. Saviano smashed an RBI single to bring in Baldino. In the third inning, the Lightning increased its lead to 7-2. John Hampford reached on a bunt single past the pitcher, moved to second on a wild pitch and came home on a long double to left center by Harmeling. Harmeling scored on two wild pitches. Rebman reached on an error, stole two bases and scored on another error. In the fourth inning, Maki walked, stole second and scored when Ben Stoller smacked an RBI single. The Lightning’s final run scored after Magoulas walked and Maki crushed a triple that rolled to the distant fence in right field.

Lightning 3, New Milford 2: Lightning pitchers Parker Lintz and Greg Frattaroli stifled the opposition, and the Lightning defense came up big last week at New Milford’s Sarah Noble Field. Frattaroli shut the door with four scoreless innings, walking none and working out of three jams to preserve the victory. Leading 3-2 with the game on the line in the final inning, Frattaroli gave up singles to the first two New Milford batters. But he refused to fold, getting three straight outs on a grounder to third baseman Alex Saviano and two sharp groundballs he fielded on the mound. The Lightning took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Saviano lofted a long sacrifice fly to right field that scored Mike LoBosco, who had reached on an error. With the Lightning trailing 2-1 in the third inning, John Hampford slashed a clutch, two-out RBI single to right field to score James Rebman, The game-winning run scored after Anthony Maki drilled a double to right center. Maki moved to third on an infield out, and LoBosco drove him in with a long double over the left fielder’s head.