Base Technologies Wins Twice

Newtown’s 15U baseball team, Base Technologies, won a pair of games this past week. Game highlights are as follows:

Base Technologies 12 Onex 11: Ben Stoller raced from second base to home plate on an infield error and slid underneath the tag to score the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning in a wild game Sunday at Newtown Middle School field.

Base Technologies was down to its last strike three times but refused to lose. Trailing 11-10, Kaleb Rowe popped a single down the right-field line. Stoller fought off a two-strike curveball by pitcher Eric Sutton and reached on a two-base error. After walloping a foul ball 300 feet down the left-field line, John Lebinski walked on a 3-2 count to load the bases. Andrew Martinez smacked a grounder to the right side that was dropped. He reached first base safely when the throw was in the dirt and knocked down by first baseman Eric Pisani. Pisani threw a strike to home plate but a hustling Stoller beat the tag. It capped a big day for Stoller who scored four runs, drilled three hits and made three big defensive plays.

Onex jumped out to a 3-0 first-inning lead when Austin Ekstrom singled, Bubba LeBlanc walked and Sutton crushed a two-RBI single. Pisani drilled a single, and Sutton scored on an error. Onex made it 4-0 in the second inning. Troy Larsen reached on a two-base error and scored when Jimmy Gilbert crushed a double to left field. Base bounced back for three runs. Ryan Errico laced a single, Marcelino Hernandez walked, Alex Romeo slapped an RBI single, and Austin Raftery blooped an RBI single to center field during the scoring rally.

Onex went up 6-3 after Tom Floros singled, and Matt Spencer hit a long drive to center field was misplayed and led to two runs. Base’s Rowe came on in relief to retire three batters, including two strikeouts, with the bases loaded, preventing further damage. Base then fought back with three runs to tie the score. In the fourth inning, Onex took a 7-6 lead on an RBI single by Floros.

Base got a run in the bottom of the inning when Stoller clubbed a long double to right center, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an error. After two outs in the fifth inning, Base ignited for three more runs to take its first lead, 10-7. Raftery unleashed a two-run triple to right center and scored on a wild pitch. In the top of the sixth, Pisani clubbed a blooper to right that appeared to be a sure hit before second baseman Stoller made a nice over-the-shoulder catch. Onex rallied for four seventh-inning runs. Gilbert walked and later scored on a two-out RBI single by Sutton. Dean Lindquist and Larsen ripped singles to produce runs. 

Base Technologies 20 Great Finds & Designs 9: Base Technologies pounded out 10 hits and capitalized on 16 walks by Great Finds pitchers Saturday in the season opener at Newtown Middle School field. Base was led by Ben Stoller (four runs, three RBIs), Alex Romeo (three runs, two RBIs) and Greg Horne (three RBIs). Andrew Martinez also had a big game with three hits, and John Lebinski and Mario Pizighelli each scored three runs. Base jumped out to a 3-0 lead and Great Finds rebounded for two runs. Ryan Daignault and Grant Ricketts walked and moved up on a passed ball. Matt Sabia hit an RBI sacrifice fly, and Ricketts scored when the throw went into the dugout. In the second inning, Base’s Romeo smacked an RBI single to score Chris Robinson, who had walked and stolen second. Lebinski whacked a two-RBI single to left field, scoring two runs. Great Finds narrowed the lead to 6-5 in the bottom of the inning. Ryan Palmer and Max Temple reached on errors. They scored when Daignault laced a two-RBI double. Sabia singled, but left fielder Larsen threw to shortstop Pizighelli, who threw to catcher Robinson to nail Daignault attempting to score.

Base broke the game open with eight runs in the third inning. With the bases loaded, Stoller crushed a two-RBI double. In the fifth inning, Lebinski and Greg Horne walked, Martinez singled to load the bases and Lebinski scored on a balk. Great Finds responded with three runs. Ricketts singled and later scored on Sabia’s single. Brandon Cooper walked, and Sabia scored on an infield grounder. Patrick Pierce drilled an RBI single to score Cooper. In the sixth inning, Romeo walked, and Pizighelli rapped a ball to centerfield that was misplayed for a two-base error. Stoller lofted an RBI sacrifice fly to center to score Romeo. Lebinski singled, and Horne drove in two runs with a line-drive single to left field. Martinez ripped a double into the left-field gap, and Hernandez bounced a hard, run-scoring single to right field to increase the lead to 19-8. In the seventh inning, Stoller and Lebinski walked, and Horne smacked an RBI single to score Stoller. Romeo made the game’s most outstanding play, throwing a strike from centerfield to first base to cut down a batter trying to reach base.