Geckos Win Baseball Title

The Sterling Associates Geckos’ baseball team capped off a championship run in Newtown’s 12-year-old division with an improbable final game, two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Geckos beat Fairfield County Irrigation 12-11  at the Glander Complex on June 17 to take home the championship trophies.

Early in the game, Patrick Rowley pitched a pair of lights out innings and Virgil Procaccini, Kevin Conte, Matt Lindell and Jon Sherman led the team at the plate. The Geckos buttoned it up in the field with Harry Duffy, Greg LaDestro and Matt Argraves all contributing to dousing the efforts of Fairfield County. Jordan Salvesen played well in the field and Brennan O’Sullivan made a key play to end an inning.

Fairfield County took the lead in the top of the final inning. Andrew Hickey came in to pitch with bases loaded and retired the side to minimize the damage and keep the Geckos within a run at 11-10.

In the bottom of the sixth, with two outs, Procaccini blasted a base hit to right field, then stole second base. Cleanup hitter Kevin Conte then stepped up to the plate and crushed a double to the wall in left scoring Procaccini and tying the game. With Conte on second base, Jon Sherman sealed the victory with a walk-off base hit scoring the fleet-footed Conte from second.

Game balls went to Andrew Hickey, Kevin Conte and Jon Sherman. The Geckos’ MVP for the season was Procaccini.