School is out for summer, but baseball is still in session. And the tests keep on coming. The Connecticut American Legion Baseball League got underway earlier in June and teams are in the midst of a rigorous schedule, playing almost daily and with some doubleheaders and rain-forced makeup dates altering an already-truncated slate of more than 20 games per team that wraps up in mid-July.Solid Play

The Bethel Admirals Senior Legion U19 team, which includes players from Newtown, competes in Zone 5 with Bethel High serving as the home field. The Admirals carried a 5-6 record in zone play into the middle of the week and were in the midst of a grueling stretch of nine Zone 5 games in eight days. Teams play 24 in-zone contests in the regular season, and the Admirals also played a couple exhibition contests against Coastal Connecticut, which includes Newtown players.

Given the nature of Legion ball, tests of resiliency, durability, flexibility, and mental toughness are in play as much as the baseball on a day a pitch-to-contact hurler is on the mound.

In addition to having to bounce back day after day with quick turnarounds, the Admirals and opposing teams have the challenge of keeping pitchers eligible and fresh with pitch counts impacting how many days off pitchers must have, as well as the number of pitches they have in reserve when called upon. American Legion regulations stipulate that pitchers may throw no more than 105 pitches in a game, and are required to take four days of rest if they exceed 75 pitches.

There is a ladder system of sorts in place. If a pitcher throws 30 or fewer pitches he doesn't require rest, according to the rules anyway; 31-45 offerings to the plate from a pitcher means a day off the mound in game play; 46-60 requires two days off; and 61-75 forces pitchers to take three days of rest.

All of this is regulated as such to protect young arms but also necessitates some creative managing by coaches and bendability among players, with some teams mixing and matching position players into pitching roles when needed. This is especially prevalent when teams play several days in a row and injuries thin the starting rotation.

Admirals Coach Josh Hull and his coaching counterparts often are faced with the dilemma of leaving a pitcher in or removing him perhaps an inning or batter sooner than he might otherwise, in order to keep him eligible for another upcoming game, then figuring out who to turn to for the necessary outs given their prior and possible upcoming workload.

When pitchers come through with efficient starts and give everybody a rest it is a nonissue, but this is baseball, and hard-hitting teams or lineups that pile up soft hits can throw a curve ball into ideal pitching plans.

"It is a challenge if you have a couple arms that are resting due to soreness," Hull acknowledges.

Hull added that he is thrilled with the attitude of his players who have a willingness to toe the rubber even if that isn't their usual role.

"We've had quite a few position players with out any recent pitching experience step up and pitch," the coach said.

An example of this is when outfielder Rob Lombardo of Newtown took the mound to give the Admirals some needed help during a June 25 visit to Monroe. The Admirals lost the game, but Lombardo's willingness to eat up an inning helps the team going forward.

Somewhat like in Major League Baseball where teams can tap their farm system for help, the Admirals called up Junior Legion team pitcher Tyler Davis of Bethel for a start in Shelton on June 26. Davis gave the team what it needed in its the sixth game in a five-day span with a 99-pitch complete game 1-0 win.

Ben Harrison of Newtown drove in the decisive run, in the sixth inning. Will Huegi, also of Newtown, singled and was sacrificed to second base before scoring on Harrison's booming double to center field.

In another example of a win within a loss, Tim Vander Have, of Newtown, went the distance, tossing 101 pitches in a 4-0 setback to visiting Ansonia, on June 27.

Huegi and fellow Newtown High representative Rob Murray are both having an outstanding summer season. "They've been excelling in the middle infield and swinging the bats extremely well," Hull said.

Harrison, a catcher, brings thoughts of backstops from 100-plus years ago to Hull's mind given he has played through pain as he recovers from an arm injury. Harrison was cleared by doctors with a warning that while he won't aggravate the injury, it will be painful.

"Ben Harrison is a throwback to the days when catchers caught barehanded and without any protective equipment. There's no doubt in my mind that Ben would do the same thing if the game required it," Hull said. "Ben could play back then. He is that type of kid."

Pitcher Dylan Champagne of Newtown has been a bright spot on the mound. He went six strong innings in a 2-1 win over Waterbury on June 18, and also pitched solidly in a 6-3 loss to Oakville Post 195 back on June 12.

"Although Dylan is a pitcher, not just a thrower, there are times during the game when he rears back and unleashes what we used to call a 'country fastball,' which is thrown with the mindset, 'here it comes, try and hit it,'" Hull said. "He's lights out on the mound. He's just so competitive."

Bethel's Chaz Cywin combines with Champagne for a strong one-two punch as he, too, has gone deep into games to help give the team some innings and the pitching staff needed rest which can't be underestimated under American Legion rules.

Highlights from the first two weeks of the summer league include the Admirals earning a doubleheader sweep of Danbury with 6-2 and 11-1 victories on June 18, the 2-1 edging of Waterbury and 1-0 blanking of Shelton, and toppling Ansonia 9-6 on June 23. An apparent 2-1 loss to Waterbury on June 9 was protested by the Admirals because of a balk call that produced a Waterbury run; the Admirals won the appeal and the teams will resume the game with the score even 1-1, in the fourth inning, prior to their next regularly scheduled matchup.

Summer ball provides an opportunity for players to work on skills and stay sharp in the offseason all the while being competitive with state playoffs following the regular season. Accustomed to aluminum bats, the hitters have to use wooden bats in Legion play, which requires an adjustment at the plate.

"You've got to work a little bit harder to square up the ball," said Hull, noting that when solid contact is made it is a beautiful thing to watch and hear.

Many of the players are high school teammates, but some are back from college on the squads, which include 2016 high school graduates. Among them is 2016 Newtown High grad Vander Have, who pitches at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. The Admirals, being a two-town team, also have the unique scenario of high school season rivals joining forces. Newtown and Bethel, in fact, not only met in the regular season, but also went head to head in the South-West Conference championship game, won by the Newtown Nighthawks. Newtown is also represented by catcher Brian Gallagher, who is a 2017 graduate of Notre Dame-Fairfield.

Other Newtown players on the team are Cole Demirjian, Harry Eppers, Austin Kasbarian, and Orlando Swift. Bethel's other representatives are Kyle Brelling, Connor Hartman, Brian Ridzik, Anthony Rodriguez, and Stephen Spinella.

Win, lose, or protest - and while they try to piece together the necessary pitching to make it through the monthlong grind - the Admirals are enjoying the summer season.

"It's a blast. We've got a great dugout with a great bunch of kids," Hull said.