Rebels Fall Ball Team Wins Again

Newtown Rebels 13 Blanco’s Bombers 2: Rebels pitchers yielded just three hits Sunday at Sandy Hook’s Walnut Tree Field, helping the Rebels improve to 3-0.

Brandon Marks, John Hampford, Stefan Hennessey, Austin Raftery and Ben Stoller combined on the stellar pitching performance. Hennessey, Stoller and Raftery threw four shutout innings, and Marks and Hampford each gave up just one unearned run. It was the first time on the mound in Hampford’s career, and the sidearm pitcher threw brilliantly, striking out two batters in one inning.

Hampford also drilled a line-drive RBI double to right center that scored Stoller in the first inning to give the Rebels a lead they never relinquished.

The Bombers scored first in the top of the first inning when Reid Schmidt was hit by a pitch, stole second and moved to third on an error. J.P. Blanco drove him home with a sacrifice fly to left field. The Rebels tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Ryan Daignault walked, stole second and scored on a line-drive RBI double down the right-field line by Hennessey.

After Hampford’s double put the Rebels ahead 2-1, the team scored two more runs in the second inning. Eric Pisani ripped a single up the middle in his first career at bat on a 90-foot diamond and moved to third on two wild pitches. Greg Hennessey and Andrei Ruscoe walked, and Daignault slapped a clutch two-out, two-RBI single to right field.

The Bombers narrowed the lead to 4-2 in the third inning when Zach Bergeron and Mike LoBosco walked and Bergeron scored on an error. But the Rebels scored six runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 10-2 lead. Ruscoe got a key hit, crushing an RBI single, his first hit on a 90-foot field. Harry Snellback walked to force in a run and Mike Burton knocked in a run with an RBI groundout. Greg Hennessey also ripped an RBI single to left field.

Stoller scored three runs and had one hit for the Rebels, and Marks, Daignault and Greg Hennessey each scored twice. Playing catcher, Marks also cut down a runner stealing in the seventh inning, aided by a nifty tag by shortstop Stefan Hennessey. The Bombers’ Brenden Peterson threw one shutout inning and hit a single. Other hits were by Schmidt, who smacked a double to right center, and Jeff Grasso, who singled.