13U Fall Baseball Playoff Results

First round

Newtown Green Goblins 7, Scarangella’s Stars 6

Newtown Sewer Rats 21, Blanco’s Bombers  7

Newtown Rebels 11, New Fairfield 4

Newtown Destroyers had a bye

Second Round

Newtown Sewer Rats 4, Newtown Destroyers 3

Newtown Rebels 7, Newtown Green Goblins 5

Second Round Playoff Game:

Rebels 7, Newtown Green Goblins 5: Bouncing back from a 5-1 deficit, the Rebels rallied Sunday for two runs in the sixth inning and a pair of runs in the last inning at Sandy Hook’s Walnut Tree Field. With the win, the Rebels improved to 11-3 and advanced to the championship game Saturday against the Sewer Rats. The Sewer Rats, who beat the Rebels by scores of 8-5 and 8-6 during the regular season, also have an 11-3 record. Against the Goblins, the Rebels jumped out to a 1-0 first-inning lead, when Stefan Hennessey doubled over the left fielder’s head, and Brandon Marks crushed a double to left center. Marks made a head-first dive to get in under the tag at second base. The Green Goblins responded by scoring five first-inning runs. Jimmy Gilbert walked, Nicky Sajovic singled and John Lebinski reached on an error to load the bases. Greg Horne drove in a run with a single, and Colin Dutt walked to score another. Jeff Romeo hit an RBI groundout to score a third run and Nick Heron singled to drive in two more. Marks pitched a scoreless second inning, and reliever Hennessey, Ryan Daignault and Austin Raftery shut out the Goblins the rest of the way. In the third inning, the Rebels narrowed the gap when Greg Hennessey walked, Harry Snellback reached on an error and Eric Pisani walked to load the bases. Mike Burton and Ryan Daignault drove in runs on force outs. The Goblins’ Lebinski stymied the Rebels in the fourth and fifth innings, retiring six straight batters. Gilbert also made an excellent catch on a low line drive in left field to rob Hennessey of a hit. With their backs to the wall in the sixth inning, Greg Hennessey led off with a bloop single to left field, Pisani ripped a single to left center and Ruscoe drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Daignault drilled a clutch, two-RBI single to right-center, scoring Hennessey and Pisani. In the seventh inning, Stefan Hennessey reached on an error, stole second and went to third on a groundout. After John Hampford walked and stole second, Raftery rapped a grounder to shortstop Sajovic, who threw a strike to the plate to nail Hennessey.  Tyler Gibney reached on an error to score Hampford with the go-ahead run, and Raftery scored on a wild pitch. Raftery, affectionately nicknamed “Meat” by his teammates and family, showed his toughness, retiring the side in order in the seventh inning. Raftery had also battled in the sixth inning, stranding the potential winning run at third base, aided by two clutch defensive plays by second baseman Hampford.  

First Round Playoff Games:

Newtown Rebels 11, New Fairfield 4: Led by Ben Stoller, who knocked in three runs, and phenomenal relief pitching by Stefan Hennessey, Austin Raftery and Stoller, the Rebels won their opening-round playoff game Saturday at the Newtown Middle School. The game was a nip-and-tuck battle for the first four innings. In the first inning, the Rebels’ Ryan Daignault reached on an error, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI grounder by Stoller. Brandon Marks walked, stole second, moved to third on a single by John Hampford and scored on an error. After New Fairfield tied the score with two runs in its first at-bat, the Rebels’ Tyler Gibney ripped a second-inning single and stole second. He scored when Eric Pisani crushed an RBI single over the center fielder’s head. New Fairfield tied the score on three walks and a wild pitch. In the third inning, Daignault walked and stole second. Stoller ripped a line-drive RBI single to left field, stole second, and scored on two wild pitches. Relief pitchers Hennessey, Raftery and Stoller then closed the door, facing 16 batters without yielding a hit. The Rebels broke open the game in the fifth inning, when Harry Snellback (who also had two singles) walked, stole second and moved to third on a clutch single by Andrei Ruscoe. Daignault walked to load the bases, and Stoller walked to drive in Snellback. Hennessey slapped a single through the hole between shortstop and third base to score Ruscoe. Brandon Marks lofted a high sacrifice fly to center field to score Daignault, his third run scored of the game. After Raftery walked, Ryan Pisani also walked to drive in Stoller and give the Rebels a 9-3 lead. In the sixth inning, Mike Burton and Eric Pisani walked, and Snellback raced to first base for an infield single to knock in Burton. (Snellback, whose dad, Dean, promised a free lunch at Burgerittoville for a two-hit game, collected his reward after the game.) The Rebels scored their 11th run in the seventh inning, when Hennessey reached on an error, stole second and third, and scored on a base hit up the middle by Marks. New Fairfield loaded the bases in the final inning, but Stoller came on to retire the final two batters. 

Newtown Green Goblins 7, Scarangella’s Stars 6: The Goblins’ Dean Demers, Greg Horne and John Lebinski each pitched two solid innings. Horne and Lebinski had six- and nine-pitch innings, respectively. Tied 2-2 going into the sixth inning, the Goblins posted four runs with timely hitting from Demers, Lebinski, Colin Dutt and Alex Romeo. Excellent base running by Nicky Sajovic and Garrison Buzzanca, as well as some fine defense play from Jimmy Gilbert, provided the boost the Goblins needed to stave off the last-inning rally by the Stars. The Stars’ Mike Davis pitched two shutout innings.