Date: Fri 02-Aug-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: TOMW

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Nutmeg-Games-1996-Baseball

Full Text:

Nutmeg Games 1996 - Local Golds

Most of the gold, from the 1996 Nutmeg Games, came back to Newtown in one

trunk. Though many local athletes enjoyed success and earned medals at the

Games, eight gold medals were earned by Newtown with the West Region baseball

team in the Intermediate (14/15) Division.

That team, coached by Newtown's Larry Isler and Tom Wyatt, included local

ballplayers Rich Barillari, Brian Tomasulo, Jeff Rucktenwald, Ken Seferi, Kyle

McCullough, and Larry Isler, and coasted through the six-team tournament

unchallenged in the winner's bracket - defeating four possible opponents

without a loss and earning the gold.

Also competing with the West team were Mike Samsel and Justin Hurgin of

Bethel, Rob Treyball, Ernesto Rodriguez, and Doug Riepe of Danbury, Nate

Archer of New Fairfield, Pat Phillips of Middlebury, Donald Crossman of

Winstead, and Nick Macellaro, Brett Fedorowicz, and Byron Treado of

Plainville. In its tuneup game on Monday, July 22, the West boys whipped the

West Region's other entry 15-0 in an exhibition game before starting official

play on Thursday, against the North.

Highlighting the tournament opener for the West, Rucktenwald went 3-for-5,

Phillips (a sophomore at Pomperaug) went 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Riepe (a

freshman at Immaculate) and Hurgin (a freshman at Bethel) each went 1-for-2

with two RBIs as the West took a 16-3 lead and won, 16-7.

Crossman threw the first three innings to earn the win, Treyball blanked the

North with two perfect innings of relief, and Isler closed out the last two

frames. With the victory, the West moved to the second round where it met the

highly-touted East team which had drawn a first-round bye.

The West fell behind 3-1 through three innings, but in the fourth errupted for

four runs on an RBI single by Rodriguez, a run-scoring error, and a two-run

single by Tomasulo. Rodriguez (a sophomore from Danbury High) then delivered

an RBI triple in the fifth as the West spotted relief pitcher, Barillari, to a

7-3 lead.

Barillari worked the fourth, fifth, and part of the sixth inning and earned

the pitching victory. Macellaro relieved Barillari in the sixth and finished

the game.

The West won the game, 9-7, and advanced to the gold medal contest.

On Sunday, July 28, the West met up with the South in the tournament final.

The game's tone was set in the bottom of the first inning when the South

loaded the bases, with nobody out, against Crossman on a walk, an error, and a

base hit. The cleanup hitter then bounced a ball to Macellaro at shortstop who

started a 6-4-3-2 triple play, allowing only one run to score.

Riepe and Rodriquez singled in the West second and scored the tying and

go-ahead runs on a long triple by Nate Archer (a sophomore at New Fairfield

High). Archer then delivered a two-out, two-run double in the top of the third

to highlight a five-run inning that staked Crossman and the West to a 7-1

advantage. Macellaro, Rucktenwald, Riepe, and Rodriguez had singled

consecutively before the Archer double.

An error, singles by Seferi and Rucktenwald, and an RBI grounder by Riepe made

it a 10-2 West lead in the fourth before Treyball came on in relief for the

West and closed out the game in perfect fashion securing a 12-2 victory and

the gold medal.

Crossman earned his second victory, while in his five innings through two

games in the tournament, Treyball didn't allow a single run.

" This was really a special team, " coach Isler said at the medals ceremony. "

We had a nice mix of ballplayers and all 17 contributed in some way throughout

the tournament."

The West was the only team to win three games in the tournament, having not

earned a first-round bye.

Both Crossman and Barillari, who earned the three pitching victories, were on

the team last year when it won a silver medal.

Several of the team members played for the 13-year-old division team last year

which also won a gold medal.