CHESHIRE >> Middletown American Legion baseball coach Tim D’Aquila got it right.
That’s what happened Thursday as Zone 3 champion Cheshire hammered Middletown pitching to the tune of 16 hits, collected seven walks and a hit batter in romping to a 15-8 state tournament win at Burt Leventhal Field at Cheshire High School.
The loss ended Middletown’s season and propelled Cheshire into the state Super Regional opening at Middletown’s Palmer Field Saturday.
After spotting Cheshire a 2-0 first-inning lead, Middletown grabbed the lead scoring three times in the second inning. But Cheshire scored three in the third to take a 5-3 lead, and didn’t give it back. The 75ers got a run in the third -- they should have had more -- to make it a 5-4 game going to the fifth.
That’s where Cheshire -- the visiting team in this game -- broke it open.
The zone champs scored seven runs to take an overwhelming 12-4 lead and although Cheshire’s relief pitching was spotty, it was good enough to hold off the 75ers.
Cheshire rapped 11 hits in three innings off Middletown started Jared Pflaumer before D’Aquila replaced him with Austin Rak, who restored order to the proceedings with a 1-2-3 fourth.
Rak wasn’t so lucky in the fifth.
Rak walked the first two hitters, then gave up a single to Nick Sansone (3-for-4) to load the bases. Dom Shumilla then smacked a two-run double for two runs. D’Aquila replaced Rak with Dan Botti who fared no better.
Botti immediately gave up an RBI single to Ben DeLaubell (4-for-5) and after he walked Adam von Fischer, Pat Downey (2-for-4) singled in a run. After a ground ball out, Brendan Clark (2-for-3) boomed a two-run double before Botti got the third out.
Middletown put a lot of runners on base over the next three innings, but managed only four runs. Of more importance, the 75ers couldn’t keep Cheshire from tacking on runs.
Middletown loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth but got just one run on an infield out by Keith LaChance. The 75ers loaded the bases with two out in the sixth and got two runs, one when Nevin Sanchez (2-for-2) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run and the second on an RBI single by Billy Egan.
Again Middletown loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh, but got just one run on a bouncer by Colin Horn. The 75ers stranded 12 runners.
Cheshire tacked on three in the seventh off Sebby Amenta and Nick Brenchak with all three runs scoring on bases-loaded walks.
After Cheshire (21-6, 24-7 overall) scored two in the first on four singles, with RBI hits by Downey and Clark, Middletown took the lead with three in the second.
Keith LaChance singled home two runs and Jake Alonzo (2-for-5) knocked in another with a base hit. But a two-run single by Sansone and an RBI single by Jay Strollo (3-for-5) gave Cheshire a lead in the third inning, a lead it wouldn’t give up, although it tried.
In the home third, Pflaumer (2-for-5) singled with one out. But he was picked off by starter Mike Hickey. That pickoff was followed by a double from Nick Brenchak (1-for-2, a walk, twice hit by pitches), an RBI double by Sanchez and a walk to Jack Higgs.
But that rally ended when LaChance flied to center.
“Cheshire is a pretty good team,” D’Aquila said. “Their center fielder [Strollo] is very good; hardly anything falls in with him and overall their defense is good. They have good pitching, although they put maybe a few too many on base which might hurt them as they go deeper, but they have a lot of arms.
Hickey went only four innings so did not qualify for the win. Of the three other pitchers, only Adler Demac -- the second pitcher -- pitched reasonably well, so he got the win.
All 23 runs were earned as there were no errors/passed balls in the game.
Middletown finished with an overall record of 17-24.