
Avon’s Ben Leopold is tagged out at home by Simsbury catcher Jonathan Wilson to send Tuesday night’s Zone 1 game into extra innings — much to the delight of the Simsbury bench.
AVON, June 21 – The Avon American Legion baseball team had Tuesday night’s contest in their grasp and let it slip away. Post 201 coughed up a three-run lead in the top of the fifth inning on an error that allowed three runs to score and tie the game.
Avon had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh inning but Simsbury outfielder Jack Donofrio threw out the potential game-winning run at home to send the game into extra innings. In the eighth inning, Simsbury had two towering RBI doubles from Nate Eberly and Jake Schaetzel and scored three runs to earn a 6-3 Zone 1 victory at Buckingham Field.
Simsbury reliever Kevin Gurry, the Canton High graduate, pitched three innings of shutout ball, scattering three hits to earn his third win of the season for Post 84.
“It was execution,” Avon’s first-year manager Donny Annicelle said. “Errors and executing plays was the big difference in the game. I was proud of my guys. We got three runs of their No. 1 pitcher and then we gave them three runs back.
“It was tough to watch that inning but (when you make an error), you have to pick each other up and make up for an error when it happens,” he said.

Avon catcher Jeremy Zarwanski tags out Simsbury’s Nate Eberly in Tuesday night’s Zone 1 game in Avon.
Avon led 3-0 after four innings and was nearly out of the fifth inning. They had two outs when Avon starter Kyle Emery began to fade. With a runner on first base, Simsbury’s George Matteo and Donofrio coaxed walks from Emery to load the bases.
Simsbury’s Jake Nichols came to the plate and watched the first two pitches go by for strikes. With an 0-2 count, he belted a deep fly ball to straightaway center field. But Avon outfielder Jon Suski couldn’t get a good read on the ball. He backpedaled and got under the ball – but he was too far back. The ball hit the heel of his glove hand and fell to the turf.
Three unearned runs scored to tie the game. “We were able to take advantage of a tough play in the outfield,” Simsbury coach Thomas E. Vincent said. “I thought we hit the ball hard.”
Still, Avon (6-2) nearly won the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Tied at 3-3, Brady Williamson led off the inning against Gurry with a single between the first and second basemen. Williamson moved to second base on a fielder’s choice. Avon’s Chris Jacobs put down the bunt but Gurry’s throw to second base was a bit wide and both runners were safe. Sam Leopold came in to run for Williamson at second base.
An attempt to bunt and move the runners failed for the first out of the inning. Sean Del Gallo’s hit dropped into shallow center field to load the bases.
Will Thramann came to the plate and Vincent made some defensive adjustments. He brought his infielders in and moved Schaetzel from right field to just in front of second base behind the Gurry. He moved Donofrio from left field to center.
Thramann hit a towering fly ball to Donofrio in center field . Donofrio, who was a 6-foot-1 freshman at Simsbury High this past spring, caught the ball and fired it home to catcher Jonathan Wilson, who tagged out Leopold trying to score from third base.
“That kid made a great throw from the outfield,” Annicelle said. “If it wasn’t hit right at him, it could be a different story.” Said Vincent, “That was a big throw to the plate. We were playing the angles and (the ball was hit) right to him.”
Given another chance, Simsbury wasted little time in the top of the eighth inning. Nichols led off the inning with an infield single and scored when Eberly belted a double to center field for a 4-3 lead. Eberly made it 5-3 when Schaetzel smashed another double to center field. Schaetzel scored on an error to give Simsbury a 6-3 lead.
“It was a great team win,” Vincent said. “So many good things happened for us.”

Avon’s Chris Jacobs (11) makes the play at second base as Simsbury’s Jonathan Wilson (20) closes in on him.
Avon took a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Jacobs singled, moved to second on a wild pitch and took third on a balk. He scored on Del Gallo’s RBI single to centerfield with one out. After a pair of walks to Thramann and Justin Olson to load the bases, Jeremy Zarwanski’s sacrifice fly gave Avon a 2-0 lead.
Andrew LeDuc reached on an error with Thramann scoring from third base. The inning ended with Olson being thrown out trying to reach third base.
“It’s a loss you can learn from,” Annicelle said. “Fortunately, we play (Wednesday) and we can get right back out there and make up for (the loss).”
Avon hosts Torrington on Wednesday night at Buckingham at 5:45 p.m. before traveling to Fuessenich Park in Torrington on Thursday night to play the P-38s under the lights beginning at 7 p.m.
The loss allows Wolcott (7-2) to move into first place in Zone 1 with Avon (6-2) and Bristol (5-2) right there. Simsbury (6-4) is fourth place. Simsbury goes to Winsted on Wednesday to face Winsted at Walker Field at 5:30 p.m. On Friday, Post 84 travels to Bristol for an 8 p.m. start against Post 2 at Muzzy Field.
NOTES: Simsbury had three Canton players on the roster this season – pitcher Peter Myers, who attends the Master’s School in Simsbury, Schaetzel and Gurry, who played club baseball at North Carolina-Wilmington this past spring.
Simsbury 6, Avon 3 (8)
At Avon
Simsbury (6-4) 000 030 03 – 6-7-1
Avon (6-2) 003 000 00 – 3-7-2
Peter Myers, Kevin Gurry (6) and Jonathan Wilson, Grant Duford (8); Kyle Emery, Connor Harris (5), Sean Del Gallo (8) and Jeremy Zarwanski; WP: Gurry (3-0); LP: Del Gallo (0-1); 2B: Jake Schaetzel (S), Nate Eberly (S)
Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 30 years.


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