Enns gets the save as Torrington wins fifth straight to earn final playoff berth

Chris Enns got the save Saturday night as Torrington clinched the sixth and final spot in the FCBL playoffs.

TORRINGTON, Aug. 6 – Canton left-hander Chris Enns got another opportunity with the Torrington Titans of the Futures’ Collegiate Baseball League Saturday at Fuessenich Park.

This time, he got the job done. Enns pitched two innings of relief and earned the save to help the Titans clinch a berth in the FCBL playoffs with a 4-2 decision over the Bristol Blues. It was the fifth straight win for Torrington (24-29), which clinched the sixth and final spot in the playoffs with the victory.

The Titans will be in Nashua, N.H., on Sunday for a one-game playoff with the Silver Knights (34-21). The winner advances to the best-of-3 league semifinals.

Enns (1-2, 5.15 ERA) made his third start of the season on Tuesday against Western Division champion Worcester (36-18) and it didn’t go well. Enns lasted just 1/3rd of an inning against the Bravehearts, allowing four hits and seven runs (three earned). He walked one and struck out one in a 15-2 loss.

Up to that game, Enns, a 6-foot-4 lefty, had pitched pretty well for Torrington after being signed in late July from the Tobacco Valley Renegades of the Connecticut Collegiate Baseball League. Enns won his FCBL debut with six strong innings in a 2-1 win over Martha’s Vineyard.  In his second start against Wachusett, Mass., he struck out six in four innings of work. But he did give up three runs and seven hits to take the loss.

On Saturday night, the Titans had a 4-1 lead over Bristol when Enns came into the game in the eighth inning in relief of starter Malachi Edmond, 6-foot-3 righthander from Coventry and Albertus Magnus in New Haven. Edmond (5-1) pitched seven strong innings, allowing just one run on five hits.

Enns had little trouble in the eighth inning but things got interesting in the ninth when he walked the first two Bristol batters he faced. Back-to-back infield ground balls resulted in two outs but one run scored, cutting the Titans lead to 4-2.

With two outs, Bristol’s Tyler Roberts singled to put runners on first and third base. Roberts moved to second base on a wild pitch. But Enns put out the fire and struck out Bristol’s Jimmy Titus to secure the win for Torrington.

NOTES: In four games of action with the Titans, Enns is 1-2 with a 5.10 ERA in 12.1 innings pitched. He has one save. He has given up 18 hits, 12 runs (7 earned) and has struck out 11 batters. He has walked eight. … Enns will be a junior at Quinnipiac University in the fall. … Torrington (24-29) finished second in the Western Division, 11½ games behind Worcester. The Titans won seven of their last eight games to secure the final playoff spot.

Torrington 4, Bristol 2
At Torrington
Bristol (23-32)              000  010  001 – 2-7-1
Torrington (24-29)       020  200  00x – 4-11-0
Malachi Edmond, Chris Enns (8) and Mike DeMartino; Sebastian DiMauro, A. Goss (6), M. Nocera (8) and C. Villa; WP: Edmond (5-1); LP: DiMartino (1-3); Save: Enns (1); 2B: Jimmy Titus (B), Zach Scott (B); Nick Lamberto (T), DeMartino (T), Retsyn Oothon (T)