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With eight stolen bases and season-high 12 hits, Avon rallies to beat Hartford, 8-5

Avon’s Max Raha was 3-for-4 with a bunt single and a steal of home as Post 201 won for the fourth time in five games on Saturday. Raha has gotten at least one hit in 10 consecutive games.

AVON, June 22 – After being idle for nearly a week due to rain and graduation ceremonies, the Avon American Legion baseball team got back to action on Saturday at Buckingham Field.

Post 201 erased two deficits of one run and two runs, respectively, to earn their fourth win in the last five games with an 8-5 Zone 1 victory over Hartford.

Avon’s Max Raha extended his season-opening hitting streak to 10 games, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and three stolen bases, including a steal of home that gave Avon the lead for good. Post 201 stole eight bases in the game.

Teammate Miles Borenstein was 3-for-4 with one RBI and two stolen bases while Nick Amatulli was 2-for-3 with one RBI for Avon (4-6, 4-3 Zone 1). Post 201 had a season-high 12 hits in the game.

Down by a run, Avon scored three times in the fourth inning to take a 3-1 lead. Borenstein singled to center field, stole second base and scored on an error. Ben Angus reached on an error, later stole third base and scored on a second error for the second run of the inning. Raha’s RBI single drove in the third run.

Hartford (0-6, 0-6 Zone 1) took a 5-3 lead in the fifth inning with four runs thanks to four hits, a passed ball and two Avon errors.

Avon rallied in the sixth inning with five runs thanks to six hits, including three bunts for singles and a sacrifice.

Zach Coleman led off the inning with a single and moved to second base on Justin Hasler’s bunt single. Coleman scored on Dan O’Brien’s successful sacrifice bunt with Hasler racing to third base. Raha singled on a bunt down the third base line with Hasler racing home to tie the game at 5-5.

Dylan Love dropped a bunt down the third base line and singled with Raha advancing to third base. Raha gave Avon a 6-5 lead by stealing home with Love moving to second base. Love moved to third with a stolen base and scored on Nick Amatulli’s single to left field.

Amatulli advanced to second base on a passed ball and scored on Borenstein’s single to left field.

Avon returns to action on Sunday morning when they travel to Berlin to face Post 68 (3-1, 3-1) in a doubleheader at Sage Park beginning at 11 a.m. It will be the first-ever Zone 1 meeting between the two clubs.

Avon 8, Hartford 5
At Avon
Hartford (0-6)                    010  040  0  — 5-7-3
Avon (4-6)                           000  305  x  — 8-12-2
Jon Maldonado, Christian Sanchez (5) and J. Ruiz; Arjun Grover, Billy Horrigan (6) and Zac Coleman; WP: Horrigan (1-0); LP: Sanchez; 2B: none; 3B: none; HR: none

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 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

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