WEST HAVEN, July 24, 2022 – The No. 8 seeded Simsbury Sabercats erased a six-run deficit, scored two runs in the seventh to tie it and two runs in the eighth inning to upset No. 1 seed West Haven, 9-7, Sunday in the first round of the Connecticut Collegiate Baseball League (CCBL) playoffs at West Haven High School.
The double-elimination tournament continues tonight with Simsbury hosting Wallingford Monday night at 8 p.m. at Memorial Field and defending champion West Haven (17-8) hosting Brass City in an elimination game beginning at 5:30 p.m.
West Haven led 4-0 after one inning, 5-1 after two innings and 7-1 after three innings. But Simsbury (9-16) stayed in the game with two runs in the fourth inning and two runs in the sixth.
Simsbury pitchers Brian Dowling and Will Fox pitched five innings of shutout baseball to lift the Sabercats, combining to allow just three hits and striking out three.
Down by two runs, Simsbury tied the game in the seventh inning. Erik Romero singled and scored on Tyler Makowski’s RBI double. Makowski moved to third base on the throw home. He scored on a fly ball to centerfield to tie the game at 7-7.
In the eighth, Juan Abreu began the inning on a second base as the zombie runner. He moved to third base on Bryon Carr’s single. Jack Brennan’s bunt single loaded the bases. Abreu scored on Romero’s RBI single and Carr scored on Makowski’s RBI single for a 9-7 lead.
Fox didn’t allow a hit and struck out three in the final two innings to earn the win.
Simsbury 9, West Haven 7 (8)
At West Haven
Simsbury (9-16) 010 202 22 — 9-11-1
West Haven (17-8) 412 000 00 — 7-9-3
Justin Portes, Joshua Selander (1), Tyler Brezicki (3), Brian Dowling (4), Will Fox (7) and Joshua Welsh; Samuel Huffman, C. Montiero (5), Aidian Ricciardelli (6) and Logan Pfannenbecker; WP: Fox; LP: Ricciardelli; 2B: Tyler Makowski (S), Tony Socci (WH)
2022 Connecticut Collegiate Baseball League
championship tournament
Sunday, July 24
Game 1: (8) Simsbury 9, (1) West Haven 7
Game 2: (7) Manchester 8, (2) Southington 5
Game 3: (3) Hamden 11, (6) Western Massachusetts 3
Game 4: (5) Wallingford 7, (4) Brass City 2
Monday, July 25
Game 5: Brass City at West Haven, 5:30 p.m., losing team eliminated
Game 6: Western Mass. at Southington, 5:30 p.m., losing team eliminated
Game 7: Manchester at Hamden (Cheshire Academy), 5:30 p.m.
Game 8: Wallingford at Simsbury (Memorial Field), 8 p.m.
Tuesday, July 26
Game 9: Winner game 5 vs. winner game 6, losing team eliminated
Wednesday, July 27
Game 10: Winner game 7 vs. winner game 8
Thursday, July 28
Game 11: Winner game 9 vs. loser game 10, losing team eliminated
Friday, July 29
Game 12: Championship: Winner game 10 vs. winner game 11
