Pitcher Jadon Canelli (North Branford/Mitchell College) allowed just two hits and struck out six to help lift the Wallingford Silver Storm past the Hamden Miners, 9-2, Friday night at Municipal Stadium in the Connecticut Collegiate Baseball League’s championship tournament.
With their third straight elimination game victory, Wallingford advances to Sunday’s CCBL championship title game against the West Haven Sailors (15-8-1) at West Haven High beginning at 3 p.m.
Wallingford will have to beat West Haven twice to win the double-elimination tournament and their first league championship. A second game, if necessary, will begin immediately following Sunday’s first contest. West Haven is looking for their second CCBL title in three seasons. The Sailors also won in 2021.
Wallingford 12 hits in Friday night’s win over Hamden, the top seed in the tournament and the defending league champions.
Devin Fuegen (Wolcott/Salem State) led the Silver Storm by going 3-for-5 with two RBI with teammate Yaddy Gonzalez (New Haven) going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Luke DiMauro (Haddam/Springfield College) had a single and a double with Chris Barkasy (Wallingford) had two hits and one RBI.
Wallingford had a pair of one-run victories to get to Friday night’s contest. The Storm beat Southington, 2-1 on Wednesday night before erasing a three-run deficit to outlast the Bridgeport Barnums, 6-5, in nine innings on Thursday night.
Against Bridgeport, Wallingford scored three runs in the seventh inning to tie and force extra innings. Bridgeport scored in the top of the eighth but Wallingford tied it again in the eighth before winning it in the ninth inning.
Trailing the Barnums 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Wallingford loaded the bases thanks to a walk, single from Gonzalez and Mac Cady getting hit by a pitch. With one out, DiMauro’s single drove in a run followed by two-RBI single to left field from Matt Smith to tie the game.
In extra innings, a runner begins the inning on second base. In the bottom of the eighth, Wallingford trailed by a run, 5-4. Barkasy began the inning on second. He moved to third on R. Barbier’s ground ball out. Barksay scored on Fuegen’s two-out single to right field to tie the game and send it to the ninth inning.
In the ninth, Gonzalez began the inning on second base. With one out, he advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on Chris Simone’s sacrifice fly to center field to win it for the Storm.
This is Wallingford’s second straight year in the final. The Silver Storm lost to Hamden a year ago.
Wallingford 9, Hamden 2
At Waterbury
Wallingford (17-7-1) 200 300 4 — 9-12-1
Hamden (15-9-1) 000 010 1 — 2-4-2
Jaden Canelli and Anthony Acampora; E. Gutowski, A. Dadio (4), G. Tarantino (6) and M. Gajda; WP: Canelli; LP: Gutowski; 2B: Luke DiMauro (W), D. Jagello (H)
