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West Hartford Legion wins first state championship since 1973

The West Hartford American Legion baseball team won their first state championship since 1973 Saturday in Middletown. (Photo courtesy Rob Hanawalt)

The West Hartford American Legion baseball team put the pressure on defending state champion Danbury to make plays in game two of the 2023 state American Legion state championship series.

Post 68 made six errors, had two wild pitches and gave up six unearned runs as West Hartford captured their first Legion state championship in a half century with a 10-1 decision Saturday at Palmer Field in Middletown.

West Hartford swept the best-of-3 championship series, 2-0 and won their first Legion title since 1973. Post 96 beat Danbury on Friday night, 6-1. The Zone 3 champions (24-5) advance to next week’s Northeast Regional championship tournament in Worcester, Massachusetts.

On Saturday, starting pitcher Brandon Grady got the job done, throwing a complete game, giving up six hits and fanning five. At the plate, Grady was 2-for-3 with one RBI.

Matt Santoro was 2-for-2 with one RBI for West Hartford while Declan McCann was 2-for-4. Tristan Baron had a triple and drove in three runs. West Hartford had four bunts for hits in the game and reached bases on errors on two other bunt attempts.

On Friday night, Tyler Redden was 3-for-4 with a double and one RBI for West Hartford with Chase Hanawalt, Mason Hebert and Myles Fournier each getting two hits. Hanawalt had two hits and two RBI. Hebert pitched five innings and struck out four to earn the win for Post 96.

West Hartford had 11 hits in Friday night’s win while giving up just three to Danbury (25-5).

It was the first appearance in the finals for West Hartford since getting swept by Stamford in the 2017 championship series, 2-0.

West Hartford previously won state titles in 1973, 1961, 1960 and 1959. Post 96 did capture the 1959 and 1961 Northeast Regional championship and advanced to the American Legion World Series both seasons.

West Hartford 10, Danbury 1
At Middletown
Danbury (25-5)                     010  000  0  — 1-6-6
West Hartford (24-5)            014  401  x  — 10-10-0
Charlie Solimine, Thai-ler Sestoksas (3), Nick Callari (5) and Tom Pilla; Brandon Grady and Tyler Redden, Matt Morehouse (6); WP: Grady; LP: Solimine; 2B: Chase Hanawalt (WH), 3B: Tristan Baron (WH)

West Hartford 6, Danbury 1
At Middletown
West Hartford (23-5)            200  004  0  — 6-11-1
Danbury (25-4)                     001  000  0  — 1-3-2
Mason Hebert, Tristan Baron (6) and Tyler Redden; Ditscher, Setstokas (7) and Pilla; WP: Hebert; LP: Ditscher; 2B: Redden (WH)

2023 American Legion state tournament

Recent Connecticut American Legion state championship teams  
Best of 3 series
2023: West Hartford 10-6, Danbury 1-1
2022: Danbury 8, Waterford 5 (10); Danbury 9, Wallingford 5
Single-elimination tournament
2021: Avon 4, Wallingford 2
Best of 3 series
2020: no season, pandemic
2019: Stamford 2-1, Southington 1-0
2018: Southington 3-7, Ellington 1-6 (8)
2017: Stamford 6-3, West Hartford 2-0
2016: RCP 5-4-2, Stamford 4-6-0
2015: RCP 6-3-4, Stamford 5-9-1
2014: Cheshire 10-5-3, RCP 5-7-0
Double-elimination tournament final
2013: Branford 5, Newington 1
2012: Milford 6, RCP 5
2011: Norwalk 3, Branford 0
2010: Branford 5, Oakville 2
2009: Berlin 2, Milford 1
2008: Waterford 6, Berlin 1
2007: Branford 10, Shelton 7
2006: Bristol 3, Orange 2
2005: Branford 7, Torrington 0
2004: Bristol 5, Simsbury 3
2003: Simsbury 7, Bristol 6
2002: Berlin 7, Windsor 5
2001: Naugatuck 11, Milford 0
2000: New London 12, Rockville 1
1999: Norwich 10, New London 6
1998: Trumbull 9, Naugatuck 6
1997: Bristol 8, Trumbull 2
1996: Oakville 9, Norwich 6 (11)
1995: West Haven 2, East Hartford 1 (10)
1994: Bristol 8, East Hartford 5
1993: Southington 9, Meriden 2
1992: East Hartford 14, West Haven 0
1991: East Hartford 9, Berlin 5
1990: Waterbury 9, Fairfield 5
1989: Hamden 7, New London 5
1988: Danielson 7, Trumbull 0
1987: New London 12, Oakville 2
1986: New London 8, Willimantic 2
1985: New London 20, Trumbull 2
1984: Bristol 3, Wolcott 2 (10)
1983: Bristol 9, Stratford 5
1982: Middletown 10, Willimantic 2
1981: Meriden 15, Willimantic 3
1980: Trumbull 8, Middletown 1
1979: Middletown 10, Trumbull 1
1978: Waterbury 2, Bristol 1
1977: Trumbull 6, East Hartford 4
1976: Trumbull 16, Southbury 3
1975: Torrington 5, North Haven 3
1974: Vacated. (Bristol stripped of state and Northeast Region title for use of ineligible player. Bristol beat Bridgeport, 10-5 in state title game)
1973: West Hartford 7, Enfield 3
1972: North Haven 8, Niantic 3
1971: Naugatuck 6, Bristol 2
1970: Naugatuck 2, Middletown 0
1969: Naugatuck 3, Middletown 2
1968: Middletown 9, Sharon 5
1967: West Haven 2, Bristol 1 (10)
1966: Bristol 10, Waterbury 1
1965: Middletown 7, Hamden 3
1964: Bristol 1, Torrington 0 (11)
1963: West Haven 4, Stamford 3
1962: Bristol 7, West Haven 4
Best-of-3 series
1961: West Hartford 10-1, West Haven 6-0
1960: West Hartford 4-5, Fairfield 3-3
1959: West Hartford 3-9, Manchester 0-6
1958: Manchester 0-5-1, Stratford 2-2-0
1957: Stamford 10-5-5, West Hartford 4-8-1
1956: Stamford 15-8, Manchester 0-3
1955: Stamford 11-3, Willimantic 1-2
1954: Stamford 3-10-9, Willimantic 4-1-0
1953: Manchester 0-6-5, Bridgeport 7-6-4
1952: Bristol 7-3, Norwich 5-1
1951: Bristol 7-6, Hamden 2-4
1950: Bristol 9-2-2, Norwich 4-5-1
1949: Bristol 3-5, Willimantic 0-3
1948: Torrington 1-4-7, Willimantic 9-2-3
American Legion baseball in Connecticut dates back to 1926 when New Britain beat New Haven, 4-2 for the state championship and to advance to the Eastern Regional tournament

 

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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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