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West Haven outlasts Wallingford to win second CCBL championship

The Wallingford Silver Storm scored six unanswered runs in the final three innings to win their fourth straight elimination game Sunday at Municipal Stadium in the Connecticut Collegiate Baseball League’s championship tournament in Waterbury.

The Silver Storm beat the West Haven Sailors, 6-4, to force a decisive game for the league championship. But Wallingford had exhausted their pitching.

The Storm used seven pitchers but couldn’t keep the Sailors off the basepaths. West Haven rapped out 18 hits to beat Wallingford, 15-7 and win their second CCBL championship in the last three years.

Michael Ferrett (Hamden, Southern Connecticut State) and John Chacho (Seymour/Southern New Hampshire) each had three hits for the Sailors (16-7-1) with John Wetteman (Guilford/Southern Connecticut State), Tyler Jones, Jake Gruttadoria (Trumbull/Southern Connecticut State) and Michael Simonelli (Milford/Sacred Heart) each getting two hits.

West Haven’s Chad Fedeli (Monroe/Southern Connecticut State) pitched four innings in relief, allowing just one run and striking out six to earn the victory. Wallingford had a 6-4 lead when Fedeli entered the game but he kept the Storm quiet long enough for his team to rally and win the championship.

Wallingford (18-8-1) had a 7-4 lead after five innings and were six outs away from the championship. Ommy Velez (Meriden) had a two run single in the third inning for Wallingford with Devin Fuegen (Wolcott/Salem State) adding a RBI single. Three West Haven errors and a wild pitch helped the Silver Storm build a three-run lead.

In the sixth inning, Simonelli’s two-run single with the bases loaded cut Wallingford’s lead to one, 7-6. Ferrett’s two-run single gave West Haven the lead, 8-7. Chacho had a RBI double and Cody Meier had a two-run single as the Sailors went ahead, 11-7.

In the seventh, Jeremy Rodriguez had a two-run double and Ferrett added a RBI single to swell the lead to 14-7.

Ferrett finished the game 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI with Wetteman going 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Chacho was 3-for-4 with a double and one RBI.

In Sunday’s first game, it was West Haven who was three outs away from the championship but Wallingford scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to force a final game in the double-elimination tournament.

West Haven led 4-0 after four innings. The Storm cut the lead to 4-1 in the fifth inning on a two-out, RBI double from Jake Ranney. In the sixth inning, Wallingford scored twice on an error and an infield ground ball out from Chris Simone to cut the lead to 4-3.

In the seventh, leadoff hitter Matt Smith was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a successful sacrifice fly from Yaddy Gonzalez (New Haven). Smith tied the game on a RBI double from Ranney.

Ranney moved to third base on a wild pitch and scored on an error.  Simone’s RBI single gave the Storm a two-run lead, 6-4. Ranney was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBI.

Relief pitcher Jake Boucher pitched three scoreless innings to earn the win for Wallingford in Sunday’s first game. He allowed just two hits and struck out one.

Wallingford 6, West Haven 4
At West Haven

Wallingford (18-7-1)       000  012  3  — 6-7-1
West Haven (15-7-1)      101  200  0  – 4-8-3
Todd Grammatico, Liam Gordon (4), Connor Mulligan (5), Jake Boucher (5) and Anthony Acampora, Nelson Rondon (5); Aidan Ricciardelli, Vohra (6), Ryan Delillo (7) and Josh Wetteman, Justin Keeler (6); WP: Grammatico; LP: Ricciardell; 2B: Meier (WH), Chris Barkasy (Wall), Jake Ranney (Wall), 3B: Jake Ranney (Wall), D.J. Caron (WH)

West Haven 15, Wallingford 7
At West Haven

West Haven (16-7-1)      040  007  4  — 15-18-4
Wallingford (18-8-1)       033  010  0  — 7-6-1
Eddie Zanor, Chad Fedeli (4) and Josh Wetteman; Aiden Caraballo, Alex Slezak (5), Jake Ranney (6), Jason Canelli (6), Connor Mulligan (6), Ryan Camp (7), Brandon Csizmadia (7) and Anthony Acampora; WP: Fedeli; LP: Caraballo; 2B: Josh Wetteman (WH), Tyler Jones (WH), Jeremy Rodrigues (WH), John Chacho (WH), Michael Ferrett (WH), 3B: D.J. Caron (WH)


2023 CCBL championship tournament
First round (single-elimination)

Thursday, July 20
Game 1: No. 10 Manchester Eagles 5,  No. 7 Western Massachusetts Pioneers 1
Saturday, July 22
Game 2: No. 8 Waterbury Silverbacks 8, No. 9 Glastonbury Arrows 5

Sunday, July 23 (double-elimination)
Game 3: No. 1 Hamden Miners 11, Manchester 1
Game 4: No. 4 Bridgeport Barnums 5, No. 5 Southington Black Knights 4 (8)
Game 5: No. 2 Wallingford Silver Storm 4, Waterbury Silverbacks 0
Game 6: No. 3 West Haven Sailors 6, No. 6 Simsbury Sabercats 2
Monday, July 24
Game 7: Hamden 6, Bridgeport 4
Game 8: West Haven 11, Wallingford 1
Game 9: Simsbury 4, Waterbury 0, Waterbury eliminated
Game 10: Southington 8, Manchester 1, Manchester eliminated
Wednesday, July 26
Game 11: Bridgeport 2, Simsbury 0, Simsbury eliminated
Game 12: Wallingford 2, Southington 1, Southington eliminated
Game 13: West Haven 2, Hamden 0
Thursday, July 27
Game 14: Wallingford 6, Bridgeport 5 (9), Bridgeport eliminated
Friday, July 28
Game 15: Wallingford 9, Hamden 2, Hamden eliminated
Sunday, July 29
Game 16: Wallingford 6, West Haven 4
Championship: West Haven 15, Wallingford 7


Previous CCBL champions

Double-elimination tournament
Championship game
2022: Hamden Miners 9, Wallingford Silver Storm 6
2021: West Haven Sailors 7, Manchester Eagles 1
2020: Brass City Bombers 13, Manchester Eagles 1 (6)
2019: Manchester Mavericks 8, Glastonbury Arrows 3
2018: Simsbury Sabercats 2, Wallingford Silver Miners 0
Best-of-3 championship series
2017: Glastonbury def. Manchester Mavericks, 2-0
2016: Southington Shock def. Manchester Mavericks, 2-0
2015: Southington def. Glastonbury, 2-0
2014: Southington def. Glastonbury, 2-0
2013: West Hartford Thunder def. Manchester Mavericks, 2-1
2012: Tobacco Valley Renegades def. Simsbury, 2-1
2011: Southington def. Tobacco Valley, 2-1
2010: Southington def. Tobacco Valley, 2-0
2009: Southington def. Simsbury, 2-0

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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