Canton closes out regular season with team-record 11th victory

The Canton Crushers have won a team-record 11 games this season, including Saturday’s 12-2 win over Naugatuck.

Veteran pitcher Jim Spirito was there on day one for the Canton Crushers when the team made their Tri-State League debut 12 years ago at Fuessenich Park against the now-defunct Torrington Rebels.

It was rough debut for the Crushers, who lost by 14 runs to the Rebels, a more experienced team with five league championships on their resume.

Twelve years later, the baseball season has been a much more satisfying for long-time manager Tom Dubois and the Crushers.

For the first time, Canton is finishing the Tri-State regular season with a winning record after beating the Naugatuck White Sox, 12-2 in eight innings on Saturday at Bowdoin Field in Canton. The Crushers are 11-9 – the most wins in a single season in team history. Their previous best was six.

Spirito (3-3) was on the mound Saturday, pitching his second complete game of the season, scattering eight hits and striking out seven. He walked just four.

In the Tri-State playoffs for the fourth straight year, Canton will be hosting the Connecticut Sliders (7-13) in a one-game wild card playoff on Tuesday at Bowdoin Field at 5:45 p.m. The winner advances to a best-of-3 quarterfinal round against the still-undetermined No. 2 seed

Canton had a pair of three-game winning streaks this season and were four games over .500 (8-4) at one point.

“We gained a couple of young kids through a loss. We lost Alex Varano, who was our shortstop last year who sent his brother (Cole Varano) who brought his friend (Jeremy Simonds) and I have a couple of young Canton kids in Jackson Senecal and Nate Hiscox who have been solid for us,” said Dubois.

Veteran Jim Spirito threw his second complete game of the season Saturday in a 12-2 win over Naugatuck.

Canton has solid pitching with Angel Christiano (5-2), who owns the team record for most wins in a season, and Jake Bryant (2-1), who has thrown two complete games and has two saves.

“We’re hitting the ball and playing good defense,” Dubois said. “We’re just having fun. We show up, we hang out with each other and we’re playing good baseball which is fun.”

The Crushers still have a good core of players from Canton including outfielders Ben and Mike Sullivan, Matt and Jack Rose, Austin and Jackson Senecal, Hiscox and Spiritio, a Canton High graduate.

The next goal to achieve is a playoff victory and get to a best-of-three series. Canton hasn’t secured one yet on their previous four trips.

Canton had little trouble with Naugatuck (2-17) on Saturday with 13 hits, including four for extra bases.

Ben Sullivan was 2-for-5 with three runs scored, two doubles and one RBI while Mike Sullivan was 2-for-3 with one run scored. Second baseman Cole Varano was 2-for-5 with a double while Christiano was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a double.

Matt Rose was 2-for-4 with a double and one RBI while veteran Jeff Mulhall was 1-for-2 with two RBI.

Prior to this year, Canton’s best single season record was 6-12 in 2022 although the Crushers had six wins in 2025 (6-13) and 2024 (6-15). Earning the No. 7 seed is the highest finish for Canton in team history. The Crushers were the No. 9 seed a year ago.

The Tri-State League’s regular season ended on Saturday although New Milford-based Candlewood Kraken has two games remaining to help determine the No. 2 seed in the league playoffs.

Burlington (18-2) grabbed the No. 1 seed with their best regular season in team history. Defending league champion Bethlehem and Wolcott are currently 14-6 with Candlewood at 12-6 with games remaining with Winsted (12-7) and Naugatuck. Tri-Town (12-8) is the No. 6 seed. Waterbury (10-10) is No. 8 with Valley Ducks (7-13) earning the No. 9 seed and CT Sliders (7-13) grabbing the No. 10 seed. Amenia (6-14) is the No. 11 seed.

There are three playoff games with the top five seeds earning first round byes.

Canton 12, Naugatuck 2
At Canton
Naugatuck (2-17)        100  000  10  — 2-6-6
Canton (11-9)               212  300  22  — 12-13-5
Noss, Venable (7) and unavailable; Jim Spirito and Jeff Mulhall; WP: Spirito (3-3); LP: Noss; 2B: Rivera (N), Ben Sullivan (C) 2, C Varano (C), Matt Rose (C); Of note: Canton finished the season with two straight wins and best record in franchise history.