Defense helps Simsbury beat West Hartford, remain alive in D6 tourney

SIMSBURY, July 11, 2026 – The pitchers had control of Saturday night’s District 6 Major Division baseball tournament game between District 6 newcomer West Hartford and Simsbury.

And when they ceded control, their defenses backed them up.

Simsbury (7-1) got just two hits off West Hartford starting pitcher Graham Caines but it was enough in a 2-1 victory at Cosentino Field.

The win forces a decisive game in the double-elimination tournament on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Janser Field in Terryville with the winner advancing to the Major Division (ages 11-12) state tournament.

Simsbury starting pitcher Daniel Cerrella went the distance, scattering five hits and striking out two. He received some solid defense behind him. The most crucial play came in the bottom of the fourth inning.

With Simsbury leading 2-0, West Hartford’s Kai Edgar ripped a two-out double down the third base line to ignite the visiting section of fans. Caines came to the play and ripped a line drive to center field but Simsbury center fielder Charlie Berger caught the ball on the run to end the inning.

If it had fell in for a hit, it certainly would have given West Hartford their first run of the game.

“We’ve been winning with defense with this group of kids for three years now,” Simsbury manager Mike Germano said. “It is how we stay in games, how we compete. They work their tails off in practice. They’ve been excellent out there (defensively) for years and this season is no different.”

West Harford (5-2) threatened again in the fifth inning. Spencer Kan led off with a double and scored on Ben Wilmes’ RBI single down the right field line to cut the lead to 2-1. Wilmes moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt before Simsbury third baseman Finn Sullivan grabbed a hard line drive off the bat of Alex Ruffman for the second out of the inning.

West Hartford’s Jacon Kempner singled to right field but Simsbury got the ball into the infield quick enough to hold Wilmes at third base. The next batter flied out to right field to end the threat.

In the sixth inning, Sullivan made two solid throws from third for outs to help Simsbury secure the win.

Germano praised Cerrella. “He’s a bulldog (on the mound,” Germano said. “An absolute bulldog. He just grinds and grind and grinds and keeps people off balance, mixes his speeds and mixes his locations.”

Caines was dominant for West Hartford, striking out 10 with seven looking at the third strike.

“He’s been our ace all year,” West Hartford manager Michael Wilmer said. “He throws hard. He has all of the tools. He is a great pitcher.”

Caines didn’t give up a hit through the first three innings. In the fourth, Simsbury’s Brendan Hodgson led off with a single to center field. He moved to second base on a successful sacrifice bunt from Berger. Hodgson moved to third on Caleb Weinberg’s single. Weinberg scrambled to second when the throw from the outfield took a bit of time to arrive.

Simsbury took a 1-0 lead when Hodgson scored from third base on a fielder’s choice when Ripley Russell grounded out to third base. Weinberg moved to third base on the play and scored on a wild pitch with Augie Thompson at the plate for a 2-0 lead.

West Hartford prevailed in a one-run game earlier this week with a 3-2 victory. West Hartford scored twice in the bottom of the fifth inning to secure the win. One run scored on a wild pitch but the game-winning run scored a two-out RBI single from Eddie Sciallo.

West Hartford (5-2) is looking for their first-ever District 6 championship and its first state tournament berth since 2024.

With the encouragement of the national Little League organization, the state eliminated two districts (D7, D2) this summer, reducing the number of districts from 12 to 10, D6 District Administrator Mike Mentone said.

As part of that state-wide realignment, West Hartford was moved into District 6.

According to state tournament records compiled by the Unpage website, it is the fewest number of districts in Connecticut since 1958 when there was 10 Little League districts across the state.

Simsbury, which has won five of the last six D6 Major Division championships, is looking for their third straight D6 Major Division title.

Simsbury 2, West Hartford 1
At Simsbury
Simsbury (7-1)              000  200  — 2-2-1
West Hartford (5-2)    000  010  — 1-5-0
Daniel Cerrella and Gavin Dery; Graham Caines, Kai Edgar (6) and Thomas Shaffer; WP: Cerrella (2-0); LP: Caines; 2B: Edgar (WH), Spencer Kan (WH); Of note: With the win, Simsbury forced a decisive game to decide the double-elimination tournament on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Janzer Field in Terryville. For West Hartford, Caines struck out 10, seven looking; West Hartford pitchers combined to struck 12, eight looking.

Major Division tournament 2026
Round robin standings: Avon 4-0, Simsbury 4-0, West Hartford 3-1, Burlington 3-1, Tri-Town 1-3, Canton 1-3, Thomaston 1-3, East Granby/Granby 0-4

More game photos

Double-elimination portion of tournament
Wednesday, July 8
West Hartford 4, Avon 2
Simsbury 8, Burlington 2
Thursday, July 9
West Hartford 3, Simsbury 2
Burlington 12, Avon 11, Avon eliminated
Friday, July 10
Simsbury 10, Burlington 3, Burlington eliminated
Saturday, July 11
Final: Simsbury 2, West Hartford 1
Sunday, July 12
Game 7: West Hartford (5-2) vs. Simsbury (7-1) at Janser Field, Terryville, 1 p.m.