A look at the Class of 2017

MIDDLETOWN >> Fourteen sports greats and two championship teams make up the Middletown Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017.

The 24th Annual Middletown Sports Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will take place on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Cromwell.

The inductees include Jeff Bagwell, Tina Cienava Clemmey, Dave Daniels, John Geary, Joe Jaskot, Herb Kenny, Sharon Jackson Locke, Ted Lombardo, Bill Post, Anthony “Buddy” Sbona (posthumously), Michael Shapiro, Tyrone Speller, Lou Vargas, and Ben Wysocki (posthumously).

Also being honored are the 1982 Middletown American Legion Baseball championship team and the 1994 Mercy High School softball state championship team.

Tickets are $50.00 per person and $15.00 for children-under-12.

Ticket information can be obtained by contacting Johanna Bond at the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce by phone (860) 347-6924, or email johanna@middlesexchamber.com, or mail Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, 393 Main

Street, Middletown, CT 06457.

Here is the final part of our series featuring the Class of 2017.

1982 American Legion Post 75

Baseball prognosticators were not trumpeting the prospects of the 1982 American Legion Post 75 team prior to the season since the 19-man roster was comprised of many first and second year players. Manager Ted Lombardo along with assistants Paul LaBella and Ted’s brother, Don, developed an ambitious collection of players into a championship unit.

Winning Zone 3 was the first surprise achieved by the youthful squad. The 75ers went on to dominate the Connecticut State American Legion Tournament with a 5-0 sweep. Lombardo took a calculated risk starting ace reliever Rick Romano against favored Willimantic, the Zone 9 champions, in the clinching game held at Palmer Field in Middletown before a crowd of 1,500 fans. The risk yielded big dividends as the left-hander, who already notched a win and save, was named the tournament’s MVP.

The 75ers banked a run in the top of the first and never looked back in the 10-2 victory. Middletown belted 16 hits that night to capture their fourth state title and earn a berth to the Northeast Regional at Montpelier, VT.

Aggressiveness, confidence and clutch hitting proved to be the tenets of success for this group. Three of the six Post 75ers were unanimous selections on the 12-man All-Tournament Team - Romano, second baseman Paul Kostacopoulos and outfielder Pete Kiefer. Others chosen were catcher Joe Lentini, outfielder Dave Darling and pitcher Sully McConnell.

The Post 75ers batted .299 on the season with five players hitting above .300 (minimum 100 at bats) – Kiefer (.477), Bruce Micale (.377), Kostacopoulos (.321), Mark Ouellette (.320) and Charlie Hickey (.308).

Micale led the team in hits (57), RBI’s (43), triples (9), home runs (4) and was tied for doubles (7) and second in bases stolen (18).

Romano (5-0) recorded the lowest ERA at 2.76 in 17 appearances. The staff posted an ERA of 3.74. Brad Smith (6-2), Keith Thigpen (8-3), Don Flis (4-1) and McConnell (6-1) were major contributors on the mound as well.

Middletown finished in third place at the Northeast Regionals (3-2). They lost the first game to Bristol (R.I.) and then won three in a row defeating the host team Montpelier, Vermont state champion Hartford Post of White River, and eventual Northeast Regional champion Manchester (N.H.) before being eliminated by Utica (N.Y.).

Post 75, which had a catch phrase, “Let’s shock the house,” completed the story book season with a 29-8 record.

Team members also included Bob Russo, Jeff Manzie, John Tucci, Darren Fleck, Dan White, Dean Sienna, and batboy Mike Keifer.

1994 Mercy High School Softball Team

Domination is a phrase rarely applicable in the uber-competitive world of sports. Mercy High School softball in 1994 embodied the spirit on the diamond. The Tigers outscored opponents 215-34 in achieving a perfect 22-0 record en route to winning the Class LL State Championship.

Sixth-year Head Coach Paul LaBella blended the veterans and newcomers into a unit intent on pursuing perfection. Mercy had never advanced past the quarterfinals. Eight times the Tigers shutout the opponent and six games they only surrendered a single run.

Freshman right-hander Aleana Sutton (20-0) was an overpowering force on the mound. Sutton pitched 140 innings, allowed 19 earned runs, retired 234 batters, walked 19 and hurled four no-hitters. Designated hitter Heather Denehy (2-0) was always available in relief and added a pair of victories to the cause prior to her senior season ending due to injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

The potent pitching and staunch defense were boosted by a band of aggressive hitters. Assistant Coach Don Lombardo, a renowned hitting guru, developed a lineup from top to bottom capable of producing at the plate. The Tigers offense generated double digit run totals in 12 of the 22 contests. A host of players cracked two or more hits in a game throughout the season including Rita Tata, Kate Rossi, Leslie Whitty, Beth Rossi, Kyla Pitruzzello, Sarah Atwell, Maureen Trigo, Cindy Muirhead, Heather Denehy and Nikki D’Onofrio.

Tata, Whitty, Rossi, Pitruzzello and Trigo all batted over .400. Trigo led the team in home runs.

Mercy reached the state finals with wins over No. 16 Shelton, No. 9 Newington and No. 4 Southington by a combined score of 24-4.

Sutton struck out 18 batters in Mercy’s 10-6 extrainning victory over No. 11 Amity in the Class LL final at Meriden’s Falcon Field.

Tied at 6 in the bottom of the eighth, Amity loaded the bases with no out on a hit batter and two infield singles. Mercy, however, got out of the jam when first baseman Rossi fielded a grounder and threw home for a force out, Sutton struck out the next batter and Whitty ended the inning with an unassisted putout at second.

Trigo singled in two runs at the top of the 10th inning. An error and a fielder’s choice tallied two more runs for a 10-6 margin.

Mercy finished atop The Hartford Courant Coaches Poll as the number one team in the state.

Sutton was named to the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Class LL All-State Team. Kyla Pitruzzello and Beth Rossi were selected to play in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Senior All-Star softball game as part of the East squad.

Team members also included Kristy Pessina, Dana Onofrio, Kyla Hygiscian, and Kori Termine.