The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Palmer Dogs advance to playoff semifinals
MIDDLETOWN — Sunday was a great day to watch Logan Wenzel and his teammates play baseball.
The Middletown Palmer Dogs picked up their starting pitcher one inning too late to get him the win. But win they did, 2-1 over Ellington at Palmer Field in a quarterfinal game of the Connecticut Elite Baseball Association’s 19U fall playoffs.
(Reminder: In a non-pandemic year, the Dogs would be Middletown American Legion Post 75, but CTEBA was formed to provide kids across the state an opportunity to keep playing ball. CTEBA also oversaw a compressed summer season and playoffs.)
The Dogs are 15-3-1 this fall and will be back at Palmer for the semifinals Saturday to play a tobe-determined opponent.
Left-handed Kolby Pascarelli, who is bound for Division I Bryant University, knocked in the winning run in the fifth. The Coginchaug senior got on top of a first-pitch fastball at the letters and drove it into right-center, scoring Colin Loria.
Loria scored both Dogs runs, Owen Clancy had a two-hit game and catcher Mike Garofalo, who is playing the position for the first time, threw out three Ellington base runners.
Pascarelli contributed two hits and also pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to earn the save after Alex Mach held Ellington hitless in the fifth and sixth.
Which circles us back to Wenzel. The answer to the question “What did coach Charlie Hickey’s staff at Central Connecticut see in Wenzel to offer him a scholarship?” — is “lots of good stuff.”
In his four innings of work, the left-hander struck out seven, allowed one hit and an unearned run. His fastball was in the mid-80s and his breaking ball was equally effective.
He picked off two runners at first base, the latter getting chased
down and tagged by Wenzel near the bag at second. In the third, he again flashed athleticism, knocking down a comebacker to his right with a runner in scoring position and throwing to first for the inning-ending out.
None of the above contributions was on Wenzel’s mind after the game. All he could think about was the fact that he walked six.
“It was rough out there,” said the Middletown High senior. “It was probably my most frustrating outing of the year. Usually the thing that makes me a good pitcher is I don’t walk people. I can be very efficient. But it’s weird when I have a day when I walk (six) people and give up only one hit.”
In fairness, the zone covered the letters to the shoelaces. Wenzel was not complaining. He was trying to persevere and he did. He commanded himself much like a pro would, in control of his emotions and body language.
“You just have to throw it down the middle sometimes and hope something good happens,” he said. “You’re just fighting through it and have to keep making the pitches you need to make. One unearned run isn’t a bad day, obviously, but (the walks) just leave a sour taste. But I’m happy to get a win as a team.”
Wenzel spent the summer playing for his shoreline-based AAU team, the Breakers. When he dialed his fastball into the mid-80s during a showcase in Boston, his coach tipped off Hickey. As Wenzel tells it, pitching coach Pat Hall reached out, things went from there and now Wenzel has the opportunity to extend his career with a D-I program. Close to home, too
He also knows what he wants to do to get better.
“I want to put on some weight to help get my velocity up,” Wenzel said. “I want to get sharper with how my ball breaks. I want to get more into the analytics of pitching, tunneling and stuff. I want to make my game as refined and good as possible, so going into the spring I can hopefully dominate and get All- State. I just want to compete. I like to be a gamer.”
Both Wenzel and Pascarelli looked at playing fall ball as a way to make up for some lost time on the field after their junior high school seasons were canceled.
“Like Kolby has said, it’s a way for us to have fun with our friends and get in a little fall ball action,” said Wenzel. “He’s another guy that’s sort of like me. Being in a more relaxed environment here, we can sort of push each other. We have very similar styles.”
They are the Dogs’ two best pitchers who also bat third and fourth in the order, but Dogs manager Dan Botti said the mere addition of the two made the team better overall.
“We have a couple of other guys (including Ryan Michaud at Eastern Connecticut) who will play in college, but to have the higher level D-I guys, it’s great to be able to practice with them, see how they move, the little stuff, see how they handle themselves,” Botti said. “It’s definitely raised the level of play for us.”
Also on Sunday, Middletown’s 15U team beat Rocky Hill/Cromwell/Portland 2-1 on Luke Weisenberg’s walkoff single in the eighth. The 17U Dogs were eliminated with a 4-1 loss to Shelton.
ON THE LOCAL FRONT
** Middletown’s boys and girls soccer teams will each have a two-game postseason experience in the Central Connecticut Conference. The CCC last week revealed a four-region set-up for its 32 boys teams and 30 girls teams.
The MHS boys are 5-0-1 at the midway point in the regular season and likely will be among the top four seeds in their region when all is said and done. In that scenario, the Blue Dragons would play either Nov. 9 or 10 and Nov. 12 or 13. The higher-seeded team would host the games.
Coach Sal Emanuele’s squad stayed unbeaten last week after rallying for a 2-2 tie at Newington. Dario Rigano converted a penalty kick and Zach Lombardo had the equalizer on an assist from Marshall Butler. MHS is in the same region as 6-0 Wethersfield. The two square off Oct. 30 at the Eagles’ Cottone Field (6:30 p.m. start).
The MHS girls (0-6) are in a six-team region. The breakdown of matchups will be different, but the same format applies. By the way, in the Dragons’ last match, junior Annetta DelPrado scored their first goal of the season.
** The 12-team Shoreline Conference will have a traditional postseason tournament for its fall sports. The boys and girls soccer finals are scheduled for Nov. 16, with the higher seed hosting. The Shoreline has had a parents-only attendance policy this fall.
On the boys side, Cromwell ( 3-0-2) is a contender among a group that includes Old Lyme (4-0-1) and Old Saybrook ( 3-1). Old Saybrook and Morgan were Shoreline co-champions last year.
On the girls side, defending champion Haddam-Killingworth is off to a strong 4-0 start. Old Lyme (4-0-1) and East Hampton ( 3-0-1) are in the mix as well. H-K has two excellent finishers in Yumi Imai and Kedarjah Lewis.
Meanwhile, Coginchaug (1-1-3) denied Old Lyme a fifth win in a 2-2 tie on Saturday. Alyssa Woodward and Katie Farr scored for the Blue Devils and Sam Paul and Serena Fournier had the assists.
** We don’t know if there will be a winter sports season, but as Cromwell boys basketball coach John Pinone says, at least there is a start date and an end date.
Practice for the winter season (basketball, wrestling, hockey and swimming) begins Nov. 21 and state tournaments would run through Feb. 21.
“If we can get everything in it would be great,” said Pinone, who Panthers were poised for a tournament run last March before it all went dark. “It’s not the easiest of circumstances, but now we have the dates to get ready, and it’s not that far away. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
Pinone will have seven seniors on this year’s roster. His players have been participating in leagues in New Britain and Newington in the offseason.
“They are not playing any differently just because of what’s going on in the world,” the coach said. “Of at least the ones I’ve watched, they’re just going out there and playing. When they get on the court, they’re just playing.”
THIS AND THAT
** If you want to order pizza from Marino’s on William Street, best to do so a day in advance (it is only a four-day operation, for now at least). The re-emergence of Marino’s means every other pizza joint in the city is battling for second place.
I can’t imagine anyone disagreeing.
** While on the subject of pie, it was sad to read about the passing of actress Conchata Ferrell, who played Leona in “Mystic Pizza.”
In a scene toward the end of the movie, Leona thought her pizza was going to be badly reviewed on TV, only to learn the reviewer has given her pizza four stars, his best rating. The restaurant’s phone rings. The caller asks if reservations are necessary, and Leona starts howling with laughter
This might now be the scene at Marino’s when a customer calls and expects to order a pizza for the same day. Mystic Pizza’s pizza is very good, by the way.
** The person who answered at Neil’s Donuts in Wallingford said she believes the Middletown location will be open by the end of October.
** Please, no more apologies from Hal Steinbrenner. The buck stops with Hal. Instead of telling fans how sorry he is that the team didn’t win, or at least get to the World Series, he should figure out ways for the club to take the next step. One thought: Get more hitters who don’t swing and miss so much.
** Another email from the Masters arrived saying the same thing as always: “We regret your application was not selected for tickets.”
** If you’re looking for an excellent read ahead of the Nov. 12 start to this year’s Masters, I recommend “The Second Life of Tiger Woods” by Michael Bamberger. I stumbled across it in the library. It drills into so much of Tiger’s existence outside the ropes. Every page is compelling.
** By the way, on page 67, we learn that Alex Rodriguez despises David Ortiz. So to see the two sitting side by side on the TBS set during the.ALCS gave me the giggles.
** The Year 2020 spared us at least one more kidney punch when the Rays ousted the Cheatin’ Astros in Game 7 on Saturday night. I didn’t think Tampa Bay could do it after giving up a 3-0 series lead.
** Finally, the NASCAR Cup Series’ championship four will include Our Guy, Joey Logano. The No. 22 Ford held strong at the finish in Kansas, where Logano successfully blocked Kevin Harvick over the final three laps for his first Cup win since March 8 in Phoenix.