Cards bounce back for city championship

Andrew D. Brosig
Posted 7/4/18

Cardinals emerged as Torrington Little League City Champions in the annual tournament finals against the Mets, 13-12, in extra innings Thursday.

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Cards bounce back for city championship

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TORRINGTON – It was a back-and-forth battle with the lead changing hands twice as players fought first the early-evening heat then strong winds and dust. When the dust settled, though, the Cardinals emerged as Torrington Little League City Champions in the annual tournament finals against the Mets, 13-12, in extra innings Thursday.

The Cardinals started off with Brady Cook on the mound, pitching to the Mets’ Ayden Desmond, who popped a single. Desmond managed to turn it into a double on an overthrow to first. Brady Cook struck out the next two batters before Barrett Eichenberger cracked a Mets double, allowing Desmond to score and put the Mets on the board, 1-0.

In the bottom of the first, with Desmond on the mound for the Mets, it was all Cardinals. Nolan Long started the inning off with a double to left field before getting tagged out at third on an attempted steal. 

After that aborted start, Parker Ochsner reached first on a walk, followed by singles by Justin Clayton and Brady Cook to load the bases. Cardinal Ty Bennick singled to the Mets shortstop to score Ochsner. The Cards wrapped up the inning with runs by Clayton, Brady Cook and Bennick on walks and by Colter McFarlin on a base hit by Long as the Cards batted around the order.

The Mets answered with a three-run homer to start off the second inning by the pitcher, Desmond, scoring Barrett Moffat and Rhett Clarke, closing to one on the Cardinal’s lead, 5-4. The Cards responded in the bottom of the frame with a run by Brady Cook on a double by Bennick to extend their lead to 6-4 to close out the inning with one left on base.

The Mets started the third inning with a vengeance with a double by Bodie Moffat and a single by Eichenberger. Brock Forrest walked on to first, followed by Nathaniel Stull to place runners at first and second. 

Bodie Moffat took advantage of a moment of inattention to scamper home, closing the score to 6-5. Then a line drive single to right field by Zachary Zigweid scored Forrest and Eichenberger to give the Mets the 7-6 lead.

The Mets went on to score Stull on a passed-pitch steal and Zigweid on a grounder to second by Griffin Wolfe. A second passed pitch brought Desmond home on a steal and Wolfe, who advanced to third, then home on a base hit over the second baseman’s head by Bodie Moffat.

The Cardinals switched pitchers, bringing Bennick to the mound with two outs on the board. After a double by Eichenberger to deep right, Forrest was thrown out at first on a line drive to second to end the inning, but not before the Mets scored seven runs for an 11-6 lead.

The Cardinals couldn’t put anything together in the bottom of the third, striking out two and Long tapping a short blooper to Desmond, the Mets’ pitcher, who turned for the easy throw out to first.

Bennick started on the mound in the top of the fourth, walking one before the Cardinals made another pitching change, bringing Long to the mound for the remainder of the game. Long walked one before striking out Zigweid. Mets batter Lucas Ingram took a hit to advance, loading the bases and bringing Desmond to the plate.

Desmond struck out and Long hit the next batter, Wolfe, bringing Stull home to extend the Mets lead to 12-6. Long then struck out Bodie Moffat to retire the side, leaving the bases loaded.

After two strikeouts in the bottom of the fourth, the Mets were forced to retire Desmond due to his pitch count, bringing Zigweid to the mound. Brady Cook tapped a double to left field for the Cardinals, followed by Bennick with a single over the pitcher’s head. McFarlin stepped to the plate next, cracking a single and scoring Brady Cook. A line drive by Matthew Cook brought Bennick and McFarlin home before Gabe Posten fouled out to first to retire the side with the Mets still in the lead, 12-9.

The Mets started the fifth inning with a single by Eichenberger to the Cardinals shortstop. Long walked Forrest before striking out Stull and Barrett Moffat. Eichenberger got caught trying to steal home on a passed ball, tagged out by Long to retire the side. The Cardinals closed to within one of the Mets in the bottom of the fifth on runs by Andre Mares and Parker Ochsner. 

Long returned in the top of the sixth to strike out Mets’ batters Zigweid and Ingram. Desmond got on base on a line drive to center but was tagged out moments later, trying to steal second, to retire the side.

In the bottom of the sixth, Matthew Cook struck out for the Cardinals before Posten reached first on a walk. Mares singled to the pitcher and Posten was caught out in the force at second.

Long stepped to the plate and cracked a line-drive double to center, scoring Mares and tying the game at 12. Ochsner struck out, forcing the game into extra innings.

It was three up and three down for the Mets in the top of the seventh, with Long striking out Wolfe, Ingram and Eichenberger, in that order. In the bottom of the seventh, Zigweid walked Clayton before striking out Brady Cook. Clayton stole second and Bennick got on with a base hit to the Mets’ shortstop, putting Clayton in scoring position at third. McFarlin stepped to the plate for the Cardinals, but never got a chance to hit, as Clayton stole home to clinch the championship for the Cardinals, 13-12.

The Cardinals entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed with a 13-1-1 record. The Mets brought a 9-5-1 record, placing then in the No. 2 seed spot to open tournament play earlier in the week.