By Michael Letendre
WEST HARTFORD – Friday afternoon was a tough time for the Bristol Eastern baseball program.
The Lancers took a quick 2-0 edge over Northwest Catholic in the top of the third frame, but the Lions came rip-roaring back with 14 unanswered runs as Northwest wrangled up a 14-2 CCC Interdivisional victory over Eastern in West Hartford.
The game was called due to the mercy rule as the Lancers fell to 2-3 on the season.
Northwest improved to 3-4.
Eastern managed only three hits in the contest, led by a double from Elliot Norris.
Singles by Owen Myers and Jaydon Churchill were the other hits for the Eastern program.
Ben D’Amato started on the hill for Eastern, walking four and hitting one batter in 2.2 innings of work to draw the loss.
Northwest pitcher Jonah Balcarak chucked five innings for the win, yielding three hits, two runs – just one earned – fanning five and walking one.
However, it was a scoreless game through two frames.
After the Lancers nabbed that 2-0 edge, NWC score six times in the bottom of the third and tallied eight additional runs in the fourth to make it a 14-2 blowout.
But Eastern made a real go of it in the top of the third.
Norris led off with his double to right center, Cole Latko walked, and both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch.
Norris eventually came home on a groundout and Latko scored the Lancers second run on an infield error – making it a 2-0 game.
But in the bottom of the third, Northwest took over for good.
Vinny Maslauskas homered over the left field fence for the first run – chopping the deficit in half.
A single by Riley Caron, who went to third on a wild pickoff attempt, later scored to tie the game on Erin Curtiss’s single inside first base, making it 2-2.
Then a walk, followed by a single from Ethan Porter, notched the go-ahead run at 3-2.
An infield error loaded the bases for the Lions and Caleb Molinsky came in to pitch for D’Amato.
Balcarak hit Molinsky’s first pitch for a bases clearing double to deep left as Northwest etched up a 6-2 cushion.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Lions batted around, sending 12 batters to the dish.
Northwest zipped up five hits, taking advantage of two Eastern errors, two walks, and three wild pitches.
And DH Tyler Worley belted out a grand slam over the left field fence to ice the contest – leading to the 14-2 victory.
Eastern was immediately back in action the following day as the Lancers traveled to Lewis Mills for a CCC South tilt.
Bristol Eastern Baseball – CCC Interdivisional Showdown
NORTHWEST CATHOLIC 14, BRISTOL EASTERN 2
from Northwest Catholic High School
Bristol Eastern (2-3) 002 00 – 2 3 3
Northwest Catholic (3-4) 006 8x – 14 10 3
Bristol Eastern: Ben D’Amato, Caleb Molinsky (3) & Rio Fernandez; NW Catholic: Jonah Balcarak & Sean Tessman.
WP: Jonah Balcarak (Northwest Catholic); LP: Ben D’Amato (Bristol Eastern)
Bristol Eastern Batting
2B – Elliot Norris
3B – None
HR – None
Northwest Catholic Batting
2B – Riley Caron, Jonah Balcarak
3B – None
HR – Vinny Maslauskas, Tyler Worley
Records: Northwest Catholic 3-4 overall; Bristol Eastern 2-3