BRISTOL, Connecticut – Coming off a comeback victory for the ages, the Bristol Mustangs are looking to make even more team history this weekend at the town’s most historic baseball venue.

The Mustangs meet eight-time defending champion Hebron in the semifinals of the Connecticut North Men’s Senior Baseball League 35-plus division playoffs.

The best-of-three series starts Saturday with two games at Muzzy Field, beginning at 10 a.m.

If necessary, a third game will be played on Sunday at RHAM High School in Hebron at 10 a.m.

The winner between Bristol and Hebron will play the winner of the other semifinal series between Clinton and Rocky Hill in the championship round Aug. 19-20.

The Mustangs (11-9), on the strength of some late-game heroics, advanced to the semifinal round for the fifth consecutive year last Saturday with a playoff-opening, two-game sweep of the Ledyard Angels. Bristol won the first game, 7-1, behind the pitching of ace Jesse Darcy, who struck out 10 and allowed only six hits.

The second game, however, produced the Mustangs’ greatest-ever comeback. Ledyard led 8- 2 and needed only three outs to force a Game 3 on Sunday, but Bristol rallied to score seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning — the final two coming home on David Blake’s looping single to center field — as the Mustangs walked off with a dramatic 9-8 victory.

Now, they have yet another opportunity against powerful Hebron. The Mustangs, who have never beaten the Hops in a playoff game over the past three years, went 1-3 against them during the regular season, handing Hebron its only defeat.

Due to some key roster additions, the Mustangs have higher hopes of finally overcoming the Hops and advancing to the championship round for the first time. They added a former minor league pitcher in Darcy, slick-fielding shortstop Mike Capone and infielder/outfielder Joe Santagata, to go with a strong core of returning All-Stars that includes three Bristol natives – center fielder Bryan Webster, left fielder Ryan Brayne, and pitcher Dave Michaud – along with catcher Scott Vibert and third baseman Anthony Parrino.

Playing their sixth season in Bristol, the Mustangs dedicated the 2023 campaign to the memory of the two fallen Bristol police officers – Lt. Dustin DeMonte (who was Webster’s cousin) and Sgt. Alex Hamzy – who lost their lives in the line of duty on Oct. 12, 2022. They wear commemorative patches on the back of their hats as a tribute to them and the Bristol Police Department.