Blues have victory over Westerners

The Blues defeated the Danbury Westerners 8-7 in a 10-inning game on July 6 at Muzzy Field. The Blues' season record is now 12-13. 

Runs came quickly for the Westerners at the top of the first inning, finishing with four runs. The Blues, however, responded with three of their own. Nick Flores singled to center field, advancing Antonio Ducatelli to third. A throwing error advanced Flores to second and scored Ducatelli. Flores scored, making it a two-run game after Jack Balcer (Quinnipiac) walked, advancing both Nick Francuzenko (Towson) and Cal Chance (UMass Lowell), and allowing Flores to score.  

To end the inning, Evan Menzel (UCONN) grounded out to second base; Balcer advanced to second; Francuzenko advanced to third; and Chance scored, making it a 4-3 game. 

In the top of the second, the Westerners scored two more runs. Gavin Donohue (Sacred Heart) flied out to left field, advancing Jack Lutte (Denison) and Aidan Stern (Trinity) to second and third and sending Kyle Garbowski (Quinnipiac) home, putting Danbury up 5-3. Right after Lutte advanced to third, Stern scored on a wild pitch, giving the Westerners a three-run lead, 6-3. 

Chance struck again, closing the gap to a two-run game after a wild pitch advanced Francuzenko to third, and Chance scored on the pitch.  

Top of the eighth, the Westerners made it a three-run game again after Ronan Donohue (Sacred Heart) singled, advancing Garbowski and scoring Noel Rivera (Jacksonville State). 

However, the Blues closed the gap to one run. Colin Crowley (Winthrop) singled to center field, and Menzel advanced to second. Balcer and Justin Ruiz (High Point) scored, making the score 7-6. This was quickly followed by a single to left field by Ducatelli, advancing Crowley and scoring Menzel, tying the game 7-7. 

Bottom of the tenth, with JJ Romatzick on third, Menzel flied out to center field, sending Romatzick home and winning the game for the Blues, 8-7.  

Mason Glickman (University of New Haven) helped shut down Danbury for three straight innings. Glickman allowed only one hit and no runs, and struck out three. Glickman's first strikeout came right off the bat in the top of the third, followed by back-to-back outs by Menzel and Crowley. Glickman helped close out the top of the fifth for the Westerners with back-to-back strikeouts, then an out by Trent Rice (Michigan State). 

Ethan Marzo (Boston College) followed Glickman on the mound and continued to shut down the Westerners, allowing no runs or hits and striking out three. Marzo struck out the first batter of the game right away, at the top of the sixth. 

Thomas Galusha (Bryant) closed out on the mound for the Blues, allowing no runs or hits and striking out three. Galusha struck out the first two batters and closed out the ninth inning. Galusha's final strikeout of the night came in the top of the tenth, getting Danbury their second out. 

The Blues are on the road for the July 6 game against the Upper Valley Nighthawks at 6 pm. The Blues return to Muzzy on July 8 at 12 for Camp Day, when they will play the Ocean State Waves.

Written by Gabby Algiere