Berlin High School Sports Roundup

Baseball 

Berlin 6, Maloney 4 

With Berlin and Maloney tied in the seventh inning in Meriden Friday onlookers could not help but think of the 16-inning, four-hour marathon Maloney victory at Berlin in April. This time, however, the Berlin hitting attack and Mike Veronesi sent the visiting Redcoats home with a 6-4 victory in regulation time. 


Alec Norton led off the seventh with a single off Maloney's Dallas DeFrancesco. Daren Grabowski was credited with a single when the Spartans failed to cover first base after his bunt. Then Mitch Williams’ single slashed to left-center put Berlin up to stay. Later in the inning. Dave Condon delivered an insurance run with a sacrifice fly off Maloney reliever Mike Bonaiuto. The damage done, Veronesi took the mound and closed out the victory.

The junior right-hander went the distance for the second time this week, holding the hard-hitting Maloney team to seven hits and four runs, only one of which was earned. 

Williams’ seventh inning blow was his second key hit of the afternoon. He was also in the middle of a fifth inning rally which wiped out a 4-2 Maloney lead. Norton led the inning off with a single in front of Williams, who delivered a double to deep right. The Redcoat junior advanced to third on an error and scored the tying run on a misplayed ground ball off the bat of Dante Vasi.

Maloney built its lead with timely hitting following Berlin defensive mistakes. DeFrancesco delivered one RBI hit and Lucas Olson drove in three with a groundout and a fourth inning double. 

DeFrancesco took the pitching loss for Maloney, but went 3-for-4 at the plate to raise his 2013 batting average to .507. In two games against Redcoats this year, the senior third baseman/pitcher has nine hits in 12 at-bats. 

It was an eventful weak for the Redcoats. There were one-run losses to Platt in Meriden on Monday and Bristol Central on Tuesday, but a doubleheader sweep of Bulkeley and today's victory made for a 3-2 week. Berlin is now 12-7 on the season.  

Berlin will wrap up the regular season Monday, hosting Plainville at Sage Park. Senior Night festivities will honor Redcoat seniors Dan Wrona, Connor Bennett, Jeff Sylvester, Mike Baroni and Jordan Zima. 

BERLIN

• Daren Grabowski cf 3-2-1 
  
• Mitch Williams 3b 3-2-2 
  
• Dante Vasi lb 4-0-0 
  
• Dave Condon rf 3-0-0 
  
• Jordan Zima c 4-0-0 
  
• Dave Sylvester dh 3-0-2 
  
• Anthony Sisti lf 3-0-0 
  
• Kyle Naples ss 1-0-0 
  
• Matt Rocco ss 2-0-0 
  
• Alec Norton 2b 3-2-2 
  
• 2B: Sylvester, Williams 
  
• RBI: Williams 2, Condon, Zima 
  
• SF: Condon 
  
• BB: Grabowski, Williams 
  
• P: Mike Veronesi (W, 3-3) 7IP, 7H, 4R, 1ER, 1BB, 4K 
  

MALONEY 

• Hector Gonzalez ss 4-1-0 
  
• John Walter cf 3-0-0 
  
• Dallas DeFrancesco p-3b 4-1-3 
  
• Mike Guilino c 3-0-1 
  
• Mike Bonaiuto lf-p 4-0-0 
  
• Andrew Hendrickson 3b-lf 3-0-0 
  
• Dan Berger lb 3-2-1 
  
• Kyle Hartenstein 2b 3-0-1 
  
• Lucas Olson rf 3-0-1 
  
• 2b: Guilino, Berger, Olson, Berger 
  
• RBI: Olson 3, DeFrancesco 
  
• BB: Guilino SH: Walter 
  
• P: DeFrancesco (L, 4-2) 6IP, 7H, 6R, 3ER, 2BB
  
• Bonaiuto 1IP, 0R, 1K 
  

Softball

Berlin 4, Maloney 1

Caitlin Guild hammered a two-run home run and starting pitcher Makayla Harris made the lead stick as the Redcoats beat previously unbeaten Maloney at Sage Park Friday night. 

For video of the game, go here. 

Boy's Tennis

Berlin 6, Windsor 1

The team continued on its consecutive win streak – now six straight. With Dan Rombola not playing every one stepped up again. Senior Peter Hogan won a tough three-set match at #1 and Mike Gurrieri at #2 and Jordan Chyra at #3 played very well in their wins.

The team swept the doubles filling in as needed as players were unavailable. Despite the 0-8 and 1-9 start the team is fighting hard to get to the .500 mark (and a place in the Class “M” state tournament).

The last two matches are both at home – Tolland on Monday and Brookfield on Tuesday both 6 p.m. starts.