Schools

Third Time's a Charm for Conard Baseball

Conard takes on crosstown rival Hall in the opening round of the CIAC Class LL baseball championships.

baseball team had already earned West Hartford's bragging rights by beating the Chieftains 4-1 in both hard-fought regular season contests this spring.

On Tuesday, the crosstown rivals had a chance to meet again in the first round of the CIAC Class LL state championships as #17 seed traveled up Main Street to face the #16 Warriors.

This time it was all Conard in the stifling heat and humidity, as the Chieftains' senior pitcher Mike Carabello went the distance, allowing only three hits and one run, earning the win with Conard's 11-1 victory.

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Conard head coach Ty Bongiovanni said he had all three top pitchers (Carabello, junior Charlie Fisher, and sophomore Max Vogel-Freedman) ready to go for the game, and did not decide to start Carabello until Monday afternoon. "Over the last two to three weeks, he's probably been our best pitcher – the most consistent," Bongiovanni said.

He also thought it would be good to use a pitcher unfamiliar to the Warriors, and Fisher had faced Hall in both previous contests.

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Hall started top right hander, George Lund, who had earned the victory over Conard in the on May 2.

Conard's Brian Skelly attacked Lund's very first pitch with a single to center, and although the score remained 0-0 at the end of the inning, it set the tone for the rest of the game.

Junior Nick Venora scored on an outfield single by junior Brendon Rossmeisl in the third inning to put Conard on the boards, and junior John Dinucci crossed home plate on a single to left field by senior Jack Wilson. Senior Greg Confessore landed on first with a single, loading the bases.

With two outs on an 0-2 pitch, senior Paul King, hitless for the season until he had the game-winning hit in last week's 2-1 victory over Windsor, slammed a 3-run double to left center giving Conard a 5-0 lead. King came home on a single by Nick Venora, and Conard's 8-hit inning had the Chieftains on top of Hall 6-0 heading into the bottom of the third.

"He threw me a curveball and I expected another to come," King said after the game. "I've faced [Lund] my whole life and I know what he throws."

"Paul's been our MVP ... he's kept working and getting better," said Bongiovanni, who added that the first baseman had remained in the line-up primarily because of his defensive play.

Senior lefthander Pat Kearney relieved Lund in the top of the fifth, but Conard's hits kept coming.

Carabello's no-hitter was spoiled by a one-out single by Hall sophomore Dan Nunes in the bottom of the sixth. Nunes scored on a single by senior Zack Becker. Pinch hitter Joe Ciccarello also singled.

Unflustered, Carabello struck out Lund. Shortstop Jack Wilson threw out Tommy Rose at first, ending the inning with the score 10-1.

An RBI double by Confessore in the top of the seventh put Conard on top 11-1.

An error and two walks loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but Carabello struck out Becker to end the game.

"I just felt everything. I like pitching when it's hot out. I feel loose all around," said Carabello, who said his "first pitch strike" is always the most important. Unaware that he was on the verge of a no-hitter until the sixth, he kept telling himself, "just throw, stay loose, stay in a good mood."

Carabello thought it was an advantage that he had not yet faced Hall this season.

"Carabello. Wow!" Hall head coach Jeff Billing said after the game. "I heard all along they had three very good pitchers but we hadn’t seen [either Max Vogel-Freeman or Carabello]. Ty told me for the last three weeks Carabello’s been throwing like this. You can see why they won a lot of games late in the season."

Both Billing and Bongiovanni hated to spoil the other's run so early in the tournament.

"At the end of the season we knew this might happen – either us with Conard or Southington," Billing said. "You’d really like to play someone you haven’t seen before, mostly because I’d like to see all the CCC West teams have the chance to win some games. But then once the bracket’s out, you get pretty pumped. You’re playing your crosstown rival in a state tournament and on your home field for the first time in I think six years."

"It's bittersweet, because I want West Hartford baseball to succeed," Bongiovanni said.

That's his plan for Wednesday when the Chieftains travel to Greenwich to meet the 20-0 Cardinals.


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