Baron's Base-Clearing Bullet Propels Storm Past Wahoos

Patrick Baron, one of the smallest players on the field, steamed past his manager/third base coach Jim Hungerford on his way home.

The catcher for the West Hartford Youth Baseball League U-11 travel team – the Storm for short – had delivered a bases-loaded double just moments before.

Hungerford chimed, “Patrick Baron, you’re 10-feet tall,” as the youngster wheeled by. His description was appropriate.

Baron’s hit was the key blow in a four-run second-inning uprising Monday evening as the Storm held off the West Hartford Little League Wahoos, 6-3, in an inter-city Hungerford Tournament clash at Wolcott Park.

The Storm finished 3-1 in the tournament’s 11-year-old standings while the Wahoos (1-4) play Simsbury in the playoff opener tonight at 8 p.m.

The bottom of the Storm’s order cracked our four straight hits against little WHLL southpaw Mateo Ramirez-Webster. Baron was the ninth hitter in the lineup.

“We’ve preached all year that this is a team game and the bottom of the order means just as much as the top of the order,” said Hungerford, whose father Ken, West Hartford baseball’s living legend for whom the tournament was named 17 years ago, was in attendance.

“Little Patrick Baron, the little lefty came up and drove it down the line. The best thing is he played on their team last year and decided to come out for our team this year and made it. The smile on his face when he got to third base was priceless. That’s what little league baseball is all about.”

The Wahoos had a chance to open up a big lead in the first inning. Storm starter Sean Langan retired the first two hitters but lost his command. Michael Mack and Miles McCarthy-Reynolds walked, Patrick O’Keefe lashed a single to center to fill the bases, and Joe Kitz walked to force in a run.

Hungerford called on Luke Fox in relief and he struck out Joe Morrissey to limit the damage. The Wahoos left the bases loaded in both the first and third innings. Their inability to get the big hit was the difference in the game.

“That’s been our struggle through the summer,” Wahoo manager Jeff LaRosa said. “We lost a couple one-run games where we’ve had guys on and couldn’t get a hit in key spots. But I was proud of the way the kids competed. Even though we got behind, we came right back.”

Ryan DeLutrie started the Storm’s decisive rally with a double. He took third on a single by Fox, who promptly stole second. Charlie Murray dropped a bunt single and the runners held. Baron’s double brought home two runs.

Murray scored on a wild pitch, one of seven charged to Wahoo pitching. Nick Becker rifled a two-out RBI double into the left field corner and the Storm led, 4-1.

Jeff LaRosa Jr. brought the Wahoos back with a two-run homer that cleared the right field wall.

The WHYBL squad got the two runs back in the fifth.

Drew Hungerford, son of Jim and grandson of Ken, led off with an infield hit and went station to station on three wild pitches. Will Jackson added a clutch two-out single to restore the three-run lead.

Manager LaRosa said the contest between the town’s two youth baseball circuits was akin to Hall playing Conard.

“I coached a couple years ago when we had the first meeting. We had a lot of tension. Both sides didn’t necessarily get along,” he said. “Four or five years later, there’s a lot of camaraderie. The tension has toned down and now the kids enjoy going head to head.”

Fox earned the win. Becker struck out six and yielded three hits in four innings to notch the save.

“He’s got ice in his veins,” Manager Hungerford said. “He plays for me during the spring season and I’ve seen that many times when he comes into a big spot. He’s not afraid to fail and when you’re not afraid to fail good things happen.”

The Storm came into the game after winning a tournament in western Massachusetts that required five victories over the previous two days. Hungerford was concerned that his boys would show fatigue but they persevered.

“Like I told them after the game, it speaks to their character,” he said.

Hungerford Tournament

WHYBL Storm 6, WHLL Wahoos 3

(At Hedges Field, Wolcott Park)

Storm                                       Wahoos

                           ab  r  h  bi                                 ab  r  h  bi

Wilson 2b            3  0  0  0       LaRosa ss-p        4  1  2  2

Becker 3b-p        2  0  1  1       Lee lf                   3  0  0  0

Langan p-ss         4  0  0  0       Fiske 3b              2  0  0  0

Hungerford 1b     4  1  1  0       Mack p-cf           2  1  1  0

Jeter cf                3  1  0  0       McCthy-Rds 2b  1  0  0  0

DeLutrie rf           1  1  1  0       OKeefe 3b-p      3  0  1  0

Gagliotti lf            1  0  0  0       Kitz c-p               2  0  1  1

Fox ss                 3  1  1  0       Morrissey 1b       2  0  0  0

Murray lf             1  1  1  0       Martindale rf        3  0  0  0

Jackson 3b          2  0  1  1       Rmrz-Wbstr of    2  1  0  0

Baron c               1  1  1  2      

Orlowski ph        2  0  1  0                                                      

Totals                27  6  8  4       Totals                  24  3  5  3

WHYBL Storm         040 020 – 6  8  0

WHLL Wahoos        100 200 – 3  5  2

E – LaRosa, Mack. LOB – Storm 8, Wahoos 8. 2B – DeLutrie, Baron, Becker, Mack. HR – LaRosa. SB – Fox, Jeter. CS – Wilson.

Storm

                                 ip     h   r   er  bb  so

Langan                      0.2   1   1   1    3   1

Fox W                      1.1   1   0   0    0   4

Becker Sv                 4      3   2   2    2   6

Wahoos

Mack                        1      0   0   0    2   0

Rmirez-Wbstr L        1      5   4   4    0   1

O’Keefe                    1      0   0   0    1   2

Kitz                           1      0   0   0    0   1

LaRosa                     1      3   2   2    1   3

Fiske                         1      0   0   0    0   2

WP – Langan, Ramirez-Webster, O’Keefe, LaRosa 3, Fiske. PB – Baron. T – 1:41. A – 65. Records – Storm 3-1; Wahoos 1-4.