Twisters 2002 |
Twisters 2002 results Final record: 23-22 Playoffs [NECBL quarterfinals] Aug. 3:Twisters 2, Keene 1 Regular season (22-20) July 31: No. Adams 10, Twisters 6 July 30: Manch. 5, Twisters 4 (10) July 29: Danbury 10, Twisters 1 July 27: Twisters 7, W. Warwick 1 July 26: Concord 5, Twisters 2 July 26: Keene 10, Twisters 0 July 24: Twisters 2-1, Manch. 0-0 July 23: vs. Manchester, ppd., rain to July 24 at Manchester July 19: at Keene, ppd. to July 26, 1 p.m. July 18: Twisters 4, Willimantic 2 July 17: Twisters 6-0, Danbury 3-2 July 14: Twisters 4, Sanford 3 (10) July 13; Concord 6, Twisters 4 July 11: Twisters 4, Middletown 2 July 10: W. Warwick 5, Twisters 4 July 9: vs. Middletown, ppd. , rain, July 12, 5 p.m. July 7: Twisters 6, W. Warwick 0 July 4: Twisters 8, Lowell 5 July 3: Newport 8, Twisters 5 June 30: Danbury 4, Twisters 3 June 29: Twisters 9, No. Adams 6 June 26: at Danbury, ppd, July 17 June 25: Twisters 4, Danbury 3 June 24: Twisters 6, No. Adams 2 June 23: Twisters 5, Newport 3 June 22: Lowell 3, Twisters 1 June 20: Twisters 7, Willimantic 6 June 19: Twisters 4, Willimantic 2 (11) June 16: Keene 5, Twisters 3 June 15: Lowell, ppd. to August 1 June 14: Sanford 7, Twisters 5 June 12: at N. Adams, ppd. June 24 June 11: Twisters 7, Danbury 1 June 8: Twisters 2, N. Adams 0 Exhibition games July 5: Team USA 21, Twisters 2 June 17: Twisters 3, Keene 0 (7) at Cooperstown June 9: Wareham 3, Twisters 2 Click on the link for extended game coverage from Connecticut Sports Online 2002 NECBL playoffs All series are best-of-3. SEEDS: 1. Keene. 2. Danbury; 3. Newport; 4. Concord, 5. Lowell ; 6. North Adams, 7. Middletown, 8. Torrington 1st round Game 1: Sat. Aug. 3 Torrington 2, Keene 1 Danbury 8, Middletown 4 Newport 10, North Adams 1 Concord 4, Lowell 1 Game 2: Sun, Aug. 4 No. Adams 6, Newport 5 Lowell 7, Concord 3 Danbury 9, Middletown 3 Game 3: Mon, Aug. 5 Lowell 7, Concord 5 Newport 7, North Adams 3 NECBL semifinals Game 1: Tues. Aug. 6 Newport 6, Danbury 0 Lowell 3, Keene 2 (10) Game 2: Wed. Aug. 7 Newport 6, Danbury 5 (10) Keene 6, Lowell 1 Game 3: Thurs. Aug. 8 Keene 13, Lowell 0 NECBL finals Game 1: Fri. Aug. 9 Newport 8, Keene 4 Game 2: Sat. Aug. 10 Newport 3, Keene 2 NECBL 2002 standings Final regular season standings Western Division Team Rec. GB x-Danbury 25-16 --- y-North Adams 23-18 2.5 y-Torrington 22-20 3.5 Manchester 16-26 9.5 Central Division Team Rec. GB x-Newport 25-17 --- y-Middletown 23-19 2 West Warwick 13-29 12 Willimantic 10-32 15 Northern Division Team Rec. GB x-Keene 31-11 --- y-Concord 24-17 6.5 y-Lowell 24-18 7 Sanford 15-26 15 x-clinched division title y-clinched playoff berth Top two teams in each division plus two wild card teams with the next best two records qualify for the NECBL playoffs. Twisters 2001 National Division champions |
Connecticut Sports Online |
An assortment of stories and links to the top sports news in Connecticut and the nation. |
This page was last updated on: August 11, 2002
By GERRY deSIMAS, JR. Connecticut Sports Online TORRINGTON, Aug. 8, 2002 -- This was a team that teased -- a team that was better in the mind that in reality. It was a team that could never live up to its potential because it was never together. The 2002 edition of the Torrington Twisters was the ultimate sandlot baseball team let's see who is here today and go with it. Thanks to crucial injuries, some unfortunate problems with players' families and some lack of commitment, the Twisters played the 2002 New England Collegiate Baseball League season on the fly. And with a week to go in the regular season, the Twisters were in contention for the league's Western Division championship. Torrington couldn't grab its second straight division title after dropping five of its final regular season games but they did qualify for the league playoffs with a 22-20 record its fifth winning season in six years. In the NECBL playoffs, Torrington stunned top-seeded Keene in the opening game, winning 2-1 on a successful suicide squeeze bunt with 2 outs and two strikes on hitter Garrick Evans in the top of the ninth inning. But in similar fashion to the rest of its season, errors at crucial moments and injuries/defections at the wrong time doomed the Twisters. It was the worst defensive team (73 errors) and the lightest-hitting team (.228, 5 home runs, 313 hits, 129 RBI) in team history. "We had a bunch of good kids," said Twister coach Gregg Hunt, who won his 150th career game this season. "We had 43 different players under contract this season. Some played and some didn't. If you take the best of this group, it could have been the best team that was ever assembled in this league." Added infielder Lou Ferrell, "It's like there has been four different teams this season." Hunt said the team never dwelled on who wasn't there. "We never made a big deal about people leaving," he said." Someone else always stepped in and did the job to the best of their ability." But as the Twisters prepared for what was the final game of the season in game 3 of the NECBL quarterfinals against Keene amid the green hills in Brattleboro, Vt., some disappointment was evident on Hunt's face. There were only 14 players in uniform. Garrick Evans and Roberto Valiente decided it was time to head home after game 2 and left-handed pitcher Tim Rice, who had pitched a no-hitter against Manchester on July 24, never appeared again after pitching seven strong innings on July 30 against the Silkworms. Many players were injured. Infielder Blake Justice was leading the league in hitting (.395) and hits (15) when he suffered a knee injury trying to steal home. Brandon Roberts was leading the team in hitting (.270) and RBI (11) and had a 10-game hitting streak but he left after hurting his shoulder. Infielder Rob Itri hurt broke his fibia running out a ground ball. Veterans Justin McClain and Jordan Czarniecki (.270) had to return to their respective schools to take summer courses. But there were plenty of players who played like bulldogs. "The only thing you could do is play your heart out," said Twister centerfielder John Cronin, who threw out a pair of baserunners at home plate in the Keene series after they tried to score from second base. Catcher Wick Udy (.253, 11 RBI) was a mature and stabilizing influence on the team, earning second team All-NECBL honors. His father had a heart attack in late July but he remained for three more games, with his father's blessing, before heading home. Jeff Hourigan played virtually every game he could at either pitcher, outfield or DH. He went 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 31 innings. But his best performance was in a complete-game effort against Keene in game one of the playoffs in a 2-1 win. All-Star closer Ladd Hall had six saves, a 1-1 record and a team-low 1.12 ERA. He also chipped in at third base when needed. Shane Kelley (3-1, 2.81) was solid before his Daytona Beach coach asked him to leave early and Woodbury lefthander Peter Maki, a mid-season acquisition from Franklin & Marshall, pitched well in the final days of the season, including game 3 against Keene. Shortstop Lawrence Best-Berfet solidified the infield in the second half of the season. Jim Fasano (.240, 6 doubles, 3 home runs, 18 RBI) became the team's power hitter in the second half while Itri hit .256 with 29 assists in 17 games. "Every day, there was something happening with the roster," Hunt said. "They did a great job holding it together through those circumstances. We had some players improve tremendously." |
Moments to remember in 2002 With two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning, the Twisters rallied with two runs to beat North Adams. Jim Fasano had the RBI double while Shane Kelley, Tyler Dabo and Ladd Hall combined to strike out a record 19 batters. The win moved Torrington within a half-game of the division lead but the Twisters won only two of its remaining seven games. Fasano had a grand slam in a 6-3 win over Danbury. The Twisters tied the game in the ninth and Fasano had a solo home run in the top of the 10th inning as the Twisters beat Sanford, 4-3. Lou Ferrell successfully laid down a suicide squeeze bunt as the Twisters capped a three-run eighth inning in a 6-5 win over Willimantic. Catcher Wick Udy threw out a runner in the top of the eighth inning to snuff out a rally and had the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the eighth to lead Torrington past Middletown. Udy was 5-for-8 in a doubleheader with the Giants with a pair of doubles and two RBI. One game after getting knocked out in the second inning against Manchester, Shane Kelley allowed only one hit over 8 2/3 innings in a win over West Warwick in his next Twister start. |
Twisters never quite got it together in '02 |
Twisters 2002 results Final record: 23-22 Playoffs [NECBL quarterfinals] Aug. 3:Twisters 2, Keene 1 Regular season (22-20) July 31: No. Adams 10, Twisters 6 July 30: Manch. 5, Twisters 4 (10) July 29: Danbury 10, Twisters 1 July 27: Twisters 7, W. Warwick 1 July 26: Concord 5, Twisters 2 July 26: Keene 10, Twisters 0 July 24: Twisters 2-1, Manch. 0-0 July 23: vs. Manchester, ppd., rain to July 24 at Manchester July 19: at Keene, ppd. to July 26, 1 p.m. July 18: Twisters 4, Willimantic 2 July 17: Twisters 6-0, Danbury 3-2 July 14: Twisters 4, Sanford 3 (10) July 13; Concord 6, Twisters 4 July 11: Twisters 4, Middletown 2 July 10: W. Warwick 5, Twisters 4 July 9: vs. Middletown, ppd. , rain, July 12, 5 p.m. July 7: Twisters 6, W. Warwick 0 July 4: Twisters 8, Lowell 5 July 3: Newport 8, Twisters 5 June 30: Danbury 4, Twisters 3 June 29: Twisters 9, No. Adams 6 June 26: at Danbury, ppd, July 17 June 25: Twisters 4, Danbury 3 June 24: Twisters 6, No. Adams 2 June 23: Twisters 5, Newport 3 June 22: Lowell 3, Twisters 1 June 20: Twisters 7, Willimantic 6 June 19: Twisters 4, Willimantic 2 (11) June 16: Keene 5, Twisters 3 June 15: Lowell, ppd. to August 1 June 14: Sanford 7, Twisters 5 June 12: at N. Adams, ppd. June 24 June 11: Twisters 7, Danbury 1 June 8: Twisters 2, N. Adams 0 Exhibition games July 5: Team USA 21, Twisters 2 June 17: Twisters 3, Keene 0 (7) at Cooperstown June 9: Wareham 3, Twisters 2 Click on the link for extended game coverage from Connecticut Sports Online 2002 NECBL playoffs All series are best-of-3. SEEDS: 1. Keene. 2. Danbury; 3. Newport; 4. Concord, 5. Lowell ; 6. North Adams, 7. Middletown, 8. Torrington 1st round Game 1: Sat. Aug. 3 Torrington 2, Keene 1 Danbury 8, Middletown 4 Newport 10, North Adams 1 Concord 4, Lowell 1 Game 2: Sun, Aug. 4 No. Adams 6, Newport 5 Lowell 7, Concord 3 Danbury 9, Middletown 3 Game 3: Mon, Aug. 5 Lowell 7, Concord 5 Newport 7, North Adams 3 NECBL semifinals Game 1: Tues. Aug. 6 Newport 6, Danbury 0 Lowell 3, Keene 2 (10) Game 2: Wed. Aug. 7 Newport 6, Danbury 5 (10) Keene 6, Lowell 1 Game 3: Thurs. Aug. 8 Keene 13, Lowell 0 NECBL finals Game 1: Fri. Aug. 9 Newport 8, Keene 4 Game 2: Sat. Aug. 10 Newport 3, Keene 2 NECBL 2002 standings Final regular season standings Western Division Team Rec. GB x-Danbury 25-16 --- y-North Adams 23-18 2.5 y-Torrington 22-20 3.5 Manchester 16-26 9.5 Central Division Team Rec. GB x-Newport 25-17 --- y-Middletown 23-19 2 West Warwick 13-29 12 Willimantic 10-32 15 Northern Division Team Rec. GB x-Keene 31-11 --- y-Concord 24-17 6.5 y-Lowell 24-18 7 Sanford 15-26 15 x-clinched division title y-clinched playoff berth Top two teams in each division plus two wild card teams with the next best two records qualify for the NECBL playoffs. Twisters 2001 National Division champions |
Twisters 2002 |
2002 Twister All-Star team C: Wick Udy: All-NECBL, 2nd team, .253, 6 doubles, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 21 walks 1B: Mike Sokol: .271, team-high 35 hits, team-high 9 doubles, 11 RBI, team-high 25 walks 2B: Blake Justice: .395, 15 hits, 3 RBI, 9-game hitting streak, 4 stolen bases, led league in hitting when he was injured. SS: Lawrence Best-Berfet: .204, 11 hits, 5 RBI, 4-for-6 stealing bases in 16 games, solidified infield defense. 3B: Rob Itri: .256, 10 hits, double, triple, 6 RBI in 17 games. OF: Jordan Czarniecki: .270, 17 hits, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 8 RBI in 16 games. 7-for-11 stealing bases OF: Brandon Roberts: .270, 10-game hitting streak, 17 hits, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 11 RBI in 17 games. OF: John Cronin: .212, 14 hits, 5 RBI, 6-of-7 stealing bases, 16 assists defensively DH: Jim Fasano: .240, 30 hits, 6 doubles, team-high 3 HR, team-high 18 RBI P (starters) Jeff Hourigan, 3-1, 2.01 ERA, 39 K, 5 walks, 31 IP, complete game win over Keene in playoffs Shane Kelley, 3-1, 2.81 ERA, 49 K, 15 walks, 47 IP Tim Rice, 1-2, 2.70 ERA, 44 K, 22 walks, 36 IP, no-hitter vs. Manchester Josh Gray, 4-0, 2.87 ERA 27 K, 6 walks, 31 IP Bullpen Peter Maki, middle relief,1-1, 2.18 ERA, 13 K, 9 walks, 20 IP David Talamantez, middle relief, 3-1, 3.10 ERA, 18 K, 4 walks, 20 IP Ladd Hall, closer, NECBL All-Star, 1-1, 1.12 ERA, 6 saves, 23 K, 10 walks, 24 IP Selected by Connecticut Sports Online |
