NECBL quarterfinals |
Twisters 2002 in review Wk. 1: June 8-15 (games 1-4) Wk. 2: June 16-22 (games 5-10) Wk. 3: June 23-29 (games 11-16) Wk. 4: Jun 30-July 6 (games 17-21) Wk. 5: July 7-13 (games 22-27) Wk. 6: July 14-20 (games 28-31) Wk. 7: July 21-27 (games 32-38) Wk. 8: July 28-Aug. 1 (games 39-42) Playoffs 2002 NECBL finals |
NECBL championship series Game 2: Newport 3, Keene 2 NEWPORT, R.I., Aug. 10 -- Series MVP Vita Chiaravalloti hit a eighth-inning home run to lift the Gulls to a 3-2 victory over Keene and a second straight NECBL championship at Cardines Field. Chiaravalloti hit .348 in the postseason with four home runs, 11 RBI and a .913 slugging percentage. Newport hurler Michael Bergeron went the distance, scattering four hits and striking out eight as the Gulls swept the Swamp Bats. Newport took an early 2-0 lead on Adam Tidball's RBI double but the Swamp Bats tied it quickly in the second inning on a two-RBI double by catcher Jon Poppert. Swamp Bat starter David Humen allowed 11 hits and struck out eight in nine innings work. But in the end, it was the Gulls hoisting the Fay Vincent, Sr. Cup in the championship celebration. It was the third straight that the two teams met in the final. Keene won in 2000. Keene 020 000 000 - 2 4 0 Newport 200 000 01x - 3 11 4 David Humen and Jon Poppert; Michael Bergeron and A.J. Zickgraf; WP: Bergeron; LP: Humen; 2B: Poppert (K), Gabe Luttrell (N), Adam Tidball (N); HR: Vito Chiaravallot (N); Att: 1810 Game 1: Newport 8, Keene 4 KEENE, N.H. -- Gulls hurler Rusty Begnaud went the distance, scattering 10 hits and striking out four as defending champion Newport grabbed a 1-0 series lead. Newport 1B Vito Chiaravalloti put the Gulls ahead for good blasting a three-run homer to left field in the fifth inning turning a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead. Bryan Pritz was 3-for-5 with two runs scored for the Gulls while teammate Rafael Lara went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Pitching on three days rest, Keene's Jeff Hahn picked up the loss as he gave up nine hits and allowed eight runs, five of which were earned, in his seven-inning outing. Matt Carullo was 4-for-5 with one RBI for the Bats, who are 4-0 in elimination games in the 2002 playoffs. Newport 003 030 200 - 8-10-2 Keene 110 200 000 - 4-10-5 Rusty Begnaud and A.J. Zickgraf; Jeff Hahn, Greg Kloosterman (8) and John Poppert; WP: Begnaud (1-1); LP: Hahn (1-1); 2B Gabe Luttrell (N) (1); A.J. Zickgraf (N) (1), Poppert (K) (2); Jeff Barry (K) (1). HR Vita Chiaravallot (N) (3); Att. 2731 NECBL semifinals Game 3: Keene 13, Lowell 0 KEENE, N.H., Aug. 8 -- The Swamp Bats advanced to the NECBL finals for the third year in a row with a rout at Alumni Field. Keene scored five runs in the second inning and had four extra-base hits. The Bats finished with 18 hits. Pitching on three days rest, David Austen (2-0) went the distance, allowing only one hit and fanning nine. Rocky Baker had three RBI thanks to a two-RBI double and solo home run. Lowell 000 000 000 - 0 1 1 Keene 050 511 10X - 13 18 1 Matt Weagle, Michael Frost (2), Brad Laurin (4), Bill Riggs (6), Jeff Swodberg (8) and Timothy Leahy; David Austen and John Poppert; WP: Austen (2-0); LP: Weagle (0-1); 2B: Jason Armstrong (L); Rocky Baker (K), Brendan Gilligan (K), Russ Triplett (K) 2,John Poppert (K); HR: Rocky Baker (K), Kevin Melillo (K), Bryan LaHair (K); Att. 1,993 Keene vs. Newport, Part III KEENE, N.H., Aug. 8 -- For the third straight year, Keene and Newport will battle for the NECBL championship. The Gulls won the best-of-3 series a year ago to claim the league title while Keene won in 2000. Thanks to a league-record 31 wins, Keene has home field advantage this year. The Bats won the season series between the two teams this year, 2-1, winnning 8-3 on July 6. Newport won the first game of a doubleheader on July 28, 4-3 but dropped the nightcap, 13-7. Game 2: Newport 6, Danbury 5 (10) NEWPORT, R.I., Aug. 7 -- An RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning by Gabe Luttrell lifted the defending NECBL champion Gulls into the finals with a 2-0 sweep over Danbury. Vito Chiaravalloti paved the way for Luttrell's heroics smacking a three-run homer in the eighth inning tying the game at 5-5. Jesse Moody picked up his second postseason win, pitching four innings of scoreless relief fanning six and allowing just three hits. Danbury scored all its runs in the sixth highlighted by a two-RBI double to center by Antuan Barnett. Danbury 000 005 000 0 - 5-10-1 Newport 000 200 030 1 - 6-8-0 Dwayne Pollock, Carlos Fernandez (8) and Ron Braun; Jay Henderson, Jared Montil (6), Jesse Moody (7) and A.J. Zickgraf; WP: Moody (2-0); LP: Fernandez; 2B: Jeff Baisley (D), Antuan Barnett (D), Ron Braun (D), Bryan Pritz (N), Adam Tidball (N); HR: Vito Chiaravalliot (N); Att: 898 Game 2: Keene 6, Lowell 1 LOWELL, Mass., Aug. 7 -- The top seeded Swamp Bats forced a third and deciding game in their semifinal playoff series. Keene's Brian Harrison pitched eight innings of five-hit ball to secure the win, striking out five. Matt Carullo (2-for-4) led the Swamp Bats with 2 RBI while teammate Brendan Gilligan was 3-for-5 with a stolen base. Allen Mottram drove in the only run for Lowell. Keene 022 002 000 - 6-10-0 Lowell 000 100 000 - 1-6-2 Brian Harrison, Justin Keadle (9) and Alex Derhak; Steve Palazzollo, Jonathan White (6), Jeff Swodberg (9) and Billy Wimberly; WP: Harrison (1-0); LP: Palazzollo (0-1); 2B: Andy Lang (L); Att. 339 Game 1: Newport 6, Danbury 0 DANBURY -- The defending NECBL champion Gulls opened their semifinal series with a 6-0 victory. Left-hander Mike Thompson (Georgia Southern) struck out 11 in his complete game victory, scattering 10 hits with no walks. The Gulls struck for four runs in the opening frame highlighted by a steal of home by Adam Tidball. Danbury starter Josh Palm did not make it out of the second inning and left surrendering five hits and four earned runs while walking two and fanning one. Newport 400 010 100 -- 6-12-1 Danbury 000 000 000 -- 0-8-1 Mike Thompson and Adam Tidball; Josh Palm, Scott Koffman (2), Carlos Fernandez (9) and Ron Braun; WP: Thompson (3-1). LP: Josh Palm (5-1); 2B: Bryan Pritz (N), LaFountain (D). HR: Chiaravalloti (N). Game 1: Lowell 3, Keene 2 (10) BRATTLEBORO, Vt. -- A wild pitch by Keene reliever Jason Kosow allowed Lowell's Andrew Lang to score in the top of the 10th as Lowell improved to 6-0 in extra-inning games this season. The Swamp Bats tied the game at 1-1 in the eighth on a bases-loaded walk. Lowell took a 2-1 lead in the ninth on a successful sacrifice bunt by Adam McCusker. However, Keene tied it in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single by Matt Carullo. Making his first postseason appearance, Brad Laurin got the win striking out four over two innings of work while allowing one hit and one base on balls. Keene stranded 15 runners while Lowell left 8.. Lowell 000 010 001 1 -- 3-4-0 Keene 000 000 011 0 -- 2-14-2 NECBL quarterfinals: Twisters vs. Swamp Bats BRATTLEBORO, Vt., Aug. 5 -- Short on numbers but not short on heart, the Twisters showed flashes of brilliance in the deciding game 3 of Monday's NECBL quarterfinal series. But the Twisters have been betrayed by their defense at crucial times in the 2002 campaign and Monday night was no different as the top-seeded Swamp Bats took advantage of a pair of heartbreaking errors to earn a 6-2 victory and capture the best-of-3 series, 2-1. The game turned on a pair of errors in the fifth inning. With the scored tied 2-2, Keene had runners on second and third base with two outs. Kevin Melillo's looping fly ball to left field glanced off the glove of left fielder Mike Sokol and two runs scored for a 4-2 Swamp Bats lead. Lawrence Best-Berfet had two hits for the Twisters while John Cronin threw out a runner at home and scored two runs. Starter Pete Maki scattered eight hits and allowed only two earned runs. Torrington 001 010 000 -- 2-7-3 Keene 011 020 02x -- 6-11-2 Peter Maki, Tyler Dabo (8) and Emory Davies; Jeff Hahn, Jason Koskow (9) and Alex Derhak WP: Hahn (1-0); LP: Maki (0-1); 2B: Andy Laroche (K); HR: Matt Carillo (K); Att. 1,004 WATERBURY, Aug. 4 -- In the opening game of the series, the Twisters didn't make any crucial mistakes as they earned a thrilling 2-1 victory by scoring the winning run in the top of the ninth inning on a suicide squeeze bunt. However, last night the Swamp Bats pounced upon each mistake they could. The Twisters gave up a playoff-record 17 hits, including 12 off Twister starter Jason Jones in seven innings, as the Bats tied the best-of-3 series with a 12-1 rout. Buoyed with a six-run lead after six innings, Keene starter David Austen mowed down the Twisters in the final four innings with 10 of his game-high 14 strikeouts (9 looking). Austen struck out seven of the final eight Twister batters, including six looking. Mike Sokol and Jeff Hourigan each had two hits for the Twisters. Center fielder John Cronin made a tremendous defensive play in the third inning, throwing out Keene's Jeff Barry, who tried to score from second base on a single to center field. Keene 000 006 204 --12-17-1 Torrington 100 000 000 -- 1- 6-2 David Austen and John Poppert; Jason Jones, Joseph Shortt (8) and Emory Davies, Steve Selph (8); WP: Austen (1-0); LP: Jones (0-1); 2B: Russ Triplett (K), Rocky Baker (K), Kevin Melillo (K); Att. 536 Game 1: Twisters 2, Keene 1 BRATTLEBORO, Vt., Aug. 3 -- In a stunning upset, the Twisters scored on a suicide squeeze bunt in the top of the ninth to take a 1-0 series lead over favored Keene in the NECBL quarterfinals at Tenney Field. John Cronin scored from third on the suicide squeeze bunt from Lawrence Best-Berfet. Cronin was hit in the foot with a pitch and moved to third on a Garrick Evans double. Best-Berfet laid down his bunt with two strikes on him. Twister starter Jeff Hourigan went the distance for Torrington, allowing only five hits, striking out eight and walking one. Keene took a 1-0 lead on an RBI double by Bryan LaHair in the first inning but Torrington tied the game in the fourth on a solo home run from catcher Emory Davies. Game 2 is tonight in Waterbury at Municipal Stadium, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Swamp Bats set a NECBL record for most wins in a season this year with a record of 31-11 while the Twisters finished at 22-20 with wins in only two of its final seven games. Torrington 000 100 001 -- 2-7-1 Keene 100 000 000 -- 1-5-0 Jeff Hourigan and Emory Davies; Brian Harrison, Greg Kloosterman (8) and Alex Derhak; WP: Hourigan (1-0); LP: Greg Klosterman (0-1); 2BL: Garrick Evans (T), Lee Lipschutz (T), Bryan LeHair (K); HR: Emory Davies (T); Att: 2,150. Udy earns All-NECBL honors Catcher Wick Udy earned a spot on the All-NECBL second team. Udy hit .256 with 24 hits, 21 walks, six doubles and 11 RBI. KEENE, N.H., July 31 -- The Swamp Bats set a new single-season record for most wins with a 5-3 win over Lowell Wednesday. Keene finished the season with a record of 31-11, topping by one game the record set by Torrington in 1998 of 30-12. For the second straight year, Keene atttraced over 40,000 fans. |
Connecticut teams |
Twisters 2002 Wk. 1: June 8-15 (games 1-4) Wk. 2: June 16-22 (games 5-10) (games 11-16) (games 17-21) (games 22-27) (games 28-31) (games 32-38) (games 39-42) Playoffs 2002 NECBL finals |
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. |
Central Conn. athletics |
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 results, NECBL news |
This page was last updated on: August 11, 2002
Twisters 2002 Wk. 1: June 8-15 (games 1-4) Wk. 2: June 16-22 (games 5-10) (games 11-16) (games 17-21) (games 22-27) (games 28-31) (games 32-38) (games 39-42) Playoffs 2002 NECBL finals |
Connecticut teams |
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NECBL championship series Game 2: Newport 3, Keene 2 NEWPORT, R.I., Aug. 10 -- Series MVP Vita Chiaravalloti hit a eighth-inning home run to lift the Gulls to a 3-2 victory over Keene and a second straight NECBL championship at Cardines Field. Chiaravalloti hit .348 in the postseason with four home runs, 11 RBI and a .913 slugging percentage. Newport hurler Michael Bergeron went the distance, scattering four hits and striking out eight as the Gulls swept the Swamp Bats. Newport took an early 2-0 lead on Adam Tidball's RBI double but the Swamp Bats tied it quickly in the second inning on a two-RBI double by catcher Jon Poppert. Swamp Bat starter David Humen allowed 11 hits and struck out eight in nine innings work. But in the end, it was the Gulls hoisting the Fay Vincent, Sr. Cup in the championship celebration. It was the third straight that the two teams met in the final. Keene won in 2000. Keene 020 000 000 - 2 4 0 Newport 200 000 01x - 3 11 4 David Humen and Jon Poppert; Michael Bergeron and A.J. Zickgraf; WP: Bergeron; LP: Humen; 2B: Poppert (K), Gabe Luttrell (N), Adam Tidball (N); HR: Vito Chiaravallot (N); Att: 1810 Game 1: Newport 8, Keene 4 KEENE, N.H. -- Gulls hurler Rusty Begnaud went the distance, scattering 10 hits and striking out four as defending champion Newport grabbed a 1-0 series lead. Newport 1B Vito Chiaravalloti put the Gulls ahead for good blasting a three-run homer to left field in the fifth inning turning a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead. Bryan Pritz was 3-for-5 with two runs scored for the Gulls while teammate Rafael Lara went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Pitching on three days rest, Keene's Jeff Hahn picked up the loss as he gave up nine hits and allowed eight runs, five of which were earned, in his seven-inning outing. Matt Carullo was 4-for-5 with one RBI for the Bats, who are 4-0 in elimination games in the 2002 playoffs. Newport 003 030 200 - 8-10-2 Keene 110 200 000 - 4-10-5 Rusty Begnaud and A.J. Zickgraf; Jeff Hahn, Greg Kloosterman (8) and John Poppert; WP: Begnaud (1-1); LP: Hahn (1-1); 2B Gabe Luttrell (N) (1); A.J. Zickgraf (N) (1), Poppert (K) (2); Jeff Barry (K) (1). HR Vita Chiaravallot (N) (3); Att. 2731 NECBL semifinals Game 3: Keene 13, Lowell 0 KEENE, N.H., Aug. 8 -- The Swamp Bats advanced to the NECBL finals for the third year in a row with a rout at Alumni Field. Keene scored five runs in the second inning and had four extra-base hits. The Bats finished with 18 hits. Pitching on three days rest, David Austen (2-0) went the distance, allowing only one hit and fanning nine. Rocky Baker had three RBI thanks to a two-RBI double and solo home run. Lowell 000 000 000 - 0 1 1 Keene 050 511 10X - 13 18 1 Matt Weagle, Michael Frost (2), Brad Laurin (4), Bill Riggs (6), Jeff Swodberg (8) and Timothy Leahy; David Austen and John Poppert; WP: Austen (2-0); LP: Weagle (0-1); 2B: Jason Armstrong (L); Rocky Baker (K), Brendan Gilligan (K), Russ Triplett (K) 2,John Poppert (K); HR: Rocky Baker (K), Kevin Melillo (K), Bryan LaHair (K); Att. 1,993 Keene vs. Newport, Part III KEENE, N.H., Aug. 8 -- For the third straight year, Keene and Newport will battle for the NECBL championship. The Gulls won the best-of-3 series a year ago to claim the league title while Keene won in 2000. Thanks to a league-record 31 wins, Keene has home field advantage this year. The Bats won the season series between the two teams this year, 2-1, winnning 8-3 on July 6. Newport won the first game of a doubleheader on July 28, 4-3 but dropped the nightcap, 13-7. Game 2: Newport 6, Danbury 5 (10) NEWPORT, R.I., Aug. 7 -- An RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning by Gabe Luttrell lifted the defending NECBL champion Gulls into the finals with a 2-0 sweep over Danbury. Vito Chiaravalloti paved the way for Luttrell's heroics smacking a three-run homer in the eighth inning tying the game at 5-5. Jesse Moody picked up his second postseason win, pitching four innings of scoreless relief fanning six and allowing just three hits. Danbury scored all its runs in the sixth highlighted by a two-RBI double to center by Antuan Barnett. Danbury 000 005 000 0 - 5-10-1 Newport 000 200 030 1 - 6-8-0 Dwayne Pollock, Carlos Fernandez (8) and Ron Braun; Jay Henderson, Jared Montil (6), Jesse Moody (7) and A.J. Zickgraf; WP: Moody (2-0); LP: Fernandez; 2B: Jeff Baisley (D), Antuan Barnett (D), Ron Braun (D), Bryan Pritz (N), Adam Tidball (N); HR: Vito Chiaravalliot (N); Att: 898 Game 2: Keene 6, Lowell 1 LOWELL, Mass., Aug. 7 -- The top seeded Swamp Bats forced a third and deciding game in their semifinal playoff series. Keene's Brian Harrison pitched eight innings of five-hit ball to secure the win, striking out five. Matt Carullo (2-for-4) led the Swamp Bats with 2 RBI while teammate Brendan Gilligan was 3-for-5 with a stolen base. Allen Mottram drove in the only run for Lowell. Keene 022 002 000 - 6-10-0 Lowell 000 100 000 - 1-6-2 Brian Harrison, Justin Keadle (9) and Alex Derhak; Steve Palazzollo, Jonathan White (6), Jeff Swodberg (9) and Billy Wimberly; WP: Harrison (1-0); LP: Palazzollo (0-1); 2B: Andy Lang (L); Att. 339 Game 1: Newport 6, Danbury 0 DANBURY -- The defending NECBL champion Gulls opened their semifinal series with a 6-0 victory. Left-hander Mike Thompson (Georgia Southern) struck out 11 in his complete game victory, scattering 10 hits with no walks. The Gulls struck for four runs in the opening frame highlighted by a steal of home by Adam Tidball. Danbury starter Josh Palm did not make it out of the second inning and left surrendering five hits and four earned runs while walking two and fanning one. Newport 400 010 100 -- 6-12-1 Danbury 000 000 000 -- 0-8-1 Mike Thompson and Adam Tidball; Josh Palm, Scott Koffman (2), Carlos Fernandez (9) and Ron Braun; WP: Thompson (3-1). LP: Josh Palm (5-1); 2B: Bryan Pritz (N), LaFountain (D). HR: Chiaravalloti (N). Game 1: Lowell 3, Keene 2 (10) BRATTLEBORO, Vt. -- A wild pitch by Keene reliever Jason Kosow allowed Lowell's Andrew Lang to score in the top of the 10th as Lowell improved to 6-0 in extra-inning games this season. The Swamp Bats tied the game at 1-1 in the eighth on a bases-loaded walk. Lowell took a 2-1 lead in the ninth on a successful sacrifice bunt by Adam McCusker. However, Keene tied it in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single by Matt Carullo. Making his first postseason appearance, Brad Laurin got the win striking out four over two innings of work while allowing one hit and one base on balls. Keene stranded 15 runners while Lowell left 8.. Lowell 000 010 001 1 -- 3-4-0 Keene 000 000 011 0 -- 2-14-2 NECBL quarterfinals: Twisters vs. Swamp Bats BRATTLEBORO, Vt., Aug. 5 -- Short on numbers but not short on heart, the Twisters showed flashes of brilliance in the deciding game 3 of Monday's NECBL quarterfinal series. But the Twisters have been betrayed by their defense at crucial times in the 2002 campaign and Monday night was no different as the top-seeded Swamp Bats took advantage of a pair of heartbreaking errors to earn a 6-2 victory and capture the best-of-3 series, 2-1. The game turned on a pair of errors in the fifth inning. With the scored tied 2-2, Keene had runners on second and third base with two outs. Kevin Melillo's looping fly ball to left field glanced off the glove of left fielder Mike Sokol and two runs scored for a 4-2 Swamp Bats lead. Lawrence Best-Berfet had two hits for the Twisters while John Cronin threw out a runner at home and scored two runs. Starter Pete Maki scattered eight hits and allowed only two earned runs. Torrington 001 010 000 -- 2-7-3 Keene 011 020 02x -- 6-11-2 Peter Maki, Tyler Dabo (8) and Emory Davies; Jeff Hahn, Jason Koskow (9) and Alex Derhak WP: Hahn (1-0); LP: Maki (0-1); 2B: Andy Laroche (K); HR: Matt Carillo (K); Att. 1,004 WATERBURY, Aug. 4 -- In the opening game of the series, the Twisters didn't make any crucial mistakes as they earned a thrilling 2-1 victory by scoring the winning run in the top of the ninth inning on a suicide squeeze bunt. However, last night the Swamp Bats pounced upon each mistake they could. The Twisters gave up a playoff-record 17 hits, including 12 off Twister starter Jason Jones in seven innings, as the Bats tied the best-of-3 series with a 12-1 rout. Buoyed with a six-run lead after six innings, Keene starter David Austen mowed down the Twisters in the final four innings with 10 of his game-high 14 strikeouts (9 looking). Austen struck out seven of the final eight Twister batters, including six looking. Mike Sokol and Jeff Hourigan each had two hits for the Twisters. Center fielder John Cronin made a tremendous defensive play in the third inning, throwing out Keene's Jeff Barry, who tried to score from second base on a single to center field. Keene 000 006 204 --12-17-1 Torrington 100 000 000 -- 1- 6-2 David Austen and John Poppert; Jason Jones, Joseph Shortt (8) and Emory Davies, Steve Selph (8); WP: Austen (1-0); LP: Jones (0-1); 2B: Russ Triplett (K), Rocky Baker (K), Kevin Melillo (K); Att. 536 Game 1: Twisters 2, Keene 1 BRATTLEBORO, Vt., Aug. 3 -- In a stunning upset, the Twisters scored on a suicide squeeze bunt in the top of the ninth to take a 1-0 series lead over favored Keene in the NECBL quarterfinals at Tenney Field. John Cronin scored from third on the suicide squeeze bunt from Lawrence Best-Berfet. Cronin was hit in the foot with a pitch and moved to third on a Garrick Evans double. Best-Berfet laid down his bunt with two strikes on him. Twister starter Jeff Hourigan went the distance for Torrington, allowing only five hits, striking out eight and walking one. Keene took a 1-0 lead on an RBI double by Bryan LaHair in the first inning but Torrington tied the game in the fourth on a solo home run from catcher Emory Davies. Game 2 is tonight in Waterbury at Municipal Stadium, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Swamp Bats set a NECBL record for most wins in a season this year with a record of 31-11 while the Twisters finished at 22-20 with wins in only two of its final seven games. Torrington 000 100 001 -- 2-7-1 Keene 100 000 000 -- 1-5-0 Jeff Hourigan and Emory Davies; Brian Harrison, Greg Kloosterman (8) and Alex Derhak; WP: Hourigan (1-0); LP: Greg Klosterman (0-1); 2BL: Garrick Evans (T), Lee Lipschutz (T), Bryan LeHair (K); HR: Emory Davies (T); Att: 2,150. Udy earns All-NECBL honors Catcher Wick Udy earned a spot on the All-NECBL second team. Udy hit .256 with 24 hits, 21 walks, six doubles and 11 RBI. KEENE, N.H., July 31 -- The Swamp Bats set a new single-season record for most wins with a 5-3 win over Lowell Wednesday. Keene finished the season with a record of 31-11, topping by one game the record set by Torrington in 1998 of 30-12. For the second straight year, Keene atttraced over 40,000 fans. |
Twisters 2002 in review Wk. 1: June 8-15 (games 1-4) Wk. 2: June 16-22 (games 5-10) Wk. 3: June 23-29 (games 11-16) Wk. 4: Jun 30-July 6 (games 17-21) Wk. 5: July 7-13 (games 22-27) Wk. 6: July 14-20 (games 28-31) Wk. 7: July 21-27 (games 32-38) Wk. 8: July 28-Aug. 1 (games 39-42) Playoffs 2002 NECBL finals |
NECBL quarterfinals |
