Cougars Take World Series Opener

--------------------------------------------

By Paul Ofria
TYLER, TX - Alec Brown(Montville)and Garrett DaCunto (Meriden) had three hits apiece and Brian Levchuk (Branford) pitched three innings in relief for the win as MCC (25-22) beat Eastfield College 11-9 at the NJCAA Division III World Series Saturday.

The Cougars had an 11-5 lead going into the bottom of the eighth, but Eastfield (34-21) scored one in the eighth and three in the ninth. Jesse Sutherland (Montville) struck out the final batter of the game with the bases loaded.
“We swung it early, set the tone and it took them a while to get out of their shellshock,” MCC head coach Chris Strahowski said. “They (Eastfield) are a good hitting team. Getting those runs early really helped to get in their heads a little bit.”

MCC ace Kevin Madera (Newington) started the game, but had to leave with a 5-2 lead after four-plus innings and 102 pitches due in part to leg cramps. He contributed to the winning effort with his bat as well, driving in the first run of the game, added a double and scored in the fifth and singled in the eighth.

“He threw a lot of pitches early,” Strahowski said of the 2010 NJCAA first team All-American. “Even though he wasn’t walking a ton of people, he climbed his pitch count up early. We wanted to get him out of there so we could use him later in the tournament.”

Brown crushed a pair of singles and came around to score in both the second and third innings. DaCunto singled in his first three trips to the plate and drove in MCC’s fifth and sixth runs. Sutherland had two hits including a double and was picked off second base to end a scoreless fifth inning. Brown was also picked off second in the seventh, which was another inning MCC failed to score.

The Cougars, who had 15 hits and scored in six of the nine innings, chased Eastfield starter Dylan Rucker (7-5) after three innings. The right-hander from Arlington, TX struck out four batters, but gave up five runs on six hits while throwing 66 pitches. Blake Oliver threw the final six innings, giving up six runs (three earned) on 10 hits.

Levchuk came to the rescue after Madera walked the leadoff batter in the fifth and retired the side in order. Eastfield touched him for a pair of runs in the sixth inning and he escaped trouble in the seventh when center fielder Kyle Lentini (Southington) caught Hesland Foster trying to stretch a single into a double.

“He just came in and threw strikes and let the guys put it in play,” Strahowski said of Levchuk (3-0), who emerged as a go-to reliever as the season progressed. “With the big lead, you don’t want to get too cute, just go after them.”

Sutherland pitched the final two innings and gave up three runs – all unearned - before striking out Foster to end the game. Chris Rivera (New Britain), who entered the game as a pinch runner for Madera in the top of the eighth, made a game save-saving catch in right field to end the bottom of the inning. Running toward the foul pole with his left arm extended, he snared Foster’s carving liner in deep right with the bases loaded and two out.

“That’s the game right there,” MCC assistant coach Shawn Barry said. “That’s a difficult ball from a right hand batter and he took the best route to that ball – a 45 degree angle toward the foul pole.”

Manchester pitchers walked a startling 13 batters and gave up ten hits, but Eastfield, who had runners on base in every inning, left 15 of them on base.
Any time a team from Connecticut beats a team from Texas, it can be considered an upset, but MCC came into the tournament having won 12 of its last 13 including a sweep through the Region 21 tournament Mother’s Day weekend.

“Eastfield beat Tyler (Junior College) and Tyler is very good this year,” Strahowski said. “But outside of the 35 people from Connecticut who are here, I don’t think anybody else knew what we had.”

MCC will play the winner of the Erie CC vs. Rochester CTC winner on Saturday at 8 PM Eastern Time.
--------------------------------------------
Manchester CC....... 131 011 040 - 11 15 4
Eastfield College... 000 202 023 - 9 10 3
--------------------------------------------
E - Silberman; Holland; Sutherland; Madera; Eatherly; Rucker; Oliver. LOB - Cougers 7; Harvesters 15. 2B - Sutherland; Madera; Brown; Lentini; Hancock. 3B - Holland; Fraley. SH - McMahon; Fraley. SF - Sutherland; Grace. SB - Hancock; Eatherly; Hebert; Brown.