Montville edges Waterford 3-2 to win ECC baseball title
Norwich — If the crowd of nearly 1,000 Friday night didn’t offer enough evidence that, yes, the Eastern Connecticut Conference baseball tournament still bears significance — despite the way many league coaches devalue it — here are the words of Montville High School’s Tommy McDonald:
“Winning this is special. So special,” McDonald said, not long after winning the 2015 title for the Indians. “I’ll remember this for the rest of my life and so will my teammates. Anybody who tells you this doesn’t mean anything is full of crap.”
McDonald shoots, McDonald scores.
Especially judging from the reaction of his teammates when his fielder’s choice scored TT Bowens with the game winner in the bottom of the seventh. Montville edged blood rival Waterford, 3-2, earning its first tournament title since 2009.
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The Indians (21-2) have handed Waterford (20-3) all of its losses this season.
McDonald, the winning pitcher in Wednesday’s quarterfinals, threw 3.1 innings of scoreless relief Friday, enabling Montville to rally from a 2-0 deficit.
“It’s a great day to be an Indian,” McDonald said.
His fielder’s choice followed a single from Bowens, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, and a single from winning pitcher Buddy Dewaine.
“We know TT is a good player, and Buddy, Jeremy Sagun and Jordan Zeppieri,” Montville coach Phil Orbe said. “But what’s making us an exceptional team is what we’re getting from Isaiah Mack, Eric Ross, Jordan Handler ... guys playing their roles. That’s Tommy. An underrated player.”
McDonald and Mack hit RBI singles in the bottom of the third and pulled the Indians even at 2-2. Waterford took the lead in the top of the third, highlighted by Justin Keating’s RBI single.
Waterford starter Mike McDermott worked into the sixth inning, leaving with the game tied. McDermott heard a loud ovation from the crowd when he left in favor of sophomore Collin Bakken.
McDermott may well have left with the lead had his teammates not run into a pair of outs on the bases at various moments.
“I like being aggressive,” Waterford coach Art Peluso said. “We made them make plays and they made them.”
In spite of the Lancers’ 0-3 record against their rivals this season, the biggest game yet — a potential date in the state semifinals of Class M — is possible.
“That’s all right,” Peluso said. “If we play them again that means we made the semifinals.”
Meantime, the Indians can celebrate for a few days before the state tournament.
“I’m probably the worst offender,” Orbe said, “of telling the kids all the time to treat this like a job. Blue collar town, punch in, punch out. It’s good to be able to share a moment like this with the kids.”
As for a potential fourth meeting with Waterford, Orbe said, “I don’t think (the 3-0 record) plays into it too much. I wouldn’t sweat it if I were them.”
m.dimauro@theday.com
Twitter: @BCgenius
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