Darien — Adam Rainaud staged an impressive comeback to capture his first Connecticut Open Championship.

Trailing by six strokes entering Wednesday's final round at Woodway Country Club in Darien, Rainaud capped off a terrific two days of golf by shooting a 6-under par 65, tying the course record.

An assistant professional at Black Hall Club in Old Lyme, Rainaud is the second golfer from his club to   win the tournament, joining Jeff Hedden who accomplished the feat in 2008.

"I've never won a State Open so this is a huge win for me and is a tournament that I've been looking forward to since the winter," Rainaud said in a released statement.

After posting a 75 in his first round, Rainaud finished with a 7-under 206 overall (75-66-65), winning by a comfortable five stroke margin over Michael Ballo Jr. of Woodway and Corey Birch of Silver Spring Country Club. He was 11-under in the final 27 holes.

"Starting the day, I thought I needed to get to 7- or 8-under par to have a chance," Rainaud said. "After I birdied the sixth hole to get to 4-under par for the tournament, at that point I knew I was right in the mix."

Rainaud played bogey-free Wednesday and racked up six birdies.

In the final two rounds, he had 12 birdies and only one bogey. He's the first Connecticut Section PGA member to win the event since 2002.

"The difference in the last two rounds was definitely my putting," Rainaud said.

Next week, Rainaud will be competing in the third PGA tournament of his career, making his second appearance in the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.

ECML

• Devon Robbins pitched a complete game and Clayton Shaw had two hits, including a double, with three RBI as the Panera Pirates beat the Northeast Nine 8-1. Eric Javor had two hits and two RBI for the Pirates. Flynn Donovan doubled and scored for the Nine.

State softball tournament (9-10)

• Vernon-Rockville handed Waterford its first loss in the tournament, 2-0. Anna Dziecinny pitched a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts for Waterford and she, Ava Burrows, and Lucy D’Amico each had a hit.

Citywide Basketball Tournament is Saturday

• Registrations are being accepted for the sixth annual City Wide Championship Tournament sponsored by Abounding Grace Ministries this Saturday at Toby May Field from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. There is no charge and three age divisions — youth (9-10), junior (11-14), and senior (15-18). Rain date is Aug. 6. For more information, contact Deacon Charles Hylton at (860) 447-8236.