Waterford — The concept of doing what's right doesn't win as much as it should anymore, especially if it imperils doing what's convenient.

This is why we should take the time today to salute Art Peluso, the baseball coach at Waterford High, who was fully prepared to do the right thing late Wednesday afternoon, even if it meant suffering the indignity of a no-hitter.

The two-minute drill recap:

Montville pitcher Griffin Pontbriant carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning against Waterford. Walker Sutman led off the seventh for the Lancers with a chopper to the right of first baseman John Domijan, who gloved the ball, bobbled it momentarily and didn't get to the bag in time.

I scored it an error. So did others around me.

The public address announcer, however, proclaimed it an infield hit to everyone listening.

The point became moot three batters later when Nick Porazzi hit a clean single to right, providing an indisputable end to the no-hitter.

But it invited the question: What if Sutman's grounder turned out to be the only "hit?" There's no official scorer at a high school baseball game, short of the state championship game. All scoring decisions come from the home scorebook. So if the home team says it's a hit ... it's a hit. Even if it ruins the opponent's no-hitter.

Enter Peluso.

We chatted for a while about the game. Then I asked him about Sutman's ground ball.

"No way that was a hit," Peluso said. "I'm glad (Porazzi) got the hit. But there's no way (Sutman's grounder) would have been a hit. No way. That was an error."

Peluso even sent game information to The Day indicating that Pontbriant pitched a one-hitter.

Hence, Peluso was perfectly prepared to contribute to the joy of a rival team's pitcher at the expense of his own program.

Because it was the right thing.

This doesn't always happen in high school sports. Too many coaches and other adults are more interested in their own program's image instead of teaching things like sportsmanship and decency.

I maintain Peluso has the most difficult high school coaching job in our corner of creation. The baseball coach at Waterford. The program with the most state championships (10) in state history. Youth programs from town that have been to numerous World Series in various age levels. Scores and scores of college players.

It translates into a town of hard markers, many of whom really do know baseball and are not afraid to share their opinions.

And yet Peluso illustrates the inspirational trait of taking the less traveled high road, ensuring that, yes, the kid on the rival team would have had his no-hitter Wednesday. Because he deserved it. And it was the right thing.

Maybe, too, Peluso could have used it as a motivational tool for his own team. Last season after a stinkbomb in the ECC tournament, the Lancers cut a swath through Class M and won their 10th state title.

Waterford should be proud to employ somebody who could be the voice of reason in a totally awkward situation.

I was prepared to have a tantrum over this. Problem: I had no standing whatsoever. Just a guy covering the game. Except that it would have denied a kid a chance at making school history because of a questionable scoring decision.

I learned this from many official scorers over the years: It's a hit if the fielder has to make an out-of-the-ordinary effort to make the play. It's an error otherwise. And I don't believe Domijan needed to make an out-of-the-ordinary play to field the ground ball in question.

Happily enough, Porazzi saved everyone some angst with a clean single.

But I'm not going to forget Peluso's decency here. Sometimes, we forget that coaches can teach lessons more enduring than parents and teachers can.

Hope the baseball players of Waterford High realize their coach was about to overrule a scoring decision and declare them no-hit on Wednesday. For all the right reasons.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro