The season has come to an end for the West Haven baseball team. Facing one of the top teams in the state, West Haven had no answers for Hand-Madison in a 14-3 loss in a game stopped after five innings due to the mercy rule on Senior Night at Piurek Field in West Haven Monday evening.
With the loss, West Haven dropped five of its last six games and closed a disappointing season at 5-15.
Senior Mike Vitolo closed his high school career with two hits, one run batted in, and one run scored. Sophomore Chris Cavallaro had one hit and drove in two runs.
Hand took control of the game with six runs in the second inning, two more in the third, and five in the fourth for a 13-0 lead.
West Haven did not help the pitching staff as the Westies committed six errors, leading to nine unearned runs.
The Westies scored their only runs of the game in the final inning. Ty Reeves started the rally when he was hit by a pitch, and moved to third on a pair of wild pitches.
Brian Dupre and Diego Mahecha were also hit by pitches to load the bases, before Vitolo forced in a run when he was hit by another pitch. Cavallaro then hit a two-out single to center to score a pair for the final runs of the game.
The Westies picked up their fifth victory of the season with a 4-2 victory over Platt Tech at Piurek Field in West Haven last Friday afternoon.
Nick Flammia was the key to the game for the Westies as he tossed a complete game five-hitter, allowing one earned run, and striking out six. Flammia did not walk a batter.
Diego Mahecha scored twice, and Flammia helped his own cause with two hits and two runs batted in.
Trailing 1-0, West Haven evened the game at one in the third inning as Mahecha singled and moved to third on a single by Vitolo. Flammia’s sacrifice fly to center evened the game at one.
West Haven took a 2-1 lead in the fourth as Brett Gradoia was hit by a pitch with one out, moved to second on Cavallaro’s ground out, and third when Reeves reached on an error. As a part of a double steal, Gradoia scored to give West Haven a 2-1 lead.
The Westies gave Flammia some room to work with, scoring twice in the fifth for a 4-1 advantage.
Mahecha reached on an error to open the inning, and scored when Vitolo also reached on an error. Flammia tripled to center to score Vitolo, but was left stranded.
West Haven’s Joe Santos had one hit and scored twice for Platt Tech in the loss.
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