Ansonia’s Christian Dzienkiewicz threw a two-hitter Wednesday night during a 2 – 0 win over the Seymour Wildcats.
It was a classic pitcher’s dual, with Seymour’s Gabe Cretella striking out six of the first 11 batters he faced. Cretella allowed three hits and struck out nine. Both runs were unearned.
“I just tried to come out and stay ahead in the count and rely on my defense to make the plays behind me,” Dzienkiewicz said.
Ansonia got their first base runner when Josh Eanotti drew a one out walk in the second. Howie Miller drilled a ball in the hole that Wilhelmy fielded cleanly turning it into a double play to end the threat.
In the top of the third Seymour was 90 feet away from taking the lead. Right fielder Adam Merritt got the second hit off Dzienkiewicz lining a pitch into left field.
Mike Tuscano squared and sent a perfect bunt down the third base side. Merritt had taken off on the pitch and on the throw across the diamond to get the batter. The young sophomore never slowed down and wound up on third.
Dzienkiewicz induced Jim Vartelas to hit a come backer to the mound for the second out and left fielder Christian Sobin tracked down a fly ball to retire the threat.
Cretella struck out the first two batters in the fourth to keep his no-hit bid in check. Julian Sobin ended that notion when he sent a blast that carried over the center fielder for a triple and the first hit of the game for the Chargers.
Cretella tried to bare down on the next batter, Orlando Morales, but threw a pitch in the dirt that got away as Sobin came in to score the first run of the game.
Morales followed with a single up the middle and took third when Eanotti’s drive to left field was dropped.
All the damage had come with two outs. Miller came through with an infield single deep in the hole at shortstop to score Morales for a 2 – 0 advantage.
“He (Cretella) got through the lineup the first time on curve balls,” said Julian Sobin. “The next time up I was waiting for that and got all of it.”
Dzienkiewicz retired 15 of the last 17 batters he faced, one walk and one error to preserve the win as Ansonia improved to 5 – 3 on the season.
Cretella struck out the side for the second time in the game retiring the Chargers in order in the sixth but Seymour still fell to 5 – 5 on the season.
“That was a perfectly pitched game by both pitchers,” said Ansonia head coach Mike Vacca.