Shelton Beats Amity To Take SCC Championship

The Shelton Gaels beat the Amity Spartans, 4 – 3, in extra innings to win the SCC Championship at Yale Field Saturday. 

Amity was the undefeated, top-ranked team in Connecticut before the game. 

It’s great to put a banner up after four years,” said Dan St. George, Shelton’s ace pitcher. This is huge for us. I think without a doubt Amity is the best team in the state and today we showed that we can compete with them.” 

That’s something special for our program,” said Shelton manager Scott Gura. That’s a historical win against a team (Amity) that a lot of people thought were invincible this year. We had to play a perfect game and we pretty much did.”
 
The Game
 
Both teams sent their aces to the mound with St. George for Shelton and Joe Ciancola for Amity.
 
It was a pitcher’s duel for the first three innings as both teams were held scoreless. 

What is this Smoltz-Morris, Game Seven?” joked Shelton Manager Scott Gura, referring to the 1991 World Series classic between the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins.
 
Photo: Dave ChoateThe Gaels drew first blood in the fourth inning as St. George singled and advanced to second base on a fielding error. 

Mike Georgalas drove in St. George with a single of his own and the Gaels were up, 1 – 0.
 
Amity bounced back in the fourth inning with a run, tying the score at 1 – 1.
 
Leadoff hitter, Eric Christensen started things in the top of the sixth inning for the Gaels with a single. 

Christensen promptly stole second base and was quickly in scoring position. Ryan Zahornasky drove in Christensen and with a double and put the Gaels on top, 2 – 1.
 
St. George headed to the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning looking for the complete game win. 

Extra Innings

Ciancola started things off with a single and Ted Ballou grounded into a fielder’s choice. St. George walked the next two batters to load the bases and proceeded to walk in the tying run, 2 – 2, sending the game into extra innings.
 
I was aiming the ball a little bit there and my arm was feeling it,” said St. George.
 
Photo: Dave ChoateThe Gaels brought in reliever, Tom Carroll to shut down the Spartans in the eighth inning.
 
The Spartans brought in reliever and star pitcher, Lou Concato for the ninth inning. Concato threw a two-hit shutout in an earlier regular season match up against Shelton.
 
The Gaels led off with a walk to Ryan Daiss. The freshman and former Shelton National star, Tyler Tice came in the game to pinch run for Daiss and represented the go-ahead run.
 
Tom Carroll stepped to the plate and laced a double scoring Tice and giving the Gaels a 3 – 2 lead.
 
Jim Pjura followed suit by doubling in Carroll giving the Gaels what would turn into a crucial insurance run and a 4 – 2 lead.
 
I was looking for an inside pitch all day and I finally got it. I haven’t had a great tournament. To get my first hit of the day during the biggest game of the year – it was great,” said Pjura.
 
The Spartans bats didn’t lie down in the bottom of the ninth inning as they were down by 2 runs. 

The Spartans loaded the bases against reliever Tom Carroll and the momentum had shifted with the tying run in scoring position and the winning run on 1st base.
 
Photo: Dave ChoateNick Baviello then grounded into a fielder’s choice and brought the Spartans within one run making the score 4 – 3.
 
The final swing of the game was a lazy fly ball to left field where outfielder, Dan Guerrera settled under it for the catch and raised both arms in victory giving the Gaels the game and an SCC Championship.
 
You can’t say enough about Dan St. George,” Gura said. He shutdown Notre Dame West Haven and shut down the number one team in the state today. It’s special when you beat the best two pitchers in the state in Ciancola and Concato.”

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