Sports

New Canaan Baseball Rallies Twice for Senior Day Win Over St. Joe’s

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The afternoon started with a pregame ceremony honoring the 11-member New Canaan Baseball senior class that has accomplished so much over the last four years, highlighted by the program capturing its first state championship since 1950, back during their sophomore campaign in 2013. Before all was said and done though, it was two underclassmen—sophomore Mike Pelli and junior Thomas Williams—who were put into high-pressure situations on the mound and delivered. Their performances, sandwiched around a 2-RBI single from senior co-captain Brandon Abate in the bottom of the 6th that put the Rams ahead for good, led New Canaan to a 10-9 victory over the St. Joe’s Cadets. “You’re asking a young kid [Pelli] to come in, who pitched in the JV game on Monday, and I asked him today how his arm felt, and I said we might need you for one inning,” New Canaan Head Coach Mitch Hoffman told NewCanaanite.com. “This is how it’s going to be.

Sports

Errors Plague Rams As New Canaan Baseball Falls to Darien 6-1

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It was a contest pitting the top two teams in the FCIAC up against one another. Bitter rivals and storied programs with both teams featuring their respective ace on the mound. With hundreds of fans from both Darien and New Canaan lining the fences at Mead Park, it had all the makings for a classic showdown. In the end, it was the Blue Wave who took advantage of seven New Canaan errors, spoiling the home team’s bid for first place in the conference by besting the Rams 6-1. “It was, unfortunately, poor execution,” New Canaan head coach Mitch Hoffman told NewCanaanite.com. “We had more errors than either team had hits, which is not going to work.”

Sports

New Canaan Baseball Tops Trinity Catholic for Second Walk-Off Win of the Week

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On Monday it was Robbie Jones who came through with a two-run home run to help the Rams complete the come-from-behind win against Greenwich in extra innings. On Thursday, it was Brandon Abate’s turn to be the hero as with the game tied and the bases loaded, he connected on a single to right field to score Robbie Jones from third and cap off an incredible week for New Canaan Baseball. “I’m just trying to think of it as any other at-bat,” the senior co-captain told NewCanaanite.com. “You just gotta relax your nerves. You get a little bit jumpy out there—your heart starts pumping , and if you get anxious you’re gonna ground out or something. I was just thinking about hitting the ball up the middle.”

News

The Boys of Mead: 2015 New Canaan Rams Baseball Preview

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The snack shack got back to business at Mead Park a couple weeks ago. Now the boys of the New Canaan Rams baseball program are getting ready to do the same. After a 2013 season that culminated in the program winning its first state championship since 1950, it was going to be tough for the 2014 Rams to follow such an act. But while 2014 didn’t include any championships (14-6, 12-6 FCIAC) it did feature continued development of some top talent and leaders that are ready to create their own story in 2015. That story begins with the team’s four senior co-captains: outfielder/pitcher Alex LaPolice, pitcher/outfielder David Giusti, shortstop Brandon Abate, and All-State catcher Zack Smith.

Sports

New Canaan Baseball Cleans Up With Postseason Honors

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Although New Canaan’s run at a second consecutive state title ended Tuesday with a 7-1 defeat at the hands of Cheney Tech, 2014 was still a memorable year for the varsity baseball team. The Rams finished at 15-8 in a season that saw its fair share of dramatic wins, including what ended up being the last ‘W’ of the year – a 5-4 walk-off victory over Wethersfield in the first round of the Class L playoffs. The results of the All FCIAC voting point directly to the program’s success. Given that baseball is a sport that only fields nine players at a time, to have ten players garnering postseason honors is truly astounding. Leading the way for the Rams were senior co-captains Nick Cascione and Matt Toth, who along with junior Alex LaPolice were named to the All FCIAC team.