Local Athletes Shine in State Tournament

Tuesday was a good day for Tolland High athletics.

The baseball team upset No. 1 ranked Torrington with a strong showing by pitcher Alex Clifford and a great bat from Ethan Sikoski, while in softball the team beat defending champion St. Joseph with strong pitching from Jess Olson and hot bats from several teammates. Both games were played away.

On the courts, the girls tennis team had success when they knocked off Suffield High (No. 20) and then Woodstock Academy (No. 4) in matches Tuesday afternoon in Woodstock.

A week ago it was uncertain whether the Eagles baseball team would even be in the tournament. The team had to win three in a row at the end to qualify. They did and they took that hot streak to the tourney where they knocked off their first opponent, New Fairfield, to earn the right to play Torrington, the top seed.

“Something just clicked,” Coach Scott Czerwinski said. “We want to win every game. Certainly these kids could have quit a long time ago. It was tough loss after tough loss; they could have packed it in. Instead they kinda bucked up and pulled it together.”

“The kids think they can beat anybody… we beat the top seed (Tuesday), it’s a good step forward,” Czerwinski said.

Clifford went for six innings, giving up to runs to keep the Eagles in the game and set the tone for the team’s performance. Tolland also kept up its hitting streak, racking up 12 hits and seven runs.

The game was tied at 2 in the sixth inning, with the bases loaded. The count was 2 and 2 with Sikowski at the plate. He hit the ball into the right centerfield gap and cleared the bases. Tolland tacked on two more insurance runs in the seventh.

Since he’s coached the team (Czerwinski has been with them for seven years) the Eagles have not gotten past the third round in the tournament. Czerwinski said he’s optimistic but would not be disappointed if the game did not happen as scheduled today. With the team’s busy end of season schedule and tournament road trips Czerwinski said it would be nice to give the boys a day off to rest.

On the softball diamond in Trumbull, the girls didn’t hesitate when they knocked of defending champion St. Joseph High School in a 4 to 2 victory Tuesday afternoon.

Down by a run in the fifth, the team knocked in two on a string of singles and doubles by Jacqui Foreman, Alison, Whitlock, Jess Olson and Haley Provost, who also had a RBI, according to coach Tom Drury. 

In the seventh inning, the Eagles added an insurance run when Alex D’Aloisio batted in Sammie Olson, who had two hits of her own.

To add to her success Pitcher Jess Olson gave up two runs on six hits while striking out three, Drury wrote in an e-mail.

All three teams will continue their tournament march this afternoon, weather permitting. Softball is scheduled to travel to Milford to take on No. 3 ranked Academy of Our Lady of Mercy Lauralton Hall, while the baseball team will be in Farmington to take on No. 16 ranked Farmington High. The girls tennis team will be in Berlin where they will take on Nov. 5 ranked Berlin High.

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