Naugy secures spot in NVL tourney
NAUGATUCK— There was a point during the season when the Greyhounds were facing a cold reality that they might not be one of the teams playing in the NVL baseball tournament. Naugy was saddled with a 3-5 ledger and the season appeared to be slipping away.
“We have a bunch of seniors and this is their last time around,” Naugatuck head coach Tom Deller said. “We have a few younger kids learning their roles and we only had two weeks to prepare for the season before we had to start winning games.”
Then something clicked. The Greyhounds shifted gears and started to put games into the win column. Naugatuck has gone 7-3 over the last 10 games, outscoring the opposition by a wide 64-32 margin.
The turnaround began in part with the solid pitching of seniors Spencer Dreher and Evan Pellicia along with the addition of sophomore Corey Plasky on the mound. Suddenly Naugatuck was pounding on the door, and a recent three-game win streak secured a spot in the NVL tournament.
“We struggled to put it all together for a while and then the pitching started to come on. Having Corey step up has been huge for us. These guys wanted it.”
Naugatuck defeated Woodland 8-1 May 13 as Plasky shut down the Hawks. A 5-1 win over Wilby May 15 was fueled by Pellicia, who fired a five-hitter and knocked in two runs. Steve Marinaro put the game in the win column with a two-run hit to complete the attack.
On Monday, Naugatuck earned a solid 12-4 win over Torrington. Dreher scattered nine hits on the hill for the win. Matt Whitney led the way at the plate with two hits and three RBI. Josh Aviles had two hits and drove in two runs with Kyle Torok adding a two-run hit.
“I guess we are peaking at the right time,” Deller said. “Jason Bradley has been a key bat for us in the lineup. Matt Whitney has been getting timely hits all season. Steve Marinaro is a baseball player; even through the ups and downs he’s been consistent.
“Kyle Torok has given us a boost and has taken advantage of our new ball park. Everything is coming together and by the way it looks no one is running away with the league. It’s really anyone’s ball game at this point.”
Watertown (16-3) just got by the ‘Hounds by a slim 5-3 margin recently. Torrington (12-6) started like a house on fire at 8-0 but has lost five of the last six. Wolcott (15-5) barely got by Naugatuck on Tuesday needing extra innings to pull out a 6-5 eight-inning victory.
Jovanni Torres slammed a three-run homer in the first to get Naugy (11-9) on the board versus Wolcott. Aviles came through with three hits and Whitney had a single, a double and a RBI for the ‘Hounds on Tuesday. A bases-loaded single with two outs in the eighth inning gave Wolcott the win.
“We are not intimidated by anyone,” Deller added. “In fact we are looking forward to competing in the NVL tournament.”
Naugatuck closed out the regular season at home Thursday with a 1-0 win over Westhill. The Greyhounds are the No. 7 seed in the NVL tournament. Naugatuck will head to Bristol to play St. Paul Saturday at 1 p.m. in the quarterfinals.
