WATERBURY — The offensive struggles of Prospect-Beacon Falls American Legion Posts 194 and 25 continued Monday night at Municipal Stadium in an 8-0 shutout loss to Waterbury.
Waterbury pitcher Tim Bessette hurled a one-hitter, allowing the only hit on a double by shortstop Kyle Georgia with one out in the seventh inning. Bessette struck out 11 while walking only one as he handed PBF its second consecutive loss; Waterbury also blanked PBF, 10-0, Saturday.
“He pitched an excellent game,” PBF head coach Jim Augelli said. “Give that team credit. They’re going to go far in the state tournament. We just happened to catch one of the best teams in the state twice in a row.”
Brian Langdon pitched well, holding a powerful Waterbury lineup to six runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. He gave up eight hits while striking out two and walking three.
“I thought Brian did a real good job for us,” Augelli said. “We didn’t hit, though. We faced a good pitcher, but we have to hit. When you don’t hit and you don’t score, what can you do? You don’t put any pressure on the pitcher and he can stay up there relaxed.”
Catcher Jack DeBiase flew out over 300 feet to right field to lead off the game, but it wasn’t until Georgia’s double to left-center in the seventh inning that another PBF player drove the ball into the outfield.
PBF had two runners reach base all game. The first, second baseman Mike Hardy, walked with one out in the first inning. Bessette then retired the next 18 batters in a row, before Georgia’s line drive, which broke up Bessette’s no-hitter.
The poor offensive production has become an unfortunate theme for Augelli’s squad. PBF’s most recent win came last week against Danbury, a game in which Posts 194 and 25 could litte offense while taking home a 2-1 victory. The most runs the team scored in any game was five, in the season-opening 5-4 win over Naugatuck Post 17.
Still, Augelli remains optimistic that his team’s bats will soon heat up.
“We’ll hit better,” he said. “We have too many kids on this team whose swings are good. We have quite a few kids who moved up to this team from junior legion and are still adjusting to the wood bats. I don’t like to use that as an excuse but I think it’s true. And when you get a college pitcher who knows what he’s doing on the mound, it makes hitting that much tougher.”
Prospect-Beacon Falls hosts Oxford at 5:45 p.m. Friday at Woodland before traveling to Danbury Saturday afternoon and hosting New Milford at 1 p.m. Sunday.
