Conard represented the West Hartford Fire Department and Hall represented the West Hartford Police Department in the contest between the crosstown rivals Friday afternoon.

By Paul Palmer

Brendan Grady delivered a promise to his coach and tossed a complete game to lead Conard past Hall 4-0 in the First Responders Game on Friday.

“He told me yesterday he was going to go all seven innings and I said if you do I’ll give you a big hug,” Red Wolves coach Brendan Smith said. The motivation worked as Grady struck out 14 batters, including the side in the final inning on his way to winning the MVP award for the game.

“I just wanted to bring it in this rivalry,” said the senior hurler. “I was feeling good and I think I threw harder in that last inning.”

The First Responders Game has become a tradition between the Titans and Red Wolves baseball teams. Conard represents the West Hartford Fire Department and Hall the West Hartford Police Department. On-duty and off-duty service members are on hand, and everyone at the game is treated to a cookout courtesy of the two groups.

Former Conard player Neil Sinatro – now a member of the West Hartford Fire Department – threw out the ceremonial first pitch and members from both groups made up the color guard for the pre-game.

The two teams have been working to get in a groove early in the season as Conard has alternated wins and losses in its first four games, and Hall – which graduated 13 seniors a year ago – was 0-4 coming into Friday’s game.

Tyler Redden led things off for Hall with a blistering, one-hop ground rule double to left center off Grady, and from there the Conard starter would settle down getting a fielder’s choice and a pair of strikeouts to end the first.

Hall starter Chase Hanawalt was making his season debut for the Titans coming off an injury. He was every bit as good as Grady, striking out six in three innings of work before being lifted due to a pitch count. “We wanted to keep him at 50 pitches,” said Titans head coach Nick Marsh of his junior starter.

Hanawalt faced the first test of the game in the bottom of the second. After striking out the first batter, he walked Damian Wiktor, who then stole second base. Another strikeout was followed by a hit batter and another walk to load the bases. He then struck out Grady on a foul tip to end the threat.

In the fourth inning Hall had a chance to get on the board and break the scoreless deadlock. Hanawalt beat out a slower roller but would be thrown out trying to steal. Jack Sauer got a two-out walk and stole second, but Grady got Calvin Cianflone to ground out to shortstop.

With Hanawalt out of the game, Mason Hebert came on in the fourth and was greeted with a single by Jacob Morren, and then walked Declan McCann. Hebert got a popup to second and a strikeout before Wiktor stepped to the plate and delivered a two-run single back up the middle. Hebert would end the inning with another strikeout.

“We’ve done a nice job of having good at-bats,” said Conard’s Smith of his club. “They handled the emotion of the game and stayed steady.”

Conard tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth with McCann and John Kane both knocking in runners on infield ground balls. McCann hit a blistering one hopper that Hall first baseman Harry Nelson made a diving stop on, but his throw home was not in time to catch the runner and it was 3-0. Kane followed with an infield grounder that was fielded, but the throw pulled Nelson off the base and Conard scored its fourth run and chased Hebert from the game.

“Mason has been a big arm for us,” said his coach Marsh. “But his pitch count got up there a little bit today.”

With the four-run lead, Grady was able to honor his promise to his coach when he struck out the side in order in the seventh to get the win for the Red Wolves.

“My team had my back, especially after that lead-off double,” said Grady. “We never back down and we just went in there with a vengeance today.”

Despite falling to 0-5, both coaches know that Hall is a better team than the record indicates. “That’s a good team over there,” said Conard’s Smith. “I don’t know how they don’t have a win yet.”

Hall’s Marsh is not panicking, telling his players to just show up each day and put in the work. “I tell them we are the best 0-5 team in the state. We will figure it out.”

Hall will host East Catholic on Monday afternoon at 3:45 p.m., and Conard will host Avon on Monday, with a 4 p.m. start.

Conard and Hall will meet again later this season in the annual Mayor’s Cup game, scheduled for Tuesday, May 23, at 3:30 p.m., at the home of the Yard Goats – Dunkin’ Park in Hartford.

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