Hall staged a major come-from-behind effort against Glastonbury Friday afternoon in West Hartford.

By Paul Palmer

If you only saw the top of the first inning in Friday’s Glastonbury at Hall baseball game, you missed a gem of a relief effort and a scrappy comeback.

The Warriors, down 6-0 after the first three outs of the game, scratched and clawed their way back for a dramatic 8-7 win.

Fourth  year Hall coach Nick Marsh was proud of the way his team didn’t give up. “We’re an offensive team that plays for the big inning,” he said.

The visitors jumped all over Hall starter Seth Ehrlich. The Tomahawks used  three walks, two hit batters, a pair of doubles, and Sean Borden’s 315-foot home run to left to bat around, score 6, and chase Ehrlich from the game.

When the hosts got their chance to bat in the bottom of the frame, they exacted a little revenge. Will Gaumer drove in 2 with an RBI single, following two hit batters and a walk. Gaumer would steal third and catcher Tommy LaSpada drove him home with a single between the shortstop and third baseman.

Hall junior pitcher Nick Udell came in in the second and would shut down Glastonbury, allowing just four hits, one run and striking out five batters in five innings. “It was gutsy,” Marsh said of Udell’s efforts. “He came in and was shoving all day. He’s been great for us all year.” Udall’s efforts allowed Hall to concentrate on catching up on offense.

Senior captain Drew Seidman knocked in 2 with a single to left in the third  but was caught off base when Glastonbury threw behind him on the play. In the fourth, the Warriors would scratch out a pair of runs.

Following a Glastonbury error and a walk, lead off hitter Alex Ciafone drove a rocket off the center field wall driving home the runners. He’d advance to third on a wild pitch, but Hall could not get the go-ahead run in.

Hall had a chance to take the lead in the fifth after loading the bases, but Glastonbury’s second pitcher on the day – Daniel Cantafi – got out of the jam with a strike-out and  a pop-out to the catcher to end the inning.

The visitors nearly took the lead in the top of the sixth inning. After a single and sacrifice bunt put a runner on second, Sean Borden singled to left, but Anthony Mangini came up throwing and nailed the runner at the plate with LaSpada applying the tag.  Speaking about his sophomore left fielder’s play, Marsh said, “We’ve been working on that, getting your feet in position, and he put it right on the money.”

In the bottom of the sixth, Hall would finally take its first lead of the day. With Nick Verdone now pitching for the visitors, Ixael Albano  would walk for the third time in the game, and third baseman Joseph Dooley would single between short and third. Both players would move up a base on a fielder’s choice and with one out, LaSpada hit a grounder to short. Glastonbury tried to turn the double play, but the throw to first base was wide and Albano came home with the go-ahead run.

Seidman – who missed the start of the season in COVID close contact quarantine – came on to pitch the final inning. He walked the first batter he faced, Borden, who would advance to second on passed ball. Seidman then struck out the next batter before first baseman Gaumer turned in the defensive play of the game.

With the runner on third, Owen Stephens lined a ball toward first, but Gaumer went full extension to snare the liner and save the tying run from scoring. Siedman then struck out the DH Grant Powers to end things and give the Warriors the 8-7 win.

“After the top of the first, I told the team we had them right where we wanted them,” said Marsh. “ We are actually undefeated when we score 8 runs”

On the day LaSpada would go 3-for-4, Gaumer had 2 RBIs and Hall improved to 7-2, while Glastonbury fell to 4-3.

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