Venora Electric won 3-2 over Hall’s Market

Venora Electric won the WHYBL championship in 2015. Submitted photo

Submitted by West Hartford Youth Baseball League

In a pitcher’s duel, Venora clinched the West Hartford Youth Baseball Town Championship with a heart thumping 3-2 victory over Hall’s Market. This was the lowest scoring game either team played all year and the pitching on both sides was excellent as the two teams combined for just 10 hits and 5 walks.

Venora ace Brandon Wolmer got the start and retired Hall’s 1-2-3 in the top of the 1st. Venora then took a 1-0 lead off Hall’s Matt DeLutrie in the bottom of the inning led by a Cohl D’Addabbo single and a Charlie Kristofak RBI single off the right field fence. Hall’s rallied right back for two runs to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the 2nd led by three straight hits from CJ Baldini, Logan Murphy, and Harrison Sweeney, but Wolmer stranded Sweeney at 3B to limit the damage. Venora got the final runs of the game in the bottom of the 3rd when Jack Kennedy scorched a double down the right field line and D’Addabbo delivered a two run home run that just cleared the centerfield fence for a 3-2 lead. Pitching dominated the rest of the game. Wolmer stranded two Hall’s runners in the 4th. Hall’s ace Ethan Speranza entered the game in the 4th and pitched two scoreless innings. Venora’s Eli Salomons relieved Wolmer in the 5th and allowed a leadoff single to Connor Ferguson, but then stranded him at 3B with three straight K’s. Venora’s Kennedy came on for the save retiring the side in order with two great defensive plays from Tobey Siegel at 3B, including the final out which caused the Venora sideline to erupt in celebration.

Venora’s offense was led by Kennedy (1 for 3, run, 2B), D’Addabbo (2 for 2, 2 runs, 2 RBI’s, HR), Kristofak (1 for 2, RBI), Peter Langevin (1 for 2), Salomons (2 BB’s), and Siegel (BB). Hall’s offense was led by Ferguson (1 for 3), Speranza (1 for 3), Baldini (1 for 2, run, BB), Murphy (1 for 2, run), and Sweeney (1 for 3, RBI).

Wolmer (4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K’s) picked up the win and Kennedy got the save. DeLutrie (3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K’s) and Speranza (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K) pitched great for Hall’s.

The win completes a perfect 17-0 season for Venora Electric and marks its second consecutive Town Championship which is the first back-to-back WHYBL champion since 1995 and only the fourth team since 1949 to win back-to-back Town Championships (1965/66 Lions Club, 1977/78 Fire, and 1993/94/95 KofC).

Players from Venora: Anthony Mangini, Peter Langevin, Damarre Joseph, Matt Shiffman, Nathan Gallo, Jack Kennedy, Eli Salomons, Aidan Foley, Tobey Siegel, Charlie Kristofak, Cohl D’Addabbo, and Brandon Wolmer. Coaches from Venora: Manager Rob Gallo, Coaches Adam Wolmer, Mark D’Addabbo, Steve Mangini, and Andy Schatz.