Westies fall to Orange in doubleheader
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(June 29, 2015) -
 Having started the summer season behind most teams due to Amity’s championship run which delayed the season opener, the Orange Post 127 American Legion baseball has not needed much time to catch up.
Monday evening at Brinley Field was clear evidence of this as Orange swept a doubleheader from rival West Haven in Zone II action.
After watching Pat Winkel drive in six runs of an 11-2 victory in the opener, Orange got the sweep with an 8-4 victory in the nightcap.
“It was important to win these games,” Orange coach Bob Mirto said after his team moved into first place with the wins. “We are glad they (West Haven) are back and are a tough team. The zone has a lot of good teams. It is the way it used to be. This team is the deepest hitting team we have had in a while. There is no weak spot in the lineup.”
Mirto’s assessment was spot on as Orange pounded 13 hits in each game to improve to 11-2 on the season, moving four games ahead of fifth pace West Haven, which fell to 7-6.
“We knew this was a special group,” Mirto said. “There are no problem kids on the team. There are no attitudes on the team. We are 18 deep and all these kids like each other. It is a real team effort. That’s why we are so high on this team.”
Jake Smith, Matt Ronai and Chris Winkel each had a pair of hits to go along with Pat Winkel’s six runs batted in during the opener.
In the nightcap, Kyle Mattei was the hitting star with three hits, two runs batted in and two runs scored, while Pat Winkel, Chris Winkel and Devin Belenski each had two hits.
“This a good group of guys,” Ronai said. “We love playing together. We have been able to carry over the same intensity. We are playing all good teams in the zone. It is a strong zone with teams like Branford, Shelton and Stratford.”
With the offense providing plenty of offensive support, including three runs in each of the first and second innings, Orange pitcher Doug Rives did the rest. Throwing 105 pitches, including 66 for strikes, Rives struck out 11 and walked two, and allowed six hits and three earned runs as he threw 17 first pitch strikes.
Orange took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Mattei, Pat Winkel and Chris Winkel singled to even the game at one. A wild pitch by West Haven starter Lorenzo Davis allowed Pat Winkel to score and Belenski delivered the final run of the inning for a 3-1 advantage.

















Lorenzo Davis. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
"They hit the ball,” West Haven coach Fred Morgillo said of Orange. “They are the best hitting team we have seen. They hit throughout the lineup.”
Post 127 increased the lead to 6-1 with three more runs in the second. Mattei delivered the first run of the inning with a double and Chris Winkel knocked in Mattei with a double.
Mattei continued his big night with a run-scoring single in the third, before Orange increased the lead to 8-1 with Pat Winkel’s grounder to first to score Nolan Roche.
“These games were important,” Ronai said. “They put us closer to Branford. We want to win the zone.”
Orange’s offensive outburst put some distance between the two teams in the standings and also showed West Haven how far it needed to go to win the division.
West Haven’s Adrian Urbina singled to score Lou Masselli in the fourth and the Westies got within four runs in the sixth as Masselli singled to score Mike Savino, who had doubled, and Masselli scored on a wild pitch to get within 8-4.
“These kids don’t quit,” Morgillo said. “In this game and the other day against East Haven, there was no quit. They want to play. We want to be a tough team. After we saw him a few times, we started to get some good swings. We were a little more relaxed at the plate." 
Masselli led West Haven with three hits, two runs scored and one run batted in.

Morgillo leads Westies
WH defeats East Haven
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
WEST HAVEN (June 27, 2015)
- Kalan Morgillo has not seen much playing time this summer for the West Haven Post 71 American Legion baseball team. Morgillo, in his first season on the senior legion team, made the most of his opportunity Saturday morning against East Haven.
Producing a pair of hits in two at bats and part of both West Haven rallies, Morgillo helped West Haven defeat East Haven 2-1 in the opening game of a Zone II doubleheader at Piurek Field In West Haven.
"It is big, especially me being young and it being my first year on the team," Kalan Morgillo said after picking up two of West Haven's five hits off East Haven starter Lou Torres. "I want to help show what the team is all about. Last year was tough with the season being suspended. Obviously, we have to pick up our offense. We are a close team. We have good team chemistry."
With the game even at one in the fifth inning, West Haven scored the go-ahead run as Morgillo led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice by Adrain Urbina. After Frank Johnson singled to right to put runners on the corners, Lou Masselli reached on an error to score Morgillo with the eventual winning run.
"That's what we need," West Haven coach Fred Morgillo said after his team improved to 7-3 on the year. "We have gotten a bunch of big hits. We have to play small ball. We are playing in all one-run games. We have to get those clutch hits. We are getting that from guys like Mario (Kiaunis) and Kalan."
With the West Haven offense getting the clutch hits, the rest was up to pitcher Nick Price. The former West Haven star was on his game, allowing just six hits, striking out four, walking one and hitting two batters in a complete game effort.
"I was just throwing multiple sliders," Price said. "My fastball was on. It was disappointing not playing last season. I had the year off, but it feels good to pitch good, especially on this field. This team just keeps fighting."
Price had one tough inning as he struggled in the third inning, allowing three hits to Post 89. With one out, East Haven's John Kikosicki and Bryon Kucharski singled, but Price took one step towards getting out of the inning when he got Matt Wynne to ground to second, where Mario Kiaunis threw home to Tim McCarthy to nail Kikosicki at the plate.
Mike DeAngelo came through for the 89ers as his single scored Kucharski for a 1-0 lead. Price escaped without further damage as he got Tyler King on a fly ball to left for the final out of the inning.
"We hit the ball hard, but they were right at people," East Haven acting coach Graeme Sutherland said after his team fell to 5-8 with the loss. "We got good pitching and good defense. We had that third inning, but only got the one run and had the double (sixth), but we left him stranded. We had a chance to get back in it. If we keep playing like we are, those balls will find the grass."
Post 71 wasted no time getting the run back as the Westies evened the game in the bottom of the inning. Torres hit Kiaunis to open the frame, before Kalan Morgillo reached on a bunt single and Urbina walked to load the bases with no outs.
After retiring Frank Johnson on a pop out to second, Torres allowed a sacrifice fly to right by Masselli to score Kiaunis with the equalizer. Torres did a stellar job of pitching out of the inning with just the one run scored as he retired Jason Wilkerson on a grounder to short to end the frame.
"We are 7-3 and it is a good spot to be in," Fred Morgillo said. "We talked about getting the program started again and we have. But, you start winning and the competitiveness in you comes out. We are looking to build the program and win games. Now, we are starting to think about winning a series and a zone championship and competing for a state title. We have good team chemistry."
Price held East Haven off the scoreboard the rest of the way as he pitched around a one-out double by Brandon Sutherland in the fourth by striking out Anthony Pepe and Kikosicki to end the inning. Al Maio doubled with one out in the sixth for the 89ers, but Price retired Sutherland on a pop out to first, then got Pepe to ground to short to end the threat.
"Nick did not play in the spring and we did not know what we were going to get," West Haven coach Fred Morgillo said of Price. "He came in and told us he was ready. Him and Angel (Gonzalez) have been key for us pitching."
Kucharski led East Haven with two hits in the loss.

Westies off to Quick Start
Season opens with six wins in nine games
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(June 26, 2015) -
 After a year's absence from the summer circuit, the West Haven Post 71 American Legion baseball team is making the most of its return. Through nine games thus far, the Westies have opened with a 6-3 record and trail first place Branford by just two games while sitting in fourth place in a crowded Zone II.
West Haven's quick start has included a three-game sweep of North Haven in a stretch of two days. The Westies climbed over the .500 mark with the sweep of North Haven, beginning Wednesday.

















Mike Savino. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
In the opener against North Haven, Angel Gonzalez went the distance, allowing two hits in a 2-0 victory. Alex Scranton came up big on the offensive side with two hits and a run batted in.
The Westies then won the second game 3-1 as Jason Wilkerson tossed a complete game, giving up six hits. Scranton continued to lead the offense as he had one hit to drive in a run and delivered another with a sacrifice fly.
Post 71 completed the sweep on Thursday, again using a solid pitching performance. A 2-1 victory over North Haven was highlighted by a complete game effort from Sean Jefferson.

















Jason Wilkerson. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Nick Demaio came up big for the Westies on the offensive side with a triple and a run batted in. Demaio was also part of the other West Haven run when he walked, moved to second on a sacrifice by Mario Kiaunis, and scored on a double by Lou Masselli.
North Haven did not go away quietly, loading the bases in the seventh before Jefferson escaped without any damage.
West Haven started the week with a 6-0 victory over Shelton. Nick Price set the tone of the week with the first solid pitching outing of the week as he tossed a complete game, allowing two hits and striking out five.
Price was also the offensive star as he had two hits and drove in a run. Frank Johnson had three hits, while Adrian Urbina had two hits, two walks and scored three times, and Rick Balzano had two hits and drove in a run.
The Westies fell in the second game of the doubleheader against Shelton as a fine effort by Urbina, who tossed six innings, went for naught in a 3-1 loss. Urbina allowed just three unearned runs in the third inning.

















Adrian Urbina. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
"He (Urbina) pitched good enough to win," Post 71 coach Fred Morgillo said. "The bats were silent."
West Haven scored its lone run in the fourth inning as Mike Savino doubled, Wilkerson grounded out and Tim McCarthy delivered Savino with a single.
McCarthy was stranded at second in the inning and Scranton, who tripled with one out in the seventh, was also left stranded to end the contest.
The Westies then fell to Orange Monday evening in another tightly played contest. In a game which went eight innings, Lorenzo Davis pitched seven solid innings in a 2-1 loss.
Trailing by one run in the bottom of the eighth inning, West Haven could not get the equalizer, leaving runners on second and third.
West Haven's only run came when Urbina walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Johnson and third on a hit by Masselli, before an Orange error produced the lone West Haven run. 

Westies beat Stratford
WH wins first series of the season
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(June 14, 2015) -
 After a one year absence from the baseball diamond, the West Haven Post 71 American Legion team is hoping to move many avenues of the program in the right direction.
The Westies accomplished the first step this summer with 37 kids on the rosters between the junior and senior programs. With the numbers up for this season, the goal is to maintain and improve.
The second step this summer is to put a winning product on the field. Through three games, the Westies are doing everything possible to accomplish this.
Behind the combined six-hit pitching of Angel Gonzalez and Nick Price, West Haven defeated Stratford 3-1 in Zone II action at Piurek Field in West Haven Sunday morning to open the season with a 2-1 record.
“We want to push this to get to the next level,” West Haven coach Fred Morgillo said. “Our main objective right now is not to win an American Legion World Series. We want to have a 19, 17, and a 15-year-old program next year. We want to be able to do it. The kids are all good kids.
“We have gotten off to a good start. Defense is the reason why we have two wins. Mike Savino has been very strong, unbelievably strong in the field. The pitchers are fielding their position, the first basemen have caught balls which may not have looked catchable. They are catching everything in front of them. That’s why we are 2-1.”

















Mike Savino. File photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Through three games, West Haven has had a trend of scoring its runs in the first inning, then using pitching and defense to pick up its victories.
Sunday morning was no different as the Westies spotted Stratford a run in the top of the first, before scoring three times in the bottom half of the inning.
Stratford took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first off Gonzalez as Adam Wojenski singled, Sam Breiner was hit by a pitch, and Wojenski scored on a single by William Chonka,
“We could have had a bigger inning in the first,” Stratford coach Mike DellaVecchia said. “We had runners on second and third and got only one run. We could not get anything going after that. We did not get guys on. We were not selective with the pitch counts. That’s baseball.”
The Westies responded in the bottom of the first inning with three runs off Wojenski. John Cambino started the rally with a walk, Mike Savino hit a one-out single and Jason Wilkerson doubled to the gap in right center to plate Cambino and Savino. After Rick Balzano reached on an error with two outs, Nick Demaio singled to score Wilkerson for the 3-1 advantage.
"Those first inning runs have been big for us,” Morgillo said. “We scored two is the first inning of the first game, three in the first inning of the second game, and three more in the first inning today. Our first innings have been very important.”
The three runs in the opening inning for West Haven were more than enough for Gonzalez and Price. The duo thwarted any Stratford rally as Gonzalez allowed a single to Wojenski in the third, but left Wojenski stranded at third base, and Price allowed a single to Wojenski in the fifth, but Wojenski again was stranded in scoring position at second base.
“We are off to a very nice start,” DellaVecchia said after his team opened the season 4-2. “I am very happy with the start. We lost two of three to West Haven, but we could have easily taken two of three. They probably feel they could have taken all three. That’s how close the games were.”
The Westies also had scoring opportunities in the game, but failed to convert. After Adrian Urbina and Savino singled to open the inning in the third, West Haven left the bases loaded.
Demaio singled to start the fourth, Cambino walked with two outs and Urbina reached on an error, but none scored. West Haven stranded a pair in the fifth and saw Kalan Morgillo’s single in the sixth go by the boards.
Gonzalez picked up the win for the Westies, going four innings, allowing one run on five hits. Price tossed the final three innings, allowing one hit, striking out two and walking one. 

Back on the Diamond
Summer season opens with split of doubleheader
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(June 13, 2015) -
 The West Haven Post 71 American Legion baseball team marked its return to the summer season with a split of a doubleheader against Stratford at Penders Field Saturday morning. 
West Haven took the opener behind the pitching of Adrian Urbina, but fell in the nightcap as Stratford mounted a last-inning rally. 
"I am happy with the start," West Haven coach Fred Morgillo said. "The guys played well. The defense has been unbelievable and the pitching has been great. We want to get more offensive production throughout the game. The first innings have been good, but we want to score more throughout the game. Everything else is as good as can be."
In the opener Urbina was on his game, pitching a complete game, allowing three hits and striking out one in a 2-0 West Haven win. 
West Haven scored the only run it needed in the first inning as John Cambino reached to start the game and advanced on Mike Savino's one-out single. Both scored the only runs of the game on a double by Lou Masselli. 
In the second game, Lorenzo Davis and the Westies fell to Stratford, 4-3 as Stratford rallied with two runs in the seventh to post the win. 
West Haven again scored in the first inning, taking a 3-0 lead. Frank Johnson doubled and Masselli and Tim McCarthy walked to load the bases. Nick Price produced all the West Haven runs when his triple gave West Haven a 3-0 lead. 

AMERICAN LEGION 2015

THE HOME OF WEST HAVEN SPORTS

WestieBlue

Adrian Urbina. File photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

West Haven High School coach Ron Luneau and Lou Masselli (r.). File photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.

Westies fall to Shelton
Postseason on the brink
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(July 13, 2015) -
 With a handful of games remaining in the regular season, every pitch and every inning become more important. For Shelton, the pitching of Justin Lynch was just what the team needed.
Scattering seven hits and striking out six, Lynch helped Shelton remain in front of the crowded pack for the final playoff berth in Zone II with a 5-2 victory over West Haven at Piurek Field in West Haven Monday evening.
“I was just trying to throw strikes and get ahead of the hitters,” Lynch said. “I wanted to keep the ball in play. This is definitely a big win. We definitely needed it. We were able to bounce back after a couple of losses.”
The win helped Shelton clinch a spot in the postseason as West Haven trails fifth place Shelton by 3 1/2 games with three West Haven games remaining.
“If we execute the little things, we will be successful,” Shelton coach Steve Boles said after his team improved to 15-11. “If we are in, we feel good about that. We have more baseball to play.”
West Haven remains on the outside looking in as the Westies are currently in seventh place, three games behind Milford, with Milford and West Haven playing three games beginning Tuesday in Milford. The Westies need a sweep of the series to have a chance at securing a postseason spot.
“We knew coming into today we had to go 3-1,” West Haven coach Fred Morgillo said after his team fell to 12-15. “Now, there is no room for error. We need to go 3-0. We have our pitching lined up how we want it. Adrain (Urbina) did a nice job for us today. He knew we could not waste an arm and he did a great job after they scored the three runs.”
With the game even at two in the fourth inning, Shelton put the game away with three runs. John Zoppi started the rally with a one-out single to left, Mark Polkowski followed with a double to right and Mike Cowell scored both with another single to left.
After Paul Salley walked to put a pair of runners on, Cowell attempted to steal third. When the throw by West Haven catcher Lou Masselli sailed into left field, Cowell scored for a 5-2 lead.
“That inning was big,” Boles said of the three-run fourth. “The lower part of the order came up strong for us. That was a big part of the game.” 
Shelton, which was coming off a weekend sweep at the hands of Orange, jumped on the board first against West Haven starting pitcher Adrain Urbina, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Urbina walked Cowell to start the game and the free pass hurt as Cowell moved to second on a sacrifice by Salley, and scored one batter later on a base hit by Lynch.After West Haven stranded Frank Johnson on second in the first inning, the Westies took a short-lived 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second.
Jay Wilkerson walked to open the inning and Tim McCarthy reached on an error to put a pair of runners in scoring position. John Cambino walked with two outs to load the bases, setting up Johnson, who singled to left to score Wilkerson and McCarthy for a 2-1 West Haven lead.
“We are disappointed we lost, but we know we have three games left,” Morgillo said.“We have to win out. We had the lead, but that is a good hitting team over there, and they had their guys, Cowell and Lynch, ready to throw. They are tough.”  
Shelton came right back in the third inning off Urbina to even the game at two. Lynch singled with one out, stole second, moved to third on a grounder by Hudson Boles, and scored on a single by Marc Zoppi.
Urbina tossed a complete game for West Haven, allowing five runs on nine hits, while walking three and striking out two.
Lynch, Marc Zoppi and Polkowski led Shelton with two hits apiece. Johnson led the Westies with two hits and two runs batted in.

Back in the Hunt
Westies inch closer to final playoff spot
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(July 12, 2015) -
 The West Haven Post 71 American Legion baseball team is doing all it can to get back in the postseason hunt. After a disappointing series against New Haven in which the Westies dropped two of three contests, West Haven has posted four straight victories to improve to 12-14 on the season. 
With four games remaining, West Haven trails Milford by two games for the final playoff spot. Post 71 will play its last three regular season games against Milford, starting Tuesday evening at Foran High. 
West Haven got back in the postseason discussion with a 3-2 victory over East Haven Friday evening. Angel Gonzalez threw seven innings to pick up the win and Nick Price and Adrain Urbina had big hits for the Westies in the win. 
The Westies then took a doubleheader from Ansonia on Saturday, winning the opener 11-1 and taking the second game by forfeit as Ansonia did not have enough players. 
In the opener, Tim Gates did the job on the hill, holding Ansonia to one run. Lorenzo Davis led the offense with a run-scoring triple, while Price delivered a run with a double. 

New Haven trips up Westies
WH drops two of three  
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(July 10, 2015) -
 The West Haven American Legion Post 71 is looking to get the final spot in the postseason. Unfortunately for Post 71, the last three games did not go as expected. 
Losing two of three contests to New Haven, Post 71 fell to 8-14 on the season and currently sits 2 1/2 games behind sixth place Milford in Zone II for the final spot. 
In the opener against New Haven on Tuesday, Adrain Urbina went the distance in a 6-0 West Haven victory. Nick Price and Jason Wilkerson were the offensive stars as Price doubled, Wilkerson singled and each drove in runs. 
New Haven rebounded on Wednesday and defeated the Westies 6-4. Lorenzo Davis started and went four innings, before he was relieved by Tim Gates. 
Mike Savino led the offense with three hits and two runs batted in, while Alex Scranton had two hits and two runs scored. 
Looking to take the series, West Haven fell to New Haven on Thursday, dropping a 1-0 decision. Price threw six innings, giving up just three hits in the loss. 
"We hit the ball hard, but right at people," West Haven coach Fred Morgillo said. 

Westies fall to Hamden
Skid reaches 9 games
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(July 6, 2015) -
 Ray Guarino and his Hamden Post 88 baseball team had one clear goal in mind when the summer season began. That goal, to play in the postseason, is getting closer with each game played.
Taking advantage of some wildness on the part of the West Haven Post 71 pitching staff, Hamden rolled to a 13-2 victory at Piurek Field Monday evening in a game stopped after five innings due to the mercy rule.
The win for Hamden was its third in a row over West Haven to complete the sweep and also helped Post 88 improve to 13-8, a shade behind Shelton for fourth place in Zone II action. Hamden also remains within striking distance of third place Stratford.
"We are climbing up there," Guarino said of the standings. "But, I didn’t think we played very well tonight. Our defense was suspect and we got 19 free passes with the 14 walks and five hit batters. We mixed in a hit or two. They did not have the guys to throw today. There are too many games in a short amount of time. We are trying to keep the kids healthy with their arms. It is hard to have the pitching when you play every day."
West Haven, which was without two starting pitchers, has seen the summer tax its rotation as the Westies went to seldom used Alex Scranton to give them valuable innings. Scranton struggled as he lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on just one hit. Scranton's wildness proved costly as he walked seven and hit four batters.
"We had two guys who were on schedule to pitch and they were unavailable as one was sick and the other could not make it," West Haven coach Fred Morgillo said after his team fell for the ninth straight time to drop to 7-12. "We talked with some guys about pitching and Alex said he would take the ball. He went in with the right mindset. It was not his fault. It is the first time he has pitched."
West Haven, which saw its playoff hopes take a big hit with the loss, used four different pitchers, allowing just five hits. The difference in the contest was the Westies walked 14 batters and hit five more.
"It is frustrating because all the things we did to start the season 7-3, we are not doing now," Fred Morgillo said. "We were getting the pitching and timely hitting. The pitching is still okay, but the defense has fallen off and the timely hitting has not been there."
Hamden's patience paid off in the first inning as Post 88 scored three times without the benefit of a hit. Four walks and two hit batters hurt Scranton, giving Hamden a three-run advantage.
The Westies got as close as they would get with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Jay Wilkerson's infield single scored Frank Johnson, who reached on a one-out single, and a double steal saw Mike Savino score to get West Haven within 3-2.
That was all for the Westies as Hamden pitcher Zach Morgillo allowed just four hits, while striking out four. Morgillo was never in danger while West Haven was in striking distance, allowing just a leadoff single to Lorenzo Davis in the second, before retiring the next three batters to end the frame.
"It is definitely important," Zach Morgillo said of the win. "It is big for us to score first so we can relax in the field and at bat. That was a good start for us. We know we are fighting for a spot in the tournament. We have a big series with Shelton coming up, so this was a big win today."
Hamden extended the lead to 5-2 in the third as Christian Colon walked to lead off the inning and Luke D'Ostillio was hit by a pitch. With two outs, a pair of West Haven errors scored Colon, before Eli Camner walked with the bases loaded to score D'Ostillio and end Scranton's day with Hamden leading 5-2.
With Pete Richetelli on the mound for West Haven in the fourth inning, D'Ostillio's sacrifice fly scored Jim Magson, who had led off the inning with a single.
Hamden put the game away in the fifth, scoring seven runs off three West Haven pitchers on three hits, six walks and a hit batter.
"We have a big series with Shelton starting tomorrow," Guarino said. "We have three games with them, a doubleheader with Orange Friday, and a game against Branford on Sunday. This week will decide where we go. We have our work cut out for us. We have to play better. We are not there yet, but we are close. Hopefully, we jell at the right time."
Magson led Hamden with two hits

Back in Action
Westies return after a year's absence
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(July 6, 2015) -
 After a one-year absence of summer baseball on the American Legion scene, baseball has returned in West Haven. 
Read the full story at GameTimeCt 
here

Hamden sweeps Westies
Lack of offense hurts Post 71 
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(July 5, 2015) -
 Seven wins in the first ten games must seem like an eternity ago for the West Haven Post 71 American Legion baseball team. After being swept on the road in a doubleheader against Hamden Post 88 on Sunday, West Haven saw its losing streak reach eight games as the team fell to 7-11 on the season, falling to eighth place in Zone II action.
The Westies dropped the first game 6-0 and fell in the nightcap 3-0. 
"We couldn't get bunts down and we could not get a big hit," West Haven coach Fred Morgillo said. 

















Lou Masselli and the Westies could not get going in a doubleheader sweep against Hamden Post 88 on Sunday, July 5, 2015. File photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
In the opener, Nick Price threw four innings, giving up all six runs. He was relieved by Sean Jefferson, who threw two scoreless frames. 
In the second game, Angel Gonzalez went the distance, allowing all three runs. Gonzalez was hurt by West Haven errors as three errors proved costly in the loss.


Westies fall to Branford
Losing streak reaches six games
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(July 2, 2015) -
 The West Haven Post 71 American Legion baseball team fell in a road contest to Branford Thursday evening as Devin Derenzo knocked in the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh inning. 
For complete coverage of the game, read the article at GameTimeCt 
here.

Slumping 
Westies looking to end skid
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(July 1, 2015) -
 The West Haven Post 71 American Legion baseball team fell to Branford  8-3 Tuesday evening in West Haven. 
Jason Wilkerson went three innings for the Westies on the hill, allowing four runs, before being relieved by Tim Gates. 
The Westies were within a run in the seventh, but could not get the final out in the top half as Branford scored four times to pull away.
The Westies scored twice in the first inning as Frank Johnson walked, Lou Masselli reached on a base hit, and Nick Price, Wilkerson and Nick Demaio walked to force in a pair. 

















Frank Johnson and the Westies suffered a pair of tough losses against Branford. File photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
West Haven scored its final run of the game in the fifth as Mike Savino singled, stole second, moved to third on a grounder, and scored on a wild pitch. 
The Westies, then fell to Branford again  on Wednesday by a score of 5-4. The loss was West Haven's fifth in a row. 
West Haven picked up a run in the second as Masselli reached on a hit, Price added another safety and Wilkerson's fly ball moved Masselli to third. Tim McCarthy then reached on an infield hit to short to score Masselli. 
In the sixth, Johnson walked, Masselli and Wilkerson singled, and McCarthy doubled to clear the bases. 
Angel Gonzalez started for West Haven and pitched 6 1/3 innings before being relieved by Johnson in the seventh. 

Jason Wilkerson. File photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.