Little League baseball: Big weekend sends Wilton 12's to district elimination round

After an 8-2 loss in last week's Connecticut Little League District 1 tournament opener, the Wilton 12U all-star baseball team was quickly facing elimination going into its weekend games. It was a tough spot for a group of players that had never won a district game in three years. Their response? Outscoring defending champ Darien and rival Ridgefield 16-2 in two impressive road victories to end pool play. Wilton wound up earning the second seed for the double-elimination knockout phase, with its first game on Friday night at 7:30 against Stamford National, at Scalzi Park in Stamford. “It was a different team from the first game,” manager Michael Daversa said after the team’s 10-2 win over Darien on Saturday and 6-0 win over Ridgefield on Sunday. Daversa said that while he and his coaches (Mike Sherrick, John Fischetti and Chris Tournas) worked out a blueprint for both games, it was the players who ultimately had to get the job done on the field. “They executed perfectly both days,” he said. “It’s really exciting, and I’m very confident because we looked really good this last weekend.” On Saturday, Cole Silvia went nearly six innings to get the win in “the performance of his life,” said the coach. He allowed only five hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Max Jarvie came in to close the game and secure win. The bats were alive, aided by a towering home run by Jarvie and a grand slam by Jackson Duncan. On Sunday, Michael Fischetti pitched a gem for Wilton, going four gutsy innings, striking out seven and only giving up four hits. Jarvie came in again and finished things off by striking out three of the final six Ridgefield batters. The Wilton bats were alive again, pounding out 11 hits highlighted by Jason Sherrick, Nicholas Tournas and Jackson Duncan with multiple hits, and a towering homer by Justin Lewis. Silvia, Fischetti and Jarvie were aided, on both days, by solid defensive contributions from Adam Daversa, Gavin Lowne, Nick Forgione, Jackson Carbonier, and Charlie Caporrino. While Wilton’s pitching and defense were expected to be top-notch, the offensive output over the weekend bodes well for the next round. “Out pitching was outstanding. Now our hitting is really starting to settle in,” said Daversa.