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WINSTED – High school baseball is a drama that hits Broadway after it passes the second round of the state tournaments.
The quarterfinal round is the stage door to the bigtime.
Northwestern and Wolcott entered that stage last Saturday at Northwestern High School on a cold windy day straight from the Scottish moors.
Wolcott’s bus driver sits on the steps of her bus at one end of the parking lot watching cars fill in, potentially blocking her exit.
“One of my boys is on crutches; he had to walk all the way down here from the hill. I’m not in a hurry to get out.”
Outside the third baseline, Northwestern starter Freddie Camp and his warmup partner exchange fist bumps, along with a hug from one of the coaches.
On the first baseline, Wolcott second-year coach Craig Prasauckas surveys the scene, declaring, “Ours is a program that runs the same way as theirs – same type of kids.”
The psych for Saturday’s performance: Last year, Northwestern knocked out the Eagles in the second round, 14-3. Most of that team is back with high hopes after running away with this year’s Berkshire League title, many of them in their senior year.
The Highlanders jumped on their opponents in the first two rounds, 5-2, then 16-3. Wolcott won their first two rounds by one run each, eight innings apiece.
“They’re a gritty bunch of kids. They never think they’re out of it this year,” says Prasauckas.
There’s more history for both programs from before Prasauckas came to Wolcott from Thomaston: In 2021, Northwestern made it all the way to the finals only to be met by MLB draftee Frankie Mozzicato; Freddie Camp got the Highlanders’ only hit, a double.
Wolcott was there in 2019 and 2018 with similar disappointments: a 6-3 loss to St. Joseph followed by a 13-2 beating from Seymour.
In 2016, the two programs met on the big stage: Wolcott walked off with a 2-run homer for a 3-2 win.
Northwestern coach Kevin Nelligan, who was there for all of it says, “Making a run like that is the most fun you’ll ever have.”
Now, last Saturday, the curtain goes up for another epic.
It’s 10 o’clock in the morning in deference to the Highlanders’ senior prom Saturday night, but at this stage of the tournament, romance comes second to another battle on the field.
Coach Nelligan has said, “There will be a mistake early in every game; you have to rally around the player and move on.”
Sure enough, a Highlander infielder bobbles a routine grounder with two outs in the top of the first inning.
Camp moves on, with his second strikeout of the inning.
Then, in the bottom of the inning, the Highlanders seem to follow.
Junior lefty Drew Rocca is on the mound for the Eagles, beset early with nerves and the cold wind.
Rocca hits his first batter and gives up a single to Camp before settling into his first strikeout. Then he hits another Highlander to load the bases, one out.
Fatal early mistakes?
“I have faith in my guys,” says Coach Prasauckas.
Rocca strikes out the next two Highlanders, ending the inning.
Now both pitchers settle in for the march ahead, with ripples of drama along the way.
Camp gives up two leadoff walks in the top of the second, followed by a fly to right and two more strikeouts…Each pitcher gives up a two-out walk in the third…Devin DiVita lands on his rear making a great stop, then throws to first for the out from there for Northwestern’s third out…Eagle Josh Dunne hits a leadoff single in the fourth; Northwestern catcher Ryan Duval cuts him down stealing second.
It’s all part of the buildup because nobody – that’s nobody – has yet to score.
Northwestern means to change that with a new Eagle pitcher – senior lefty A.J. Martinez – on the mound in the bottom of the fifth.
The Highlander music swells as Martinez hits his first batter, Nolan Risedorf; Camp and Risedorf get two bases on an Eagle error; then the Eagles botch a rundown on Risedorf, safely back to third on DiVita’s bouncer to Martinez.
For the second time in the game, Northwestern has the bases loaded, this time with no outs. Highlander fans lining the high banks – okay, call them cliffs surrounding the field on three sides – smell a happy ending.
Wolcott’s Prasauckas stays firm with faith in his guys.
The Northwestern music dies with a force-out at the plate; the speedy Camp on third beseeching Coach Nelligan to let him try stealing home; a called third strike; and a ground-out to second.
It’s another red herring in the drama followed by a quiet sixth inning – Camp’s last on the mound, reaching his pitch limit as Rocca did the inning before.
Reliever Tanyon Weber starts the seventh with a called third strike; then one more mistake – an infield error on Joe Scanziano’s hot grounder – proves fatal for Northwestern.
Sophomore David Cardinale pushes Sconziano to second with a sacrifice bunt.
Senior Nick Sconziano emerges as the drama’s hero with an RBI double to right field for the final 1-0 score.
A leadoff double by Risedorf in the bottom of the seventh as the credits roll raise one more Northwestern hope for a sequel, but, this time, it’s Prasauckas who ends up in tears of happiness/relief with the final out.
“After last year, this one was personal,” he says.
The Highlanders were more stoic.
Coach Nelligan, with years of experience, prepared them.
“It will end at some point,” he told them often. “Enjoy the ride.”
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