Last year the New Canaan Rams were 4 outs away from winning their first State title since 1950, ultimately losing to Fitch 6-4 in the Class L Championship game.
Now, they are 21 outs away from finishing what they could not in 2012.
Led by junior pitcher J.R. Anderson’s gritty 6.1 innings of 1-run ball and a huge, clutch double by classmate Erik Jager, the 4th-seeded Rams advanced to the Class L Championship game with a 5-1 victory over #16 North Haven at Palmer Field in Middletown. New Canaan will take on #2 Waterford in the final on Saturday at 12pm.
“I can’t be happier than I am for these kids, it’s a total team effort” said New Canaan Head Coach Mitch Hoffman, who in four years at the varsity helm has led the Rams to an unprecedented three consecutive semifinal appearances and two straight finals.
Tuesday night’s win was a unique one for the Rams, as the usual headliners – senior captains Andrew Casali and Casey Ouellette and senior slugger Brian Moran – took a back seat to some underclassmen.
Anderson worked around 4 hits and 4 walks to earn the hard-fought win. Sophomore David Giusti came on to record the final two outs on a strike-‘em-out, throw-‘em-out double play to end the game.
But perhaps the best performance by an underclassman was the hit by Jager.
With the Rams clinging to a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 5th inning, and Moran and Ouellette on 1st and 2nd, Jager battled North Haven reliever Chandler Andrewsen, the Indians’ third pitcher of the evening, to a 3-2 count. Turning on an inside fastball, the New Canaan third baseman drilled the pitch to deep LF, scoring both runners and extending New Canaan’s lead to 5-1.
“I was just making sure I had a really short swing,” said Jager. “A shorter swing and quicker hands, it’s as simple as that.”
"That was absolutely huge for us,” said Casali, who in all likelihood will be the Rams' starting pitcher on Saturday. “I personally noticed Erik was swinging the bat a lot better lately. To see him come up clutch in a situation like that…I couldn’t be happier.”
The Indians got to Anderson early with two hits in the top of the first. But CF Alex Lapolice gunned down a potential run at the plate to keep North Haven off the scoreboard.
After North Haven starter Zack Brown retired the first two Ram hitters of the game, Andrew Casali singled and stole second. Brian Moran followed with an infield single. The ensuing throw was wild, allowing Casali to score, and Moran to take 2nd. Jager then grounded a ball to third, and when that throw skipped past the first baseman, Moran scored and New Canaan had a 2-0 lead.
“We talked about putting the ball in play the entire time,” said Hoffman. “We’ve been working on that all year, putting pressure on the defense and getting stuff done the right way, and we did it.”
New Canaan added to the lead in the 3rd inning when Ouellette led off with a single and went to third on Matt Toth’s double. Andrew Casali pushed an outside pitch to RF, scoring Ouellette but Toth was gunned down at third.
North Haven seemed to gain some momentum in the next frame, as Anderson walked the first two hitters, who then moved up on a sac bunt. North Haven’s Mike Acampora ripped an RBI single to LF to close the gap to 3-1. But Anderson settled down to strand a pair of Indian baserunners and preserve the lead.
“J.R., he just keeps on grinding,” said Casali. “He’s an unbelievable competitor and I can’t say enough about the kind of kid he is. Every time he goes out there, I know we have a really good chance to win.”
Thanks to Jager’s 5th-inning heroics, the chances of a win seemed to be completely in New Canaan's favor.
Ouellette drew a one-out walk, and after Casali lined out to CF, moved to second on Moran’s free pass. After taking and fouling off several pitches, Jager had the hit of the night.
“I don’t think I’ve been happier,” said Jager. “That was one of the greatest moments I’ve ever had in baseball. That’s what it’s all about.”
“It feels awesome,” said Casali. “We had a goal at the beginning of the season, and this is definitely part of it. We just have to go out on Saturday and take care of business and bring it home.”
-Terry Dinan
