RCP is in the driver’s seat.
The defending Northeast Regional champion defeated New London behind Tommy Seaver and Danny Ambler, 5-1, at Rotary Field in the Northern Division Regional of the state American Legion baseball tournament Sunday afternoon.
Seaver (7-1) went six innings, struck out four and gave up three hits — all in the sixth inning.
“Tommy was pitching on short rest,” said RCP coach T.J. Grande. “He gave us everything we needed.”
Ambler came in and shut the door, allowing no hits over three innings to earn a save.
RCP, now 2-0 in the North after its 4-3 extra-inning win over Zone 1 champion Simsbury Saturday, earned a bye into Tuesday’s game at 6:30 p.m. against the winner of tonight’s New London vs. Simsbury game.
RCP (25-3) took a 2-0 lead in the third inning Sunday on RBI doubles by Kevin Radziewicz and Cory Baldwin. The winners tacked on a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Dave Sevigny, who was the wining pitcher in relief Saturday.
Zone 6 champion New London (21-10) cut the lead to 3-1 on three singles and a bases-loaded walk, but Seaver wiggled out of the mess with the two-run lead. RCP added single runs in the sixth and eighth, with the run in the eighth coming on an RBI double by Leo Thomas. Kevin Larkin had two hits for RCP.
“I thought we came with a lot of energy and were ready to go from the beginning today,” said Grande. “I think the momentum from Saturday carried over to today.”
RCP rallied to tie Saturday’s game with Simsbury (24-4) on a two-run single by Larkin in the eighth. Simsbury went ahead with a run off Sevigny (4-0) in the 11th, but RCP rallied for two with the walkoff coming on Baldwin’s double.
Cole Ogorzalek went 10 innings Saturday.
“Cole is the best big game pitcher I’ve seen in a while,” said Grande. “He got hit a bit early, but settled down and gave us 10 innings, which was all he was eligible to pitch.
Ogorzalek threw two innings Thursday, thus the 10 Saturday meant he reached the Legion limit of 12 innings in three calendar days.
Grande said that Tucker Lord will pitch on full rest Tuesday. “I’m excited about that,” he said.
The winner in South Windsor will come to Middletown’s Palmer Field to play the Southern Division winner in a best-of-three series for the state championship and a berth in the Northeast Regional. That series begins Friday at 6:30 p.m.
