nothin New Haven Independent | Hornets Defeat Easties 2-1 in 8-Inning…

Hornets Defeat Easties 2 – 1 in 8‑Inning Nailbiter

East Haven’s Anthony Buffone beats the throw to catcher Rob Barbash on his inside-the-park homerun.

Some folks like to see a high-scoring baseball game with lots of hits and lots of runs, but there is something exciting about being at a close game and all that goes into it. A pitchers’ duel, lots of close plays, collisions and high emotions, a nail biter. Well that’s what happened last week in a tight 2 – 1 game between the Branford Hornets and their arch rivals, the East Haven Yellow Jackets.

Branford’s Alphonse Suppa (pictured) and the Easties’ Ryan Spano hooked up in a classic pitchers’ duel over the first seven innings. Senior Alphonse Suppa pitched seven innings gave seven hits, struck out five and only allowed one run.

Burzenski’s throw to first just caught Ryan Spano to complete the double play.

Each gave up seven hits but they were spread out. Branford scored in the top of the first on a single by Damien Maniscalco. He was knocked in a couple of batters later on a clutch hit by Suppa. Spano shut the Hornets down for the next six innings.

East Haven couldn’t put anything together off Suppa and didn’t score until the bottom of the fifth inning on a very unusual play. Here Senior Rob Barbash hits a leadoff double in the seventh inning.

Here Shortstop CJ Miller stretches for a throw at second base.

And Here Zane Kmietek rips a single to left.

Catcher Rob Barbash led off the seventh inning with a double.

DJ Caron connects on a pitch down the middle.

Anthony Buffone hit a long fly to left that rolled to the fence. Left fielder Bennett Gentile chased it down, but when he bent down to pick up the ball his foot got stuck in the fence, and he couldn’t get up to relay the throw. Buffone scored on what was ruled an inside-the-park home run. 

The game was tied after seven when both teams changed pitchers. Gabe Longley came in for the Easties in the top of the eighth and had some control issues. He ended up walking Zane Kmietek with the bases loaded scoring Gentile for the go-ahead run.

Here CJ Miller gets ready to make a throw to first to nail a runner.

Carson Mendoza shut down the Easties in the bottom half of the inning, ending the game on a second to short to first ground ball double play.

Rob Barbash, Anthony Burzynski and CJ Miller all had doubles for Branford with Maniscalco, Gentile, Suppa and Kmietek all getting singles. Here Burzynski fires to first for a double play.

Here Miller’s throw to first baseman Zane Kmietek just beat Frank Camera to the bag.

We saw a lot of different things on the field today, that’s for sure,” said Branford coach Steve Malafronte. It was classic Branford East Haven all the way. Rough and tumble, grind it out to the end and then shake hands and move on. Until the next time,” the coach said.Here base runner Zane Kmietek was out at home plate after colliding with East Haven catcher Luis Vega.

Since the East Haven game, Branford won another one-run game, a 7 – 6 victory at West Haven on Wednesday. They are now 7 – 4 and have won the last five games in a row. Next up is a home game against Foran today at 3:45 p.m.

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