Terriers Baseball Caps Regular Season in Style

Rocky Hill baseball had two memorable games last week, getting a walk-off win over New Britain on Senior Night and shutting out Lewis Mills at Dunkin’ Donuts Park in the regular season finale on May 25.
           
In the win over New Britain, junior captain Tyler Carlstrom connected on a single to drive home Ben Centurelli in the bottom of the 7th inning as the Terriers won 2-1.   
           
Carlstrom said he lives for moments like that, adding, “1-1 games, those are the best.”
           
With Centurelli on second base, Carlstrom approached the plate wanting to get a hit to opposite field and he delivered. 
           
“It happened to be an outside curveball and I just went with it,” added Carlstrom, who also pitched three scoreless innings in relief and struck out five to earn the win on the mound.
           
It was an extra special night for Carlstrom and the team’s four seniors—Jack Pawlich, Jeffrey Vanturas, Leo Kerz, and Ethan Pancoast—who were celebrated before and after the game.  
           
“It felt great; I had to do it for the seniors,” added Carlstrom, who added the seniors have always been there for the younger players and have carried the team. 
           
The Terriers closed the regular season by blanking the Spartans of Lewis Mills. 
           
Centurelli took the hill in Hartford, fanning ten and allowing only three hits to earn the win. 
           
Pawlich went 2-3 from the plate and drove in the first run of the game in the first inning.
           
Carlstrom described the experience in Hartford as “surreal” as the team finished the regular season 14-6 in the team’s first year under new head coach Brett Frank. 
           
Frank, who previously coached at Newington High School, has brought a new approach that Carlstrom described as “hard-nosed”. 
           
“He has really just taken us under his wing,” added Carlstrom. “He expects perfection out of us but it makes us play 10 times better and it’s great.”