Norwich falls short in Legion state tourney opener

Stephen Sieczkowski’s first season as the head coach of the Norwich American Legion 19U baseball team was certainly interesting. Sieczkowski, a Norwich Legion alum who played collegiately at Trine University in Indiana, had to juggle the lineup due to some late-season defections. He also had to navigate some language barriers this summer with the arrival of three talented players from the Dominican Republic. Still, Sieczkowski guided Norwich to its fourth straight state tournament berth.

Unfortunately, Norwich was matched up against postseason nemesis Northeast Connecticut Legion on Wednesday.

“We’ve seen these guys a few times,” Norwich shortstop Mason Bordeau said. “And we can’t seem to get over the hump.”

NCL held off Norwich, 4-3, in the opening round of the 19U state tournament at Dickenman Field. It was the third time in four seasons that NCL eliminated Norwich from the playoffs.

NCL, a cooperative program that features players from Windsor, Windsor Locks, and Suffield, built an early 4-1 lead thanks to three Norwich errors and a wild pitch.

“I don’t think they beat us, I think we beat ourselves,” Sieczkowski said.

Norwich starter Randy Jimenez, a tall, hard-throwing righthander from the Dominican Republic, allowed just three hits over six innings. He walked four and struck out two.

“Randy pitched great,” Sieczkowski said. “The passed balls, walks and unearned runs killed us. But at the end of the day I’m proud of these guys. I’m proud of the season that we had.”

NCL grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Matt Sinofsky singled to right and reached third on a throwing error before scoring on Jack Schofield’s sacrifice fly.

Norwich tied it in the bottom half of the second. Chris Southworth blasted a one-out triple to the centerfield fence, reaching third with a head first slide, and scored on Conor Doyle’s RBI groundout.

NCL (11-11) added two more runs in the third on a leadoff single from catcher Xavier Angel and a pair of infield errors. Norwich second baseman Anthony Martin made a sensational diving catch to end the inning and prevent another run from scoring.

Norwich (9-8) loaded the bases in the bottom of the third when Bordeau lined a single, and Max Sanchez and  Derek Macy drew walks from NCL starter Allen Hinckley. But Hinckley got out of the two-out jam with a flyout.

“We left a lot of runners on and had a lot of big chances that we fell short of and that obviously hurt us in the end,” said Bordeau, who went 2-for-4 with a double. “If the chances are there and we don’t execute then sometimes it’s a credit to them (NCL) for being a good ballclub.”

Trailing 4-1, Norwich took advantage of some wildness from Hinckley and staged a rally in the bottom of the fifth. Anthony Sanchez drew a lead-off walk, Bordeau doubled and Max Sanchez also walked to load the bases with no outs. After a strikeout, Macy and Southworth drew consecutive RBI walks to make it 4-3.

Norwich still had the bases loaded with only one out but Hinckley notched a strikeout on a 3-2 pitch and reliever Garrett Hinckley ended Norwich’s threat by inducing a groundout.

Garrett Hinckley then retired Norwich in order during the sixth and seventh innings.

“Our guys come in and play hard,” Sieczkowski said. “We had plenty of chances today. We just can’t find a way to beat these guys.”

Sieczkowski is already looking forward to next season.

“I love the kids,” Sieczkowski said. “Sometimes I wish I could put that uniform on again and get in there with them. What I get out of this is seeing the kids succeed and learn and get better at the game every single day.”

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich 19U Legion team eliminated from state playoffs