MONROE, CT — Masuk High’s baseball team made it four consecutive wins and improved to 11-7 overall heading into Saturday’s home game with Joel Barlow at 3 p.m.
The Panthers blanked host Weston 11-0 on Monday, edged visiting Newtown 1-0 on Tuesday, crushed host Bunnell 10-0 on Wednesday and doubled up visiting Kolbe Cathedral 6-3 on Thursday to earn four wins in as many days.
The most unusual of these contests was one that started last Thursday. Masuk trailed Newtown 1-0 despite outstanding pitching from Connor Fulchino and was three outs away from it being an official game when lightning halted play in the fifth inning.
Because it was not official, the postponed game had to start from the beginning and with the slate wiped clean the Panthers turned what was a 1-0 deficit into a 1-0 win strangely enough.
“We got lucky with the weather,” Masuk Coach Brian Hourigan said.
Masuk caught lightning in a bottle so to speak — and cashed in on the second chance.
Justin Fanning was superb on the mound in the re-do, scattering four hits and striking out five in seven frames, while getting some redemption coming off a 1-0 loss in his previous outing.
The lone run was manufactured in the fifth when Jackson Zylick was hit by a pitch, stole second and took third on an overthrow, then scored on a safety squeeze sacrifice bunt by Jerson Perez.
“I was happy we were able to scratch one across and play some small ball,” Hourigan said.
Masuk played some longball against Kolbe with Zylick hitting a home run. He and Chris Welch each drove in two with Welch collecting three hits. Perez had two hits and a pair of runs scored.
Pitcher Henry Barba went five strong innings, did not allow and earned run as Kolbe had only one earned run in the game, and struck out three.
Against Bunnell, Fulchino pitched a six inning one-hitter with six strikeouts. The game ended in the top of the sixth because of the mercy rule.
Welch and Drew O’Hara both drove in two runs; Steve Curtin had three hits, an RBI and three runs scored; Ethan Fonck had two hits and a pair of runs scored; Perez had a hit, RBI and two runs scored; and Fanning had two hits, an RBI and run scored.
In the Weston game, Jacob Mondo had a seven inning two-hitter with eight strikeouts. Curtin and Fonck both drove in two runs and nine Masuk players collected hits.
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