It might be taking a while for the weather to warm up, but even Mother Nature can’t cool off the New Canaan Rams baseball team.
Brandon Abate bumps fists with Rams 1B coach Ron Bentley after hitting a single.
Led by an offensive attack that pounded out 11 hits, including a double and home run by senior captain Nick Cascione, the Rams beat Norwalk High School 7-2 Friday night at City Hall Field. The win was New Canaan’s 6th in a row as they improved to 8-1 (6-1 FCIAC) on the season.
“The depth of this lineup is good, because we’re not relying on just one or two,” New Canaan head coach Mitch Hoffman told NewCanaanite.com. “It’s nice to see each guy picking each other up.”
Alex LaPolice on his way to first after hitting a single.
Seven Rams batters had at least one hit with senior captain Matt Toth leading the way with 3 singles and a run. Toth has been unstoppable as of late, hitting safely in 10 if his last 12 At Bats–good for an .833 average. Cascione went 2-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs. Junior catcher Zack Smith also had two hits in support of Rams starter J.R. Anderson. The senior captain gave up just 2 hits over 5 innings before giving way to junior Alex LaPolice, who struck out 3 Norwalk batters over the final two innings.
Kane Curtin loads up.
In a trend that’s become a New Canaan trademark, the Rams jumped out to a quick lead. Cascione led off the game with a double and moved the third on LaPolice’s single. New Canaan then pulled off a double steal with Cascione taking home for the first run of the game.
Smith led off the 2nd inning with a single and moved into scoring position with a stolen base. After a groundout, junior Kane Curtin ripped an RBI triple for a 2-0 New Canaan lead. Curtin scored on senior Max Wilson’s sac fly to right to extend to a 3-0 lead.
The Rams added one run in the 4th and two more in the 5th before Cascione capped the Rams scoring with a long home run to left center.
Nick Cascione crosses the plate after hitting a home run.
“It felt good to make contact with it,” Cascione said. “Our approach is to take it one pitch at a time. We’re not swinging at everything all over the place–we want a perfect pitch in a perfect spot.”
“They really hit the ball,” Norwalk head coach Pete Tucci said. “What I like about New Canaan is that they are very versatile. They can hit and run. They can run and steal bases. They can hit the ball 450 feet. Or they can beat you by hitting the ball on the right side of the field. I just think they’re a real good offensive team.”
J.R. Anderson delivers a pitch against Norwalk.
Meanwhile, Anderson held the Bears hitless until the 4th inning when Chris Cotaling singled to lead off the inning. The Rams hurler was able to work out of jams in the 4th with a strikeout and the 5th with a grounder to New Canaan senior captain Erik Jager at 3B to keep Norwalk at bay.
“J.R. battled some elements, but he got us the win,” Hoffman said. “He had a little bit too much time off for us, so we’re going to try to get him up on the bump Wednesday (against McMahon).”
Alex LaPolice delivers.
The Rams have a busy week ahead with games against Ridgefield, McMahon and Danbury before a highly anticipated showdown with conference rival Staples the following Monday, which could be the must-see FCIAC baseball game of the year. Even so, the Rams aren’t looking past THIS coming Monday.
“We just have to keep our eye on the prize,” Cascione said. “I know that sounds corny, but we just have to stay focused and keep our heads on. We’ve been playing great all season, and just have to stay on that path.”