Titans' bats explode against Navigators
August 7, 2013 - Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL)
Torrington Titans News Release
Titan Connor Fitzsimons was 0-for-6 in a Torrington win at the North Shore Navigators Monday.
Tuesday, he got to Fuessenich Park early for some help from the coaches.
"I got my confidence back," said Fitzsimons, a Bristol native going into his sophomore year at Central Connecticut State University.
Did he ever.
Fitzsimons led an 11-6 barrage over the third-place Navigators with a grand slam home run and six total RBI for the night.
"I watched videos of my early games in the season," he said.
"Offense," said Titans coach Misha Dworken. "I like my offense tonight; we showed a lot of speed and some nice pop in the middle of the lineup."
Ryan Kelly and Mike Odenwaelder were the other big bats in the lineup Tuesday.
Kelly was 3-for-5 with two doubles.
Odenwaelder went 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored.
The Titans started their scoring onslaught in the second inning. Trailing by a Navigator run in the first on a walk, steal, passed ball and sac fly, Torrington took advantage of wildness by Navigator starter Justin Davis (three innings, seven runs, one strikeout, four walks) to slide into the lead on an Odenwaelder hit, three straight walks, including Fitzsimons' first RBI and a sacrifice fly by Tyler Martis (2-for-3).
Titan starter Nick Fuller (five innings, one earned run, four hits, four strikeouts, two walks) held the Navigators to their one hitless first-inning run for the next three innings.
Fitzsimons' big blast came in the third.
Davis loaded the bases on a one-out hit by Odenwaelder, a walk to Kyle Decker and a hit batter, Nick DeLotto.
Then Fitzsimons crushed a one-two pitch over the left field wall.
"It's my first grand slam in a big park," he said.
Ahead 7-1 after the third, the Titans gave themselves a scare in the fifth inning, then ruled for the rest of the night.
The nightmare fifth let in three Navigator runs on a single throwing error.
North Shore got as close as 7-5 with another run in the seventh.
Then Torrington righted the ship with two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth.
The win kept Torrington a game behind the sixth-place Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide and a full game ahead of the Seacoast Mavericks.
The league's top six teams qualify for the playoffs.
The Titans have four more games to make up the difference before their regular season ends on Saturday.
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