Sommo’s 3-Run Blast In 11th Sends MCC Over Holyoke

HOLYOKE, MA – Vin Sommo (Clinton) hit a three-run homer with two out in the top of the 11th to give MCC to a 15-12 victory over Holyoke CC in the winners bracket game in the NJCAA Region 21 Division III Tournament Sunday afternoon. Tyler Kapushinski (New Britain) pitched two scoreless innings to pick up the win.

MCC (27-21) will play for its third consecutive Region 21 championship against Massasoit CC (28-9) in Holyoke on Monday at noon. Massasoit beat Holyoke (19-15-2) and Quinsigamond CC (12-20-2) in elimination games on Sunday. Manchester and needs just one victory to win the double-elimination tournament while Massasoit would have to win a second game to win the championship and an automatic bid to the NJCAA Division III World Series in Tyler, TX.

“He takes a lot of good swings, just missing on a lot of pitches, but it’s just a matter of getting the reps for him,” MCC head coach Chris Strahowski said of Sommo, who was 2 for 6 with four RBI. “The more he swings, the more that’s going to happen.”

Holyoke tied the game at 8-8 in the seventh and again with four runs in the bottom of the ninth to make it 12-12. Kevin Wallace (Groton) had a three-run double in MCC’s six-run as the Cougars took a 7-3 lead.

Tyler Wenz pitched the first six innings under blustery conditions with winds up to 40 mph according to weather.com. The sophomore captain threw 92 pitches and left with nobody out and two on in the bottom of the seventh and a 7-5 lead.

“He kept us in it,” Strahowski said of Wenz. “A couple of wind balls, typical of his season. A victim of misfortune here and there, but got us deep enough into the game where we had the pieces in place that we needed.”

Justin Thomas (East Lyme) pitched a third of an inning before turning the game over to A. J. Rataic (East Hartford). Rataic retired the first five batters he faced, but could not hold the lead in the ninth. He did however strand the bases loaded before Kapushinski (1-0) came on in the tenth and retired five of the six batters he faced.

“(Assistant coach Shawn) Barry and I talked about it earlier,” Strahowski said of Kapushinski. “If we got in a situation where we had to go long, we were going to live or die with him. He did a great job.” The left-handed Kapushinski picked up his first collegiate victory in his 13th appearance and lowered his ERA to 2.55 over 24.2 innings.

Strahowski and his team were drained after the three hour and fifty-five minute game, but were relieved not to have to play another game in the cold, very early-spring like conditions. The Cougars look forward to playing for another championship on Monday.

Strahowski added, “We used up a lot of adrenaline today, let’s see if we can come out tomorrow and swing it a little bit.”