Ludlowe Baseball Picks Up Big Win Over Norwalk

Coming off four straight losses, the Ludlowe Falcons baseball team needed a win in a big way. 

They got that win in a 12-7 fashion over Norwalk on Monday afternoon at Kiwanis Field in Fairfield. 

In their previous games, they got up early, and couldn't hold a lead. Today, it was the reverse. 

Norwalk took a 4-0 lead with three runs in the first and a run in the second before Ludlowe would get on the board in the bottom half of the second. With runners on the corners and out, Patrick Connor singled to left field to plate Christian Smith. The next batter, Sean McAdams, doubled to deep center field to bring in two runs and cut the Norwalk lead to 4-3. 

Norwalk extended their lead to 6-3 with two runs in the third, including an RBI single by Javier Gonzalez. 

Ludlowe would come back in the bottom of the fifth to not only tie the game, but take the lead. Drew Buckley walked. He then stole second and the ball went into center field, When Buckley tried to advance to third, the throw from the Norwalk shortstop, who retrieved the ball in short center field, sailed over the third baseman's head and out of play, allowing Buckley to score. Andrew Fortunato would then double, followed up by a double by Matt Longo that would plate Fortunato. The doubles continued with the next batter, Smith, as his double brought in Rhys Davies, who pinch-ran for Longo, to tie the game at six.

Two batters later, Justin Dennett singled to center field to bring Smith home and give the Falcons a 7-6 lead. 

Norwalk would not go away as they tied the game in the top of the sixth. Eddy Garabito-Soto tripled to deep right field and the throw to third went past the Ludlowe third baseman and Garabito-Soto was able to come in and score to tie the game. 

The Falcons would come right back in the bottom of the sixth. With runners on the corners and one out, Fortunato drove a ball to deep right field for a two-run triple to give Ludlowe the lead back at 9-7. They would not be done. An error would allow Fortunato to come in and score before a two-run double by Dennett would cap the scoring. 

Ludlowe improves to 2-4 overall and 2-4 in the FCIAC. The Falcons travel to Trumbull for a matchup with St. Joe's on Wednesday. 

High School Baseball Is Back

The Falcons warm up prior to the game against New Canaan

After the 2020 season was cancelled, high school baseball, and all spring sports, were back this week in Connecticut. 

It's interesting times for everyone, dealing with COVID protocols and quarantines, and the unknown due to the fact that there wasn't a season last year. 

For the Ludlowe baseball team, they got our season going on Tuesday against New Canaan after getting postponed against Greenwich on Saturday and New Canaan on Monday. 

It was 682 days between the 2019 season ending loss against Southington until Ludlowe played another game that counted. 

In terms of the game, the Falcons picked up a 9-8 win on a walk-off by catcher Christian Smith in the bottom of the seventh. 

Ludlowe took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Smith and a two-run triple by Andrew Fortunato. 

New Canaan cut into the lead with a two-run triple to center field in the fourth by Cameron Wheeler. 

Ludlowe extended their lead in the bottom half of the inning as they scored five times. Matt Vivona led off with a hustle double to right field and Noah Schaper walked. 

Three batters later with the bases now loaded, Fortunato singled to right to bring home two runs. Charlie Mulhall followed that up with an RBI single to put the Falcons up 7-2. The scoring for the inning when Mike Innaimo delivered a sacrifice fly to plate Mulhall. 

New Canaan scored four more times in the fifth as they batted around despite only getting three hits in the inning. 

The Rams would tie the game in the top half of the seventh. A single and an error put two one with one out before Jack O'Donnell came up with an RBI double to cut the deficit to 8-7 and put two runners in scoring position. Andrew Rashad's sacrifice fly would tie the game at eight. 

In the bottom half of the seventh, Rhys Davies led off with a single to center field. Matt Vivona laid down a bunt and the ball was thrown into center field to put two on and none out. Two batters later, Longo would walk to load the bases and put the winning run 90 feet away. Smith then came out and drove a 1-1 pitch deep enough to right field to allow Davies to come in and score. 

Ludlowe improves to 1-0 on the early season and will travel to Greenwich to take on the Cardinals on Wednesday at 4pm. 

We'll see if I continue to write these recaps. The lack of media coverage, especially newspaper coverage, around the league for all sports is disappointing and I want to give the student-athletes some coverage. 

Ludlowe/Warde Hoops, Pandemic Edition

The girls game courtesy of the NFHS Network

We are so used to big crowds for rivalry sporting events. The atmosphere is a large part of what makes the game an event. Well this year, obviously crowds are minimal or  non-existent. 

Ludlowe/Warde basketball took place on Saturday afternoon. It's a day and an event I look forward to every year. This year the girls game took place at 12pm at Warde and the boys game at 2:30pm at Ludlowe. So not your traditional doubleheader between the Falcons and Mustangs, but still a doubleheader in a sense. For all other games this winter, only home parents are allowed (no other fans). 

For these in-town rivalry games, parents from both schools were allowed. This at least made the gym less quiet, but the atmosphere was still different, with the student sections noticeably missing.

In terms of the games, Ludlowe swept the doubleheader. The girls took down the Mustangs by a 66-41 score. The Falcons were led by Juliet Bucher and Laura Herron, who each had 11 points and Anna Paulmann who had 10 points (thanks to the Ludlowe girls basketball Twitter for the stats.)

The Ludlowe boys defeated the Mustangs by a 48-37 score. James Mockler led the Falcons with 16 points. Erik Leonard added 12 points and Connor Lawlor also finished in double figures with 11 points. For Warde, Damian Vial had 15 points. 

It was great to have the gyms somewhat lively again. Can't wait until we are able to have the gyms packed and rocking with fans, including students, again. At least today felt like we are getting back to some normalcy. 

Ludlowe-Warde is a game I both love and hate. It's a ton of fun but as I've said many times, it's difficult not to show any emotion. Four great coaches and people in these games with John Dailey, Sara Kinsley, Ryan Swaller and Dave Danko. 

A few more weeks of the season. Hopefully everyone can make the most of a crazy season and then on to spring sports. 

Also, as a side note, the lack of media covering the games were disappointing. I know Aiden Blanc and the Falcon Sports Network (Ludlowe's student broadcasting club) were at the girls game and called the boys game remotely, but disappointing not to see any print media covering these games.  There's a longer post here, maybe for another time, but two thing here. As Rob Adams, Mike Hirn and I have discussed, all these broadcasts should have announcers on them. It's a much better presentation and the kids deserve it. Also, these games should all be covered. The media (writers, broadcasters, etc) are important and work hard to promote students and student-athletes.  

Interesting Day In CT High School Sports

Ludlowe celebrating their 2019 Holiday Tournament Championship

It was an interesting day in high school sports. 

Most winter sports were told they can begin starting on Tuesday. This is pending school/district approval. Games can begin as early as Feb. 8. However, some sports, such as wrestling, competitive cheerleading, dance and indoor track, can not begin in the normal fashion. Wrestling, competitive cheerleading and dance are all in the high risk category, as categorized by the National Federation of High Schools. Indoor track can't hold meets but can practice, due to the number of people in facilites for 

• Wrestling may conduct small group conditioning and non-contact skill building.
• Competitive cheering may conduct small group conditioning and non-contact skill building. Sideline cheerleading is allowed. 
• Competitive dance may conduct small group conditioning and non-contact skill building.
• Indoor Track can  have practices only. Indoor/outdoor meets will be considered for March.

There will be no state tournament for the winter sports, but rather a tournament experience (I.e. conference tournaments). All sports will have certain considerations for the schools to think about. 

Here is the full plan from the CIAC. 

In addition, where the biggest uproar came today is that the alternative season was cancelled. This was supposed to be the season where football, which was cancelled in the fall, along with any other sports that didn't have a season, would play. It's an interesting case, because you want to give the student-athletes opportunities, but you don't want to provide false hope, which is ultimately what happened. 

Another factor that came out as a result is that as of now, spring sports will begin on March 29, the day after the winter season ends. Previously, the spring season had been pushed back to April 12, in order to make room for the alternative season. 

I have many thoughts on all that has transpired, and I didn't even give all the details. Head to the Hartford Courant's Shawn McFarland's Twitter for more. Side note - Shawn's a great follow on Twitter and a great read in the Courant, always giving facts and information for the readers. Doing what a reporter should. 

Overall, it was a very good day, I'm happy for the basketball, hockey players and others who will get to have a season. It will be a unique season, but any season is better than nothing. That said,  It's disappointing for football, wrestling, cheerleading and dance. We'll see what happens for indoor track. Hopefully, as the weather gets warmer in March, they will be able to have some kind of meets outside, that will lead right into the outdoor track season. I can't say I am surprised however, I never really expected the alternative season to happen, whether it be because of the COVID metrics, or scheduling issues. 

Then, there is the whole thought of if we should be playing at all. With the COVID metrics in Connecticut the way they are, there are a lot of people who either outright don't think we should be playing, or are skeptical of the fact that we are playing. Before the CIAC was able to approve winter sports today, the CT Dept. of Public Health had to give the go-ahead. That said, I know there are schools and towns who will opt out (happening as a type this). 

I feel bad for the football players and coaches, along with those winter sports who can't have their seasons. 

I'm optimistic for what's ahead for the winter and the spring athletes, coaches and teams, as long as everyone can stay safe. Looking forward to busy and exciting times in the Athletic Departments. 

Side note - I had some different thoughts earlier today. Thanks for Rob Adams and his Doubleheader show for making me look at the big picture. 

My thoughts on this blog are my own. I have these thoughts as a high school sports fan and a supporter of high school student-athletes and teams. 

Looking Back On 2020 and Forward To What's To Come

I wasn't going to write about 2020. Let's be honest, it wasn't that exciting. There was nothing that specifically stands out, at least from a fun, good, point of view. But then I'm like, if I want to keep writing, I should write something. There's kind of that "I see other friends who blog (Rob Adams and John Nash, specifically) writing end of year posts, maybe I can/should. 

Overall, this has been a boring year, but in the same fate, an Ok year personally. However, plenty of friends have lost family members this year and plenty of others are dealing with tough times. Obviously, COVID-19 has been a big chunk of the year and has impacted all of us in many ways. 

From a local sports perspective, we had the 2019-2020 winter season cut short, no 2020 spring season, and an abbreviated 2020 fall season. At this point, the 2020-2021 winter season is put on hold, so we will see what happens in the coming weeks. There were some sports played over the summer and it was nice to see baseball. I got to see a bunch of Fairfield American Legion games, as well as Fairfield American and Fairfield National little league baseball. In addition, Rob and I broadcasted the CT State Little League baseball State Tournament. 

If I think about some local games and moments from the year that stood out, there aren't that many. More, there are behind the scenes moments that stand out. Those are stories we can tell at later times, or are for others to tell. In terms of games, here are a few that come to mind. 

1) Fairfield Legion walk-off vs Greenwich in the playoffs

Fairfield walks-off on Greenwich 7-6 to advance in the FCBL Playoffs #ctbase pic.twitter.com/tQyTMPDkLu

— Shawn Sailer (@ShawnSailer) August 9, 2020

2) Hamden defeating Montville in the Little League State Tournament

 

3) Despite it being a Warde loss, the Mustangs boys basketball FCIAC semifinal game was a fun back-and-forth game that came down to the final seconds. https://events.locallive.tv/events/37157 

I'm probably forgetting some games that I should include, but honestly there were not that many. I also tried to find games where I had video or audio. 

Oh, and I really need to learn more music so I can know what people are talking about and be more involved in conversations. That will be one of my New Years resolutions. If I can somehow relate the songs to sports, that would be much easier and much more likely that I will pay attention. 

Here's hoping things get better for everyone and we can enjoy 2021 and beyond. It's not going to change just because it's a new year, but hopefully things change soon. Also, as I wrote a couple blogs ago, hoping for a lot of sports soon. Thankful for many friendships built and those strengthened and looking forward to more of that.  

To better days.....

Nets, Not the Knicks? Yes, Go Nets!

Hopefully the current Nets are even more excitable as the Jason Kidd days. 

It's the opening night of the NBA season. You're writing about the NBA, you say. Well, for the first time in a long time, I'm actually somewhat excited about it. 

Being a Nets fan, there hasn't been a lot to cheer about since since the early to mid 2000's when they went deep in the playoffs a couple years, including going to the NBA Finals in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003. Well, tonight begins the long-overdue debut of Kevin Durant, as he teams with Kyrie Irving and the rest of the Nets. I'm also interested to see what DeAndre Jordan does for them. He's a inside presence that can work well with Jarrett Allen. 

People think it's crazy when I tell them I'm a Nets fan, and that I was a Nets fan when they were in New Jersey with Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. I'm not sure why or how I became a Nets fan because they are the one team I started cheering for when they were not great in the mid-late 2000's, after the Finals appearances. There were some ups and plenty of downs with many coaching changes. I liked Lawrence Frank and he had some success early on, but when went through a really bad stretch and untimely got let go during the 12-70 2009-2010 season. Since then, they are on their 10th coach (including interim). That is not a recipe for success. Or should I say, that is due to the lack of success. 

The first game I went to was 2006 (I believe) at the Izod Center, then Continental Airlines Arena in *East Rutherford, NJ. I know they weren't good, but I miss the days of them in NJ. They will always be the NJ Nets to me, but I've continued to be a fan, once they moved to Brooklyn. I know some people said they would no longer be fans. To me, it's the same franchise, they just moved location.  

*I initially had written Newark. Thanks to Brian Koonz for pointing it out. I should know better, as it's part of the Meadowlands sports complex which includes Metlife Stadium and it's always said "From East Rutherford, New Jersey."

Now, back to present day. Having the stars is awesome, now as fans, we need to hope the work well together and bring the team success. This also allows players who had to be the go-to-guys before, like Joe Harris, fit in well as role players. A team with a lot of stars is helpful, but you need other guys to fill in the pieces in order to have a great team. 

It's a long season so it may take some time for the everything to mesh and for people like Durant, who is coming off an injury, to shake off some rust. It's a unique season but it can also hopefully we a fun season. It will be interesting to see what happens but I'm intrigued. 

Missing Sports

I haven't blogged in over two months. I keep saying I want to blog more, but I just don't have much to write about, and don't want to write about news you can get many other places. What's the point? I need to be better at finding topics and just write. Write for myself. It doesn't matter who reads or doesn't read. It doesn't need to be sports (even though, as I say below and everyone knows, sports are my life). I want to continue to keep my journalism passion and sharpen my writing skills. 

I look at what Rob Adams is doing over at his blog, Exit 55, with Project 365+. He's almost at two full years of one blog a day. Or John Nash at The October Weekend, who first challenged Rob to Project 365 in 2019 and continues to blog often. I'm not saying I'm going to be them, but I just see what they are doing and which I would write more. 

Now to my main point of this post. 

I miss sports, especially at the local level. I realize what's going on in the country (and the word) with the COVID pandemic is more important than sports, but I am still holding hope that there is a safe way to have local sports around here. 

Connecticut fall high school sports ended in early November* and as of now, winter sports don't start until January 19th at the earliest. Hopefully we get some sort of winter season in. In addition, no matter what happens with winter sports, the CIAC (Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference) has said they will try to give as much of a normal spring season as possible consider the spring athletes lost their entire spring season last year. 

*It was a modified season, but we got a fall sports season in without much disruption and the athletes and teams got to have a fall sports experience, which is the goal. 

I see photos from people in other parts of the country where games are being played. It makes me miss sports even more. 

As I said to someone else, not only is high school sports my job, it's my life. As pathetic as that may sound. I live for HS basketball and HS baseball. 

Between helping out the basketball team at Ludlowe and being on the Ludlowe baseball coaching staff and then of course dealing with all the other Ludlowe and Warde teams as part of my job, there's not much else. There's still work to be done, and I'm able to get ahead on some things, but not as much as I'd like just due to the uncertainty of the seasons. 

I've enjoyed all the professional and college sports we have gotten to watch. From MLB, to the NFL, to college football and college basketball, as well as the NBA and NHL and so much more. I've been home more so I've watched a bunch and it's been great to watch. To those who say it's not real, or it doesn't matter, you're not a real sports fan. 

We will see what happens. Hopefully we have some answers soon. And hopefully there is more from me around here.