Defensive Breakdown Costs Darien Senior Legion

For awhile, it appeared that Alex Pettee's RBI single in the bottom of the first would be enough offense for Darien Senior American Legion pitcher Dave Hickey, who was it total control through four innings.

But the complexion of the game turned after a defensive breakdown in the top of the fifth—including three errors—allowing Greenwich to pull away late and defeat Darien, 8-1, Thursday in a Zone Four contest at Mead Park.

Darien, which handed Greenwich its first loss of the season Tuesday, slipped back under .500 at 9-10. Greenwich improved to 17-1 and remains in a battle with Norwalk (17-2) for first place in the zone.

Runs figured to be at a premium Thursday as the contest featured two of the top pitchers in the zone. Hickey is headed to Yale in the fall and Greenwich's Ryan Carr will be attending Trinity College.

Remarkably, the run Darien scored in the opening frame was the first allowed by Carr in six Legion starts this season.

Still, he was being out-pitched by Hickey, who held Greenwich hitless until a two-out double by Ricky Riscica in the fourth. Darien center fielder Mike Alfieri had four putouts through the first four innings.

"We still knew we could win, especially with Hickey on the mound," Alfieri said. "We knew it was going to be a pitcher's duel, and it was until the sixth inning."

Darien missed a chance to add to its lead after loading the bases with one out in the second. Carr worked out of trouble by getting a forceout at the plate and a strikeout.

"Unfortunately, for the last three innings we didn't hit real well," Darien coach Mike Petrona said. "But the first couple innings we came out hitting, swinging the bats. We're a good hitting team and we're aggressive with the bat. When
we hit the fastball, good things happen for us."

Hickey didn't seem to be the same pitcher in the sixth, when he surrendered three runs, giving up a two-run single to Greg Bayliss and an RBI single to Daniel Fraser.

"I would just say he didn't have the command that he had before," Petrona added. "Maybe a little bit was giving up the lead in that other inning and not being happy about it. But usually he's right on. He did his job today. He came out and pitched really, really well."

Hickey only allowed four hits over six innings—with three strikeouts and two walks—and hardly could be blamed for the fifth, when Greenwich plated two runs without the benefit of a hit.

After Andrew Van Eyck reached on shortstop Alex Freeman's error to start the inning, Greenwich took small ball to the extreme, laying down three consecutive bunts.

Catcher Ben Hull's throw on Bayliss' sacrifice pulled first baseman Will Preziosi off the bag, leaving runners on first and second.

The runners then advanced on Randall Weisenburger's sacrifice, and Van Eyck scored on Fraser's perfectly executed suicide squeeze. Greenwich grabbed a 2-1 lead when Freeman booted Andrew Coffey's grounder for his second error of the inning.

Greenwich broke it open with three runs in the seventh against Darien reliever Cameron Webster. Connor Marr drove in two with a double and Fraser capped the scoring with a run-scoring single, his third RBI of the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Carr was getting stronger as the contest progressed into the later innings. He went the distance, scattering five hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

There was no radar gun at Mead Park, but Carr's fastball was popping into the glove of Bayliss behind the plate. Some estimates had him throwing in the 90-mile-per-hour range.

"He throws the ball harder than most guys," Alfieri said.

The only Darien hitter to figure out Carr was Hull, who was 3-for-3 with three singles. Carr also gave up a single to Freeman in the first.

Darien completes its series with Greenwich on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be played at Greenwich's Julian Curtis Field.