Dover 11s lose a heartbreaker, look to bounce back in Cal Ripken New England regionals

Brandon Brown, Fosters Daily Democrat
·2 min read
Dover 11U Cal Ripken pitcher Owen Lovering delivers during a 6-5 loss to West Hartford, Connecticut, in the New England regional tournament Tuesday, July 19, 2022 in New Canaan, Connecticut.
Dover 11U Cal Ripken pitcher Owen Lovering delivers during a 6-5 loss to West Hartford, Connecticut, in the New England regional tournament Tuesday, July 19, 2022 in New Canaan, Connecticut.

NEW CANAAN, Conn — The positive side to a setback is it creates the opportunity for a response.

The Dover 11-and-under Cal Ripken baseball team suffered a narrow 6-5 defeat Tuesday to West Hartford, Connecticut, its first loss in the New England regional tournament Tuesday.

Dover, which led 5-1 after two and a half innings, saw its lead evaporate.

Dover 11U Cal Ripken pitcher Connor Lynch delivers during a 6-5 loss to West Hartford, Connecticut, in the New England regional tournament Tuesday, July 19, 2022 in New Canaan, Connecticut.
Dover 11U Cal Ripken pitcher Connor Lynch delivers during a 6-5 loss to West Hartford, Connecticut, in the New England regional tournament Tuesday, July 19, 2022 in New Canaan, Connecticut.

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"(Tuesday) was a tough one," Dover head coach Mike Lynch said. "West Hartford is a good team, no doubt about that, but we definitely left feeling like we let one slip away for sure."

Dover's Ben Cheek hit a RBI single to right field to score Trey Longuil for the game's opening run, followed by a sacrifice fly from Owen Lovering and Camden Stowell to increase the lead to 3-0 in the first inning.

In the second, Brady Flyn hit a RBI single and Des Fennessy added a RBI single in the third inning for Dover.

Lynch added, "After the game, we were very honest and talked about letting one slip away, and went through a lot of the mistakes that we made in the game that were really uncharacteristic and things we don't usually do," he said. "I think they'll be ready to go today."

Dover was set to play Wednesday against third-seeded Easton-Redding (Connecticut) at 4:30, with a spot on the semifinals on the line.

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"(Easton-Redding) is the Connecticut state champion, and they've got three big hitters in the middle of their lineup," Lynch said. "I'm not sure which pitcher we're seeing today, but they do have one tall, lanky kid who throws really hard. From what I've seen, they are a good team. We definitely have to show up and play."

The winner will play New Cannan on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a semifinal.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Dover 11s lose a heartbreaker in Cal Ripken New England regionals