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Windsor looks to add to history in Class L baseball vs. Maloney

kyle maher, journal inquirer, manchester, conn.
·4 min read

Jun. 9—Jonathan Lattimer watched from the bleachers as an eighth grader as the Windsor High baseball team fell to Wethersfield in the 2018 Class L state tournament championship game at Palmer Field.

Four years later, the senior is returning to the park with the Warriors to play in the Class L title game, and this time, he is hoping to see joy, not dejection, on the faces of the Windsor players, coaches and fans after the final out is recorded.

Lattimer and the top-seeded Warriors (23-1) will face No. 10 Maloney (16-8) in the championship game Friday at 7 p.m. in Middletown

"I remember seeing the heartbreak from those kids after the game," Lattimer said. "We don't want to just do this for ourselves. We want to do it for that team and the Windsor community. To have the community behind us and pulling for us to finish this is pretty special."

Windsor is making its fourth appearance in the championship game. The Warriors won the title in 1979 and 1991 before falling short in 2018.

Windsor reeled off 15 straight victories to open the season, the last win clinching the Warriors at least a share of the CCC North division title on May 12.

Windsor took the division title outright with a five-inning victory over Bloomfield/Bulkeley/Aerospace on May 23 and finished with a 19-1 regular season record.

The Warriors pounded No. 32 Kaynor Tech in the first round of the Class L tournament before beating No. 16 Guilford, No. 8 Lyman Hall, and No. 12 Daniel Hand to advance to the championship game.

"This team is ready," sophomore Eli Fangiullo said. "We have to go in and be confident. We have to strike first and always be the aggressor."

Windsor outscored its four tournament opponents 33-3.

"They're one of the top teams I've seen this year," Maloney coach Ricky Marrero said. "Their team speed is just unbelievable. You make an error against those guys and it seems like the roof caves in."

Lattimer, who is hitting .500 with a .570 on base percentage, and Mason Glickman, who is hitting .418, are the power bats in the middle of the Windsor lineup. But every player in the Warriors' starting nine is capable of doing damage.

"I've always tried to design the lineup to have some depth to it," Windsor coach Joe Serfass said. "Breon (Parker) sets the table up top, provides some pressure on the defense with his speed. (Nason) Busca in the six hole has been finding ways to get on base and (Aiden) Serrano in the seven hole, a good bunter who has had a very good year. And (Ryan) Cramer has had a good year with his ability to turn the lineup over. They're all different in their own way and I think understanding their role has been the key to our success."

The Warriors are expected to hand the ball to No. 2 starter Nate Acabchuk in the title game with Glickman, the ace of the rotation, unavailable after throwing 6Î shutout innings in Tuesday's semifinal round.

Ryan Cramer, who closed out the Warriors' victory Tuesday, is available in relief.

"Nate has had a great year and we're hoping he can continue to pitch with a ton of confidence and pound the strike zone," Serfass said. "And it's all hands on deck with the other guys. Ryan has been a reliable guy out of the bullpen and in spot starts for us."

Maloney is making its third championship game appearance. The Spartans are still searching for their first title after falling short in 1989 and 1995.

The Spartans topped No. 23 Bristol Eastern, No. 7 Wilcox Tech, No. 15 East Lyme, and No. 14 Notre Dame-West Haven to reach the championship game.

Tyler Duffy, Rafael Rodriguez, and Joseph Rodriguez are the power bats in the middle of the Spartans lineup.

Duffy, one of Maloney's top starters, is unavailable Friday after a complete-game performance in Tuesday's semifinal round, so the Spartans are expected to give the ball to Ryan Killeen. The senior is 6-2 on the year.

Sam Giacco and Joseph Rodriguez will be available in relief.

"Ryan is a senior and has had a good year," Marrero said. "Behind him we have Sammy and Joseph, who have both had nice years. We've got a nice group of kids. We've swung the bats well and played good defense. We don't have a ton of power but our guys seem to swing the bats well in big spots."

For daily updates on high school sports in JI's coverage area, follow Kyle Maher on Twitter: @KyleBMaher, Facebook: Kyle Maher, and Instagram: @KyleBMaher.