Marvelous Marvin Answers the Bell For East Hampton

For the first time, East Hampton baseball coach Scott Wosleger knows the feeling his opposite number, East Catholic's Jim Penders, has experienced on four different occasions.

Wosleger's team came back from an early deficit, taking the lead in the sixth inning and adding three insurance runs in the seventh to post a 6-2 victory in the championship game of the Class S tournament at Muzzy Field in Bristol.

The win gave the second-seeded Bellringers their first state championship; in their lone appearance in a title game, East Hampton lost to Joel Barlow back in 1964.

Standout freshman Marvin Gorgas played the pivotal role in the victory, making two outstanding defensive plays and firing three scoreless innings of relief. He allowed only an infield single, while striking out four with his near-90 mile an hour fastball and sharp-breaking curve.

Top-seeded East Catholic, which averaged 12 runs a game in the tournament prior to the finals, looked to repeat that offensive prowess with two runs in the first inning off Bellringers starter Al Iannone. Kelvin Sims and John Brownell led off with singles, then after an infield popup, executed a double steal. They scored on back-to-back RBI singles by Ken Carone and Mike McMahon. After a wild pitch, Iannone bore down and retired the next two hitters, leaving a pair of runners stranded in scoring position.

East Hampton cut the deficit in half with a single run in the third, when Austin Wosleger walked and scored on Adam Michaud's double to deep center field.

The Eagles looked to pad their lead in the fourth. Leadoff singles by McMahon and Alex Fulco and a sacrifice bunt by Garrett Richardello placed runners at second and third with one out. Nick Benoit hit a sharp grounder up the middle, but shortstop Gorgas snagged the ball diving to his left, held the runners at their positions and threw to first for the second out. Iannone retired Tyler Aprea on a popup to end the threat.

Meanwhile, Eagles starter Tucker Panciera was cruising along, retiring eight straight Bellringers, including the final two on strikeouts to end the fifth.

After Sims singled to open the East Catholic fifth, Gorgas was summoned to the mound. Sims stole second, but failed to advance when Brownell bunted the ball back to Gorgas. An infield groundout by Panciera moved Sims to third, and Carone was intentionally walked. McMahon then lifted a foul popup down the third base line, which a sprinting Gorgas chased down to retire the side.

East Hampton finally got to a tiring Panciera in the sixth, pushing two runs across despite a baserunning gaffe. Michaud led off with a check swing single to right, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Gorgas walked, and with Iannone at the plate, Eagles catcher Fulco saw Michaud straying too far from the bag. His throw sailed into center field, but Andrew Gordon backed up the play and fired a strike to Brownell to nab Michaud heading back into second.

Iannone worked a walk, and after a strikeout, Brian Roberson walked to load the bases. Austin Shumbo then cracked a single just past the dive of Richardello at third, scoring Gorgas and pinch-runner Ryan Massie with the go-ahead run.

Gorgas struck out the side in the sixth, then watched his teammates plate three more runs in the seventh off reliever Aprea. With runners at second and third and two outs, Wosleger scored on an infield single by Iannone, with Michaud also scoring on an overthrow into the Bellringers dugout. A long double to deep left by Spencer Daly brought in Iannone with the final tally.

Gorgas allowed an infield single to Sims with one out in the seventh, but struck out Brownell and retired Panciera on a soft popup to clinch East Hampton's first state championship.

"I thought the key to the game was us early in the first inning. We got two runs and an opportunity to get  a third and fourth, and didn't do it," Penders said. "They got clutch hits, and we didn't. Gorgas was lights out, we were totally overmatched. He can bring it, I'm impressed with him. I give East Hampton all the credit in the world."

East Hampton finished 2011 with a 22-4 record, while East Catholic wound up 20-4.