Babe Ruth 15s slug way to district title

The celebration was mild -- just a few handshakes between the players and coaches. Norwalk's 15-year-old Babe Ruth baseball team clinched the District 2 championship with a run-rule 10-0 win over Bridgeport under the lights at Brien McMahon High School on July 9.

Although a nice achievement, this marked just one rung climbed in the ladder of success Norwalk hopes to scale to state and regional pinnacles -- and beyond. Norwalk will open state tourney play in Fairfield on July 16.

Comprised of mostly the same players, this Norwalk team won districts and states, as 14-year-olds, a year ago so they expected to repeat as district champs. The players and coaches have the hunger for even more success this summer. In this year's district tourney, they showed a few reasons why they have good reason to believe they can repeat as state champions and threaten to win regionals this time around.

Norwalk run-ruled opponents in all three regional round wins, outscoring Weston and Bridgeport (a team Norwalk faced twice) a cumulative 50-1 along the way. The 10-run mercy rule shortened each of Norwalk's games to 4 1/2 innings. Norwalk, in its least lopsided win, in the championship, still managed to go wrap things up 2 1/2 innings early.

What's more, the team did it with a no-hit performance from its No. 3 pitcher, Rich Henderson. A year ago, Coach Gerald Anastasia notes, the team leaned heavily on lefty pitcher Mike Hughes. This time around, Hughes, righty Alex Tomascak, and Henderson, a lefty, seem to provide a nice one-two-three punch on the mound.

Henderson said he has tossed no-hitters before but that this was his first at the Babe Ruth level. "It's actually a really good feeling," he said.

In the July 9 championship game, the pitcher actually hit the first batter he faced but bounced back nicely, walked just three, and was in command with his fastball and cutter working all night long. He struck out 12 batters.

Norwalk jumped out to a 6-0 first-inning lead, which gave Henderson plenty of margin for error none of which he used. "It just relaxes me. I get tense, and when I have a big lead I just get really relaxed," Henderson said.

"We came out pretty focused in the first inning," said Anastasia, adding that the goal was to make contact and put pressure on the opposing fielders.

Catcher Mike Giordano, who went a sizzling 8-for-8 at the plate in district play, said the players set out to build an early lead.

"We were just trying to make contact and get runs on the board early," he said.

Giordano and Henderson both knocked in two runs, and Mike Carter and Steve Curran also drove in runs with hits in the 10-0 win. In the first inning, Jamie Restivo got things started with a walk and Mike Palanti walked to set the stage for Henderson's two-run double for a 2-0 lead. Carter's RBI double made it 3-0. Walks and errors in the opening frame helped Norwalk pad its lead. In the third, Curran delivered an RBI single, and Restivo walked with the bases loaded to force in a run and make it 8-0. In the fourth, Giordano ripped a long double off the top of the high fence in deep left-center and Norwalk scratched out a couple more runs to make it 10-0.

"It's only one win in our path. We still need to get ready for states and try to win states," Giordano said.

The catcher has a feeling the team will repeat as state champs and believes it can keep on winning.

"I think we're better than last year. Our pitching is better than last year and our hitting is always good," he said.

"We're just going to have to pitch well and hit with people in scoring position and we'll be in good shape," Anastasia added.