Saturday, August 13, 2011

June 5, 2011 Baseball – Class L State Tournament

The Bobcats enjoyed a rebirth of a season this year, advancing not only to the SWC playoffs but the State tournament as well. They were unable to continue the wild ride however as the fell in the opening round to New London by the score of 9-2.

For Bobcat sports fans it was the second time this year that the Whalers up-ended a BHS team in the post-season. In the fall, the football team fell in the state semi-final game to the boys from New London.

The Bobcats entered the tournament as the 25th seed and had to make the long trip to the coast to face No. 8 New London. Brookfield finished the year with a 13-10 record.

Brookfield began the season by winning its first six games, setting them up for a conference post-season run for the first time in eight years. Senior pitcher Harlan Zeerip carried the load early for the Bobcats and he was joined by senior pitcher Ryan Berry, who was held out for the first couple of weeks due to an off-season injury. The two proved to be a formidable duo, highlighted by their back-to-back dominant performances in 2-1, 2-0 wins over Newtown.

Fellow seniors Janco Cornelius, Austin Yusko, Dave Long and Evan Mozingo all played big parts in turning the team around, providing strong leadership for a team that was a nice mix of experienced players and younger players trying to make their mark.

While the Bobcats will be losing the senior players who brought a winner to the diamond for the first time in years, they will be left in good hands by the underclassmen who proved their worth on the field.

Current juniors Bryson Herr and A.J Cresci will play big roles next season, while sophomores Casey Burdick, Tre’ Gause, Mathew Gernert and Ryan Korb will look to build on their experience from this season. Freshman Ryan Rivas, who finished the season as the team’s hottest hitter, should make an impact as well.

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