Baseball Season Ends in FAA Finals

Brunswick varsity baseball went into Thursday's FAA title game with excitement and determination in what was sure to be a highly competitive matchup, but ultimately fell to the Hornets by a score of 4-3.

Hamden Hall has been an excellent team all year, but the Bruins were confident in their game plan and ability to come out with the victory.  

Jackson Shepelsky got the start on the mound and was excellent in five innings of work. He pounded the zone with all three of his pitches, keeping the Hamden hitters off balance all afternoon. Jerry Guzman came on in relief and went one scoreless inning.  

The game proved to be a pitching and defensive battle, as each team refused to give an inch to the opposition.  It wasn't until the third inning that Hamden finally produced the first runs of the game. They worked themselves into a bases-loaded, one-out situation and delivered a double to straight away centerfield. They added one more before the end of the frame to make the score 3-0.

The top of the fourth proved to be a game-shifting inning for the Bruins, giving them the spark they needed to get them back into the game. Reed Hyde led the inning off with a walk. Shepelsky delivered his second hit of the game, singling to left. Carlo Tucci stepped up to the plate. Tucci was seeing the ball well as he worked himself into a hitter's count. Tucci then put a charge into a high fastball, crushing a towering home run to left field. This tied the game at three and gave the Bruins the confidence that they could pull out the win.
 

But Hamden Hall responded and regained the lead in the fifth, as they delivered a solo home run to left center, making the score 4-3.

This is where things remained for the rest of the game, as the Brunswick offense could not manufacture a run to tie it up.  

Although the Bruins could not come away with the FAA title, they had a tremendous season. This group was full of overachievers, fierce competitors, and those who could persevere through any situation. They finished the season with a record of 15-6 and will be back next year – stronger and ready to go.