WESTERLY — In past years, Stonington had more at stake in its baseball rivalry between Westerly.
The result counted in the Connecticut regular season standings and not in Rhode Island.

Now, there is a lot more than the already big prize of local bragging rights on the line. The RIIL has instituted a power-rating index that rates all wins based on opponent strength.
Therefore, Westerly’s 5-2 victory over Stonington Wednesday at Cimalore Field and a 4-0 record against quality Eastern Connecticut Conference teams rewarded the Bulldogs with a better post-season seeding.

“This game is always big but it counts more now,” Westerly coach Ron Sposato, said. “This got us a home game Saturday in our one-game, play-in tournament game.
“It’s nice playing Stonington this year when the game counts as much for us as it does for them.”

RIIL’s single-elimination opening games precede the Division I double-elimination pod setup.
Obviously, pitching, defense and timely hitting will be key in one-and-done situations and those hallmarks were present for Westerly (13-8) in a playoff-atmosphere game in unseasonable 48-degree temperatures.

Westerly’s Tom Fiore (4-1) threw six innings of two-hit ball and relied on a solid defense. Zach Miner, who finally allowed his first earned run in two seasons last week, picked up his third save with a scoreless seventh inning to drop the Bears to 15-5 to end their regular season.

Miner also delivered a clutch, two-run single with two outs in the sixth off Stonington closer Grayson Dull to stretch a 3-2 lead to 5-2.
The win ended a four-game losing streak for Westerly, which had turned its season around with 10 straight wins after a slow transition to Division I play (2-4 start). Westerly is seeded eighth in the DI standings.

“We were scuffling a little against good teams recently,” Sposato said. “We needed to get some momentum going into the playoffs.”

Fiore got the win over Stonington ace Cam Ogden, whose fastball hit 85 to 89 miles an hour on a handheld radar behind home plate. The junior right-hander, who came into the game with a 4-0 record, a no-hitter in his last outing against Bacon Academy and 65 strikeouts in 33 innings, struck out six but was victimized by a loose defense.

Fiore doesn’t throw quite as hard as Ogden but he retired 10 straight batters to end his six-inning outing and allowed just two unearned runs in the third on RBI singles by Michael Keefe and Nick Cannella.

“My fastball is in the low to mid 80s, maybe not as fast as Ogden but I’m not interested in that,” Fiore said. “I just want to throw strikes and let my defense go to work.” 

Westerly tied the game at 2 with a run in the third when Fiore’s catchable high pop-up dropped in for a double in short right field. Two infield errors, albeit on hard-hit balls, led to Westerly taking a 3-2 lead on Luke Gwaltney’s two-out RBI single in the fifth.

Westerly has won the last three in the series against Stonington after the Bears won eight of 10 in the 2010s.

“Defense let us down in our last two games (losses to Woodstock and Westerly),” Stonington coach Bob Cahoone said. “Cam [Ogden] wasn’t completely sharp (five walks) but he deserved better. Westerly is used to facing fast pitching being in Division One now.
“You’ve got to credit them for beating Waterford, NFA, Fitch and us. Playing Westerly is always big but they’ve had our number recently. Still, 15-5  is a good regular season.”

Stonington, the ECC Division III regular season champs, will be favored to repeat as the Division II tournament winner that begins after Memorial Day. The Bears also look to make a long run in CIAC’s Class M tournament in June.

Ironically, Westerly’s season could be move over before Stonington’s post-season run begins.
Sposato will turn to starter Chase Collins to face the Bulldogs’ opening opponent Saturday. Unofficially it’s Smithfield, which beat Westerly 2-0 in the Bulldogs’ recent post-season slide.

“The one-and-done play-in games add pressure,” Sposato said. “But a win like today puts us at home and gives us momentum.”