2016 Nor’Easters Top Warriors for Back-to-Back Titles in Connecticut North

Connecticut North MSBL 35+ Division

Manchester Nor’Easter’s 8, East Lyme Warriors 7

‘Manchester Caps Back-to-Back Championships’

Submitted by Todd Johnson, Manchester Nor’Easter’s Manager

After cruising through the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Manchester Nor’Easter’s faced a very strong East Lyme Warriors team in the finals. Manchester completed their back to back championship bid, winning the series two games to one. All three games were back-and-forth, down to the wire games. The Nor’Easters got offensive support up and down their lineup in all three games. James Bolsteridge had several key RBI hits in games one and two with Paul Lapinski, Pat Walsh, Chase Solarz and CJ Inturri.

East Lyme took game one, 7-5, in nine innings behind a strong complete game pitching performance by Rich Wlodarczyk. Manchester pitcher Lee McPeck went seven solid innings and allowed just two earned runs in a no decision. Ted Roback pitched the final two innings but came up short, after a clutch ninth inning rally secured the win for East Lyme.

The Nor’Easter’s were able to win game two behind stellar pitching from the team’s ace, Chase Solarz. Offensively in game two McPeck opened the scoring in the first with an RBI double. The Warriors answered right back, but Todd Johnson gave the Nor’Easters a short lived lead with a 3-run home run to left.East Lyme narrowed the lead a couple of innings later with a home run to left center. But a late inning two run double by Rob Buteau and dominant pitching from Solarz proved to be the difference, giving Manchester the 7-5 win, thus putting the series at 1-1.

In the deciding game, McPeck drove in the game’s first run but East Lyme came back with five runs and jumped out to a 5-1 second inning lead. As in the first two games when a team had a big inning, the other team answered right back. Manchester answered with three runs in the bottom of the second thanks in part to a 2-run double by Johnson. Manchester added a run in the third inning to tie the game at 5-5. The Warriors took the lead with one run in the top of fifth. With Manchester trailing 6-5, Rob Buteau hit a towering solo homer to left, tying the game at 6-6. In the bottom of the sixth Lee McPeck delivered with an RBI single to center to give Manchester a 7-6 lead. East Lyme refused to go quietly and plated a run in the top of the seventh, tying the game once again. In the bottom of the seventh Ted Roback continued his torrid hitting with a game winning RBI single that scored Chase Solarz off of East Lyme’s Rich Wlodarczyk.

After throwing nine strong innings Saturday, Wlodarczyk took the mound in the title game. In a gutty performance, he went all seven innings, but ultimately surrendered a 1-out walk-off single to Roback, who was 3-4 on the day. Roback also earned the victory in relief of Chris Stone. Stone pitched extremely well through four innings, allowing zero earned runs. Manchester’s defense didn’t help Stone, and allowed five unearned runs. Nor’Easters catcherPat Walsh would have earned Defensive MVP honors, if such an award were handed out. Walsh’s right arm eliminated three base runners in the championship game, each one coming during a critical part of the ball game.

Manchester’s “never say die” resiliency was just enough to overcome East Lyme’s clutch two-out hitting on Sunday, thus giving the Nor’Easters their second league championship in as many seasons. The final win capped an impressive 21-3 record for Manchester.