2024 Collinsville River Rats Post Powerful Playoff Run in 25+ Division of Connecticut North MSBL

Connecticut North MSBL, 25+ Division

Collinsville River Rats

Submitted by Dennis Lodovico

The River Rats season started with a huge blow to the team. One of our core and very important players went down with a broken leg in week two, which affected our season more than we all would know. We were impacted through all of the close games during the season, including also a few blowouts.  We gathered a three and 14 record in the regular season, but I think even the new guys on the team could tell that that was not the team we were.

I’m always a cockeyed optimist about our team. But I think every man on the roster had a strong belief that we can make a run in the playoffs.

In the first round of the playoffs we went to New Haven, one of the hardest places to play in the league. Even with their battered roster, we took the field in the double header with a great deal of focus. It was a great series for us. A double header with no errors and a lot of clutch hits coupled some strong pitching. We took the double header in two games to move on.

Then we traveled to an even tougher place to play against the defending champion Marlborough A’s. Our focus seemed a little stronger than the week before, even after finding out our Ace pitcher was out the night before. Three men stepped up and pitched two great games, holding down one of the stronger offenses. We supplied great defense and hit just enough to win two games, 4-3, against in my opinion one of the best pitchers in our league. That was a memorable day.

Then on to the championship series against Southington, again not an easy place to go and win games. In game one we had the lead for most of the game, but they came back to beat us on a walk-off hit.  It was a really great game.

Game two was also a good game where we pretty much got out on top and stayed ahead through most of it, winning 8 to 4. Then in the final game three on a sunny Sunday morning, we scored a run early and they scored one run shortly after. Then it became one of the most high intense games I’ve played in, in all my years in the league. Both teams left a lot of guys on base, and a lot of guys in scoring position. This game represented a lot of very well played baseball.

There also should be a lot of credit given to all four pitchers that pitched for both teams. I’m not sure, unless you were playing in the game, that you could describe how much fun that game was. Even with us losing in {9} extra innings, 2 to 1.

I saw online that someone used the word ‘epic’ to describe the game and the series and it is not an exaggeration. For any men’s baseball league, that game and series was what our league is all about! It was four weeks of playoffs, where the guys on the team communicating with me during the week discussing the week before and strategies for the next week.

I know both teams, including myself, were very proud to be a part of that series.