2025 Southington Navigators ‘Repeat’ as 25+ Champions in Connecticut North MSBL
Connecticut North MSBL, 25+ Division
Southington Navigators 4, Collinsville Riverrats 0
‘Gators ‘Repeat’ as 25+ Champs’
Submitted by Shaun Wyman, manager
We had mostly the same core returning from last year’s championship team. Infielder Maxi Villar and reliever Felix Villanueva were the only new players.
Southington started the season 6-1 in April and May, then went 1-8 in June, including a losing streak of eight games, with five of the losses by one or two runs. We then went 4-0 in July before heading into the playoffs.
Mark Creamer was 8-3 on the season with a 1.69 ERA (78 innings), and Dan Smallacombe was 6-2 with a 1.09 ERA (51 innings). On the offensive side, Mike Scott batted .429 with a .546 OBP and led the team in hits (33…10 more than second place), singles (29), runs (25), and walks (20).
Abi Polanco batted .291 with two home runs (tied for team lead), five doubles (team lead), 23 RBI (team lead), and 17 runs (3rd).
We ended with an 11-9 regular season record, capturing the fourth seed out of eight teams.
The playoff quarterfinals pitted us against New Haven.
In Game 1, Mark Creamer allowed seven hits and two earned runs over seven innings for the win.
Mike Scott was 2 for 3 with three runs scored. Scott Iwaniec also went 2 for 2 with two doubles, four RBI, and two walks. RJ Ingriselli and Anthony Munoz each added two hits. We won game one 14-2.
In Game 2, Dan Smallacombe struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing only two hits and one unearned run. Mike Scott went 3 for 4 while knocking in two. Anthony Munoz and Mike Nelson each had two hits. We swept the series with a 7-1 victory.
The Semifinals found us taking on Marlborough.
Game 1 saw Mark Creamer on the bump for us. He allowed just seven hits and one unearned run over seven innings, striking out four and walking none.
We scored two in the first and two in the seventh. Scott Iwaniec, Joe White, RJ Ingriselli, and Nelson Tirado each had RBI singles, leading us to a 4-1 win.
In Game 2, Smallacombe walked five over 5.2 innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs, striking out one.
Southington was up 2-0 until the fifth when Marlborough tied it. Marlborough scored one in the top of the sixth for the lead, but we got one back in the bottom. In the seventh, Marlborough scored again, and with Southington down to their last out, RJ Ingriselli hit a game-tying home run to right-center field.
We went on to extras, where Marlborough scored another run in the top of the eighth. Then, with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Matt Moran hit an RBI double and Scott Iwaniec followed up with an RBI single to walk it off and move the Navigators on to the finals with a 6-5 victory in eight innings.
On to the Finals against Collinsville and another best-of-three format.
In Game 1 we sent Mark Creamer to the mound. He allowed two earned, but the defense made five errors to allow three unearned runs behind him. Ingriselli and Charlie Reyes each went 2 for 3 with an RBI, but the 4-run fourth inning for Collinsville was enough to beat Southington, 5-3.
Down 0-1, Game 2 saw Smallacombe taking the ball. He allowed one run in the first inning to Collinsville, then did his best to scatter eight walks and three hits over six innings, allowing only the one run.
Iwaniec doubled and then hit a grand slam to cap a seven-run sixth inning. Nelson Tirado was on base all three chances with two walks and a single, while Ben Burnett had two hits and drove in a run. Iwaniec drove in five of the 10 Navigator runs. Now it was on to the championship game.
Game 3 was Creamer back on the mound again on 0 days’ rest. This time, he allowed four hits, two walks, and tossed a complete game shutout, striking out three. We scored all of our runs in the first three innings.
Iwaniec drove in two runs on a single in the first, while Munoz singled in a run in the second. Polanco singled in a run in the third to provide a little cushion. After making five errors in game one, Southington only made three errors in the next two games combined.
Our Finals Most Valuable Hitter was Scott Iwaniec, who was 4 for 10, had a home run, two doubles, scored two runs, totaled nine RBI, and stole a base.
The Finals Most Valuable Pitcher was Mark Creamer, who pitched 13 innings, gave up nine hits, two earned runs, walked three, and struck out three.