Lights-out pitching, timely hitting lift Westerners to Opening Day win

Recommended Video:

DANBURY — Many ballplayers struggle to make the transition from the metal bats they swing with their collegiate baseball teams to the wooden bats they use in the New England Collegiate Baseball League.

Binghamton University catcher Jason Agresti, however, didn’t seem to have any problem at all in the Danbury Westerners’ season-opener Friday night.

Agresti clubbed a two-run home run in the sixth inning to put the Westerners ahead to stay in their 3-1 victory over the Plymouth Pilgrims at Rogers Park in new manager Josh Parrow’s first game at the helm. Agresti went 1-for-4, with the three outs he made coming on two fly balls and a line drive, all of which were struck fairly well.

“I was just trying to make adjustments throughout the game,” Agresti said. “I felt like my first two at-bats, I was a little slow with it. I just had to get it going earlier, and I did that my third at-bat and my fourth at-bat, so it definitely feels good.”

Lockdown performances from three Westerners pitchers made sure the three runs were enough to win.

Northeastern’s Will Jahn started on the mound and worked four effective innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits and two walks while striking out three. The Westerners trailed 1-0 when he left, although it could have been much worse. Plymouth stranded the bases loaded in the second and third innings, thanks in part to some slick defense by second baseman Steven Cohen of Lafayette College to end the second inning, and by shortstop Coco Montes of South Florida to end the third.

Submariner Ryan Testani of Seton Hall, a Shelton High product, pitched the fifth and sixth innings and allowed no hits and one walk while striking out four.

Danbury Westerners starting pitcher Will Jahn worked four effective innings, allowing only one unearned run, in Friday's season-opening, 3-1 win over the Plymouth Pilgrims at Rogers Park in Danbury June 10, 2016. less Danbury Westerners starting pitcher Will Jahn worked four effective innings, allowing only one unearned run, in Friday's season-opening, 3-1 win over the Plymouth Pilgrims at Rogers Park in Danbury June 10, ... more Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Lights-out pitching, timely hitting lift Westerners to Opening Day win 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Ross Weiner of Bryant, a former standout at Amity Regional High School, held Plymouth scoreless over the final three frames, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out three. He worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the ninth with a strikeout to end the game.

“I’m a pitching guy, and I absolutely love it when guys come out of the bullpen and they throw strikes,” said Parrow, who also serves as the pitching coach at the University of Bridgeport. “Ryan Testani stepped up tonight, took the ball and just worked off his fastball. He’s a submarine guy, and he worked off his fastball, delivered strikes, really got on the inner half on righties and did a really good job of getting them to roll over.

Plymouth took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Liam Oregan lined a two-out single and later scored on Michael DeRenzi’s bases-loaded RBI single. The Westerners tied it in the fifth when Shawn Blake laced a standup double to lead off and later scored on Cohen’s infield single.

Nick Margevicius started on the mound for the Pilgrims and pitched six solid innings, but was saddled with a tough-luck loss. He scattered five hits and no walks while striking out seven. C.J. Dandeneau and Jack Connolly each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

How important was it for the Westerners to get their first win right out of the box? Consider this: during last year’s 13-29 campaign the Westerners lost their first 11 games and didn’t record their first win until June 20. For all intents and purposes, the Westerners were all but out of the Southern Division playoff race by Father’s Day.

“It feels great to get to Danbury and get the first win, get it off our backs and get rolling,” said Parrow, who was the Westerners’ pitching coach last summer. “Our big thing this summer is to bring a championship to Danbury, and we’re going to work really hard at that every day.

“To get the first win off our back is really nice, but there’s a lot of work to be done,” Parrow added. “We want to get, as a team goal, 25 wins during the regular season, so to push for that, we’ve got 24 more.”

The Westerners will be back at Rogers Park Saturday night, when they are set to host the Sanford Mainers at 6:30 p.m. Sanford has split its first two games, including a 5-1 triumph over the Ocean State Waves Friday night.

WESTERNERS 3, PILGRIMS 1