Another game, another stellar pitching performance for the Wilton Warriors. Paul Merolla pitched his third straight complete game, shutting down a red-hot Stamford team. Merolla held the Black Knights to three hits in seven innings, striking out five, as Wilton won its seventh straight, 4-1.
"This feels awesome. We're swinging the bats incredibly well and the defense really picked me up tonight," Merolla said. "That gives any pitcher a lot of confidence. It's awesome when you can finish [the game] yourself because it feels more like your win."
As it turned out, the Warriors got all the offense they would need in the first inning. Shortstop Kevin O'Connell led off with a double, somehow making solid contact on a pitch at his ankles. O'Connell scored on a fielder's choice by Ryan Phillips, who was driven in thanks to a monster triple by Evan Roux.
From there it was all Merolla. The tall righty did not have his best strikeout stuff but was able to keep the ball low in the zone and force groundouts and easy fly outs. The only blemish to Merolla's line on the evening was an RBI double by Zach Lyman in the third.
Wilton's defense was flawless on a night where 15 outs came in the field. The defensive play of the game came in the top of the sixth when third baseman Phillips dove to his right, got up and fired a bullet across the diamond to end the inning.
"We have been playing outstanding defense. I tell the guys all the time to give [opponents] only three outs an inning and not give them any extra chances with errors," Wilton head coach Tim Eagen said. "Paul really battled tonight and the guys backed him up."
Mike DeSantis singled in Wilton's third run in the third. Mike DiPilato scored on an O'Connell fielder's choice in the fourth.
Wilton (10-3, 8-3 FCIAC), winners of seven straight, begins a three-game road trip Wednesday when it travels to Danbury. First pitch for that game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
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