The Westport baseball team pounded Avon, twice, 16-0 and 17-0, in a back-to-back doubleheader to get themselves back into playoff contention on Friday afternoon. The 7-8 Wildcats have won five of their last six games and need to win three of their five remaining games to make the postseason. Head coach Kenny Tocci has got the team believing in the process. 

 

“Nothing’s come easy,” he said. “We began the season 2-6. It’s been a really good turn around. The players have a strong mental resolve. They have dealt with a lot of factors out of their control and they didn’t quit.”

 

Westport made quick work of the Panthers on Friday, scoring 16 runs in the first two innings to end the first game in three innings of play.  They kept up the momentum in the second game, plating 13 runs in the first inning and adding four more in the second, to end game two, also, in three innings. 

 

At the plate

The Wildcats feasted on Avon pitching, slugging eight hits in the first game and 15 more in the second. Joey Guild, Jacob Aurelio, Jesse Oliveira and Elijah McGonigle all had multiple hits and drove in a bunch of runs. Guild, a junior outfielder, tripled, doubled and drove in three runs in the first game and doubled and singled and drove in two more in the second game. Aurelio, a junior shortstop, belted four hits, scored five runs and drove in three runs during the games. Oliveira, a senior pitcher, doubled and drove in four runs in the first game and added three hits and drove in two more runs in the second game. McGonigle smashed five hits, scored 3 runs and drove in three runs in the two games. 

 

Coach Tocci said figuring out the lineup and putting the right pieces in the right places was another reason for the turnaround. 

“We graduated so many players last year, that we had to figure out the pitching and defense and the right puzzle pieces. It was a lot of trial and error, but we’ve found it,” he said. 

 

Pitching 

Oliveira struck out five panthers while yielding a walk and no runs in the first game. 

Ben Bernier struck out seven and yielded a pair of walks and no runs in the second game. 

 

“We are all here to compete. We’re all here to win,” said Bernier, a senior. “We have a close group of guys; we have great chemistry and that’s played a big role in the comeback.”