Titans edge Tri-State All-Stars 8-5

TORRINGTON — It was a peculiar night of baseball at Fuessenich Park Monday, July 4.It was at times absolutely picturesque, with Winsted Whaler All-Star Donny Crossman throwing blazing strikeouts as fireworks ignited in the distance over center field. It was at times entirely bizarre, with Willie Hung of “American Idol” fame singing grisly renditions of “Take Me Out” and “She Bangs” between innings to the fan’s delight. There were even moments of honest, nostalgic delight, as former Yankee pitcher and 1962 World Series Champion Jim Bouton received a roaring standing ovation after pitching a scoreless fourth inning at the age of 72. Titans’ starting pitcher Ben Doucette dueled with Winsted Whaler All-Star Adam Piechowski through three scoreless innings, in which Doucette struck out six and Piechowski dropped three of his own.The fourth inning delivered what many had been anticipating all day, as Bouton, former All-Star and author of the legendary baseball book “Ball Four,” took to the hill to pitch for the Tri-State All-Stars. The veteran pitched a spectacular inning, baffling the youthful Titans, who were unable to hit his dancing knuckleballs out of the infield. Steven Price drilled a home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the fourth to put the All-Stars ahead by one.The Titans responded, grappling the lead away from the All-Stars to lead 2-1 into the top of the sixth, then pulled ahead 3-1 going into the seventh. Tri-State All-Star Adam Claire closed the gap with an RBI base hit in the seventh, but the Titans took advantage of a few near errors in the bottom of the inning to pull ahead by five. All-Star Eric O’Toole brought some life back into the Tri-State dugout with a hard line drive up the middle for a base hit in the top of the eighth. Devin Murphy drove a fierce grounder out of the infield for a base hit and an RBI to cut the Titans’ lead to 5-3. Claire remained hot at the plate, knocking out a base hit that worked its way through the first and second basemen to drive in two more runs, tying the game at five apiece.Winsted Whaler All-Star Donny Crossman took over command at the mound in the bottom of the eighth. The Titans were able to extend their lead to 8-5 and win the game.

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Father Joseph Kurnath

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

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Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

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For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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