Southington Survives Glastonbury 4-3 to Earn Shot at Third Straight CCC Title
- Anthony Angelillo
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
BRISTOL — The chants of “Rocco, Rocco, Rocco” echoed through Muzzy Field as Rocco Davino walked off the mound for the final time Tuesday night. Eight days after throwing a no-hitter on Senior Day against Plainville, the senior right-hander gutted through a completely different kind of start in the CCC semifinal against Glastonbury.
Davino tossed 6.2 innings and junior left-hander Luke Prozzo recorded the final out as the No. 6 Southington Blue Knights held off the No. 4 Glastonbury Guardians 4-3 to advance to Wednesday’s CCC Championship against Hall at Muzzy Field.
The win gave head coach Stan Switala his 100th career victory at Southington, a milestone reached in just his fifth season leading the program.
The Blue Knights jumped on senior right-hander Daniel Wallace from the start. Junior center fielder Drew Kelly and senior catcher Max Pierce opened the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles before junior second baseman Mason LeFort worked a walk to load the bases. Junior shortstop Domenic Zigmont struck out looking, but senior right fielder Connor Lentini grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Kelly.
Senior left fielder Mitch Zielinski then delivered the big blow, working the count full and lining a two-RBI single to left that brought home Pierce and Lentini. Senior left fielder Bennett Bedard’s throw from the outfield came up short and Southington led 3-0.
Glastonbury got on the board in the third when senior shortstop Jack Westergren scored on a throwing error by Zigmont to make it 3-1. The Blue Knights answered immediately in the bottom half when Lentini singled with two outs and Zielinski dropped a liner in front of junior center fielder Cooper Saunders as Lentini advanced all the way to third.
When Wallace caught Zielinski in a rundown between first and second, Lentini timed the play and broke for home. Glastonbury could not get the tag at the plate and Zielinski reached second safely without ever being touched. The play stretched the lead to 4-1.
The Guardians clawed their way back over the next two innings. Wallace doubled into the gap in left-center to lead off the fourth and senior catcher Dylan Woodworth lined an RBI single down the left field line to cut the deficit to 4-2. Davino loaded the bases later in the frame by walking senior Ryan Sansoucy with two outs, but escaped when Bedard flew out to center.
In the fifth, junior designated hitter Connor Smith singled and stole second and third before scoring when a popup dropped between Lentini and freshman first baseman SJ Switala. Saunders reached second on the play and the deficit was down to one.
But Davino and the defense bent without breaking, when sophomore third baseman Ethan Herens recovered from a pair of errors earlier in the game to make throws when they counted.
Then LeFort delivered the play of the night in the sixth, diving to snag a liner off the bat of Bedard with senior Nathan Hill standing at third and two outs. The Southington dugout erupted and Davino walked back to the dugout more fired up than he had been all game.
Kelly nearly blew the game open in the bottom of the fourth, launching a fly ball to the center field wall and sliding in safely for a triple that sent the bleachers into a frenzy. Pierce fouled off five pitches in a long at-bat before lining out to second with Kelly left stranded.
Davino came out for the seventh, looking to finish what he started. He retired Smith on a flyout and froze junior first baseman Zachary Bernabeo on a slider for a called third strike to bring Glastonbury to its final out.
But Wallace worked a walk and Saunders singled through the left side to put runners on the corners. Switala went to the bullpen with Davino, who received a standing ovation as he was greeted by his teammates. Prozzo would then come in to finish the job as Woodworth grounded out to second and the Blue Knights stormed the field.
Kelly led the offense with two hits and four total bases. Zielinski went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Lentini added a hit, two stolen bases and two runs scored. Davino finished with six strikeouts on 87 pitches, allowing seven hits and two earned runs.
Southington won the CCC Championship in both 2024 and 2025. On Wednesday, the Blue Knights will face Hall at Muzzy Field with a three-peat on the line. First pitch is set for 6pm.
