An afternoon at Bristol Central

After a long day at the regular job, I decided to enjoy the near 80-degree weather this afternoon. Bristol Central High School was a busy place to be.
There were baseball, softball, boys lacrosse and girls tennis contests all going on at the same time. I intended to catch parts of baseball, softball and boys lacrosse, but alas the best-laid plans don't always work out.

Rasmus was solid in the first six
innings for Bristol Central.

I first checked out baseball. Central had a 4-1 lead entering the top of the seventh inning against Farmington. Ram starter Jaeden Rasmus gave up a single run in his first six innings of work.
Central skipper Bunty Ray sent Rasmus out for the seventh inning, but Farmington rallied. The Indians knocked Rasmus from the game, then tied it against reliever Brad Burney. A rundown between third and home led to the final out, but Farmington tied the game at 4.
In the bottom of the seventh, Noah Cruz legged out an infield grounder. It was a terrific effort by Cruz, who has been sick recently. Cruz ended up bent over behind the Central dugout.

Lemke stole second base
to set up the winning hit.

Mike Lemke came in to pinch run, and with Jordan Banks at the plate, Lemke stole second base. 
Later in the at bat, Banks smacked a pitch over the right fielder's head in right center to drive in Lemke with the winning run in an exciting 5-4 victory.
"He carried us offensively to be honest with you," Ray said afterward.
Earlier in the game, Banks rocketed a two-run, inside-the-park home run over the center fielder's head to give his team the lead.
Ray wasn't happy with giving up a three-run lead in the last inning, but he was happy with the guts that his team displayed.
"We battled through it and got the win," Ray said.

Bristol Central boys lacrosse seniors pose
for a photo with head coach Andy Aros.

With the baseball game going longer than expected, I missed the ending of the boys lacrosse match. Boys lacrosse lost 14-5 to Watertown, then had to pose for team pictures afterward. It's a young program for the Rams, who are constantly going up against more established teams. Still, Central is putting in work to try to get to where teams like Watertown are. The Indians remained undefeated after Monday's win.

A long but satisfying walk for Bristol
Central softball after Monday's blowout win.

 

I also missed the end of the softball game, but that one ended in Central's favor via the mercy rule. The Rams pounded Wethersfield for a 16-0 win in five innings. Central improved to 4-1 on the season, the same record as the baseball team. Head coach Monica Hayes seems to have a team that can hit the ball. There's still some major competition on the docket for the Rams this season. Central will play against the likes of Southington, Bristol Eastern (twice) and Staples, just to name a few. It'll be interesting to see how they do.

The Bristol Central and E.O. Smith No. 3
doubles teams compete in
the final match of a long day.

On my way out, I noticed that Central girls tennis was still playing. The Rams were competing against E.O. Smith, which made the long ride from Storrs (the home of the University of Connecticut) to play. Central head coach Ricky Block was talking to parents about the rule changes that had been implemented, including tiebreakers that are somewhat difficult to keep track of. Central's No. 3 doubles team was in such a tiebreaker when I was leaving. 



If I can swing going to several games at the same place, I will certainly try. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon after a long day at work. Hope you enjoyed the post.