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STAMFORD, Conn. Haggerty Pools put the finishing touches on a perfect regular season Tuesday in the North Stamford Little League. Haggerty finished 17-0, won 13 games by 10 or more runs and outscored opponents 200-32.
We had everybody back from last season except for three kids, manager Gary Purpura said. We figure if we get good pitching and play good defense, the bats will take care of themselves.
Hunter Semmel paced Haggertys prodigious offense with 13 home runs, including a three-run bomb in a 17-7 win against County TV in the final regular season game. In that game, his brother, Montana, clubbed his third grand slam of the season.
Haggerty scored in double digits in 14 games and had only a few close calls. Instant Replay came within three runs twice. Sound View and Viking Construction lost by three and four runs, respectively. The rest were blowouts, as Haggerty opened the season by outscoring opponents 54-0 in its first four games.
Our initial goal wasn't to finish the season undefeated, Purpura said. We want to win the league and represent North Stamford in the Tournament of Champions.
Haggertys run is an extension of last years strong finish, when it won its last eight games to reach the citys Tournament of Champions. The team, which played as North Stamford Exchange last year, finished 16-5 before falling in the city tournament. Since an 8-7 loss to Instant Replay May 8, 2011, Purpuras team is 28-1 against league opponents.
The teams strength is its pitching. Grant Purpura, Mike Lisinicchia, Montana Semmel, Noah Skaug and Nate Salm have been the pitching anchors. And there has been no shortage of offensive stars. Every player in the lineup can swing the bat.
Other team members include Maxwell Allen, Aidan Feliciano, Maya Klein and James E. Miller and Andy Putterman. Klein was on the 11-year-old league All-Star team that played in the District 1 tournament last spring. Hunter Semmel, Grant Purpura, Montana Semmel and Skaug also have All-Star experience from last year. Purpura coaches Haggerty with Kurt Semmel.
Haggerty needs to win the league playoffs to reach the Stamford Tournament of Champions. Last years team lost in the first round to eventual champion Stamford American. The T of C in Stamford is played in late June.
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