Waterbury Career Academy hasn't had much luck against Woodland Regional recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Spartans will host the Hawks at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Waterbury Career Academy is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by an 18-12 margin over Bassick on Thursday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Spartans considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Sergio Cholac
| 05/01/25 vs Bassick | 7 |
| 04/11/25 @ Crosby | 6 |
| 04/07/25 @ Derby | 3 |
| 04/17/25 vs Torrington | 1 |
Sergio Cholac was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-5 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
In other batting news, Waterbury Career Academy got a massive performance out of Isaiah Santiago, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with six stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Those six stolen bases gave Santiago a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Elijah DeLeon, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four stolen bases, four runs, and one double.
Waterbury Career Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .537. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Woodland Regional, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Derby on Friday as they made off with an 11-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Hawks, who have now won six contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Jack Napoleone looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Woodland Regional is 4-2 when Napoleone allows one or fewer earned runs, but 4-9 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Tyler DeCrescenzo, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Woodland Regional's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 6-10 when he doesn't). Jason Beaudry was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Woodland Regional moved to 8-11 with that win, which also ended their three-game losing streak. As for Waterbury Career Academy, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-11.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Waterbury Career Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Woodland Regional struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Waterbury Career Academy might still be hurting after the 15-1 defeat they got from Woodland Regional in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Spartans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
