Premature Jocularity At Home Plate Costs Would-Be Winners State

One young man thought he was coming home with the winning run in extra innings of a Connecticut State Championship. In his rush to celebrate, he missed touching home. His team would go on to lose.

"[Newington pitcher Cole Bryant], Cole was watching the whole time," the catcher said when asked who told him to appeal the play. "I was getting ready to block the plate if there was a play, but obviously there wasn't, so I didn't see it. Thank God they were looking because I would have not said a word. That's heads up baseball by both of them."

Southington coach Charles Lembo didn't see the fateful play either.

"To be honest I saw him come around third base and I was waving him home," Lembo said. "And I made sure he touched third, and then I was looking at Sal at second to make sure he didn't keep coming because I didn't want him out before the run scored. So I never saw what happened at the plate."

Lembo said it was the Newington crowd that made him realize the run didn't count.

"We were kind of celebrating and we thought we had it won and all of a sudden I heard the crowd react and I went 'woah wait a minute that's not our side,'" he said. "And [umpire] Dave Bindas told me that he missed home."

Oof.

For Newington baseball, a night to remember [Newington Town Crier]