It is only two runs that separate the Enfield Raiders from perfection.

The 11-2 Raiders have so far met their goal of being a contender and are in a fierce fight with Ellington for the NCCC crown. Their two losses to Ellington and Fermi were each by one run.

Update: Enfield is now 16-3 and will finish second in the NCCC conference.

Enfield has performed impressively both on the mound and at the plate this season. Justin Thomas and John Cerrato have anchored a staff which has permitted only 43 runs. Thomas has been a two-headed monster, hitting .548 and driving in 15 runs. Avery Boissy leads the team in runs with 16 and Cerrato is hitting .471.

Head coach Jay Gaucher strongly believes the improvement of his defense has given a big lift to the Raiders in other parts of their game.

“This year, we haven’t given away extra outs and it’s given confidence to our pitchers, obviously, and the team as a whole,” he said.

Enfield has a good shot at being one of the top five seeds in the Class M tournament. With a dangerous top of the order and the tandem of Thomas and Cerrato, no team will be eager to face the Raiders going forward.

Update: Enfield is currently ranked fourth in Class M.

Stafford
Though Stafford has lost badly to Ellington and Enfield, the Bulldogs have won every other game they have played. With the easiest part of their schedule coming up, the 11-2 Bulldogs should finish with an impressive win total.

Update: Stafford is 15-4 with one game remaining and the Bulldogs will finish third in the NCCC.

Stafford is averaging nearly 12 runs a game, led at the top of the order by Zach Rollins (.500, 14 runs) and Evan Theroux (.389, 15 runs). Rollins has also proven himself to be an ace, going 6-0 with a 1.97 ERA.

“For him take leadership of our pitching staff has been a huge boost,” said head coach Scott Martin.

Stafford is currently third in the NCCC standings and fourth in the Class S rankings after going 6-14 last season. Though a number of elements obviously go into such a significant improvement, Martin casts that upgrade in a simple context.

Update: Stafford is ranked fourth in Class M.

“The players have worked hard every day in practice and are buying into what we’re doing as a team,” he said. “As long as we continue to focus on working hard as a team, I can see us continuing to improve and going deep in states.“

Fermi
The young Falcons are 6-4 under head coach Connell Clark and third in the CCC East. Fermi has improved considerably since going 1-3 and being outscored 54-14 in its first four games.

Update: Fermi has won six of its last seven games and now has a record of 12-6.

The Falcons have already scored notable victories over New Britain, E.O. Smith and Enfield. Fermi is the only team outside of Ellington to defeat Enfield this season.

We’ve had some very important wins,” Clark said. “That win against Enfield was huge as far as demonstrating how good we can be as a team.”

Captains Alex Zachary and Chaz Millett have both performed well on the field and demonstrated strong leadership ability for the Falcons.  A very pleasant surprise has been freshman Greg Kraucunas. He is hitting .385.

The Falcons are putting themselves in position to make a strong run in the tournament. Clark’s goal for his team may just become a reality.

“Our goal has always been to win a championship, and if continue to improve and play aggressively then it can become a reality,” said Clark.

Somers
Somers is a young team, as evidenced by their scores. The team has five double-digit victories, but it has also lost 17-4, 14-3 and 15-6.

Update: Somers is one game short of qualifying for the Class S tournament with a record of 7-11.
The young offensive talent on the team is staggering. Mike Casciano is hitting .533 as a sophomore, junior Ryan Connor is hitting .450 with 16 RBI and sophomore Austin Ficara is hitting .367.

Somers’ defense has been shaky, though, with 45 errors and 37 unearned runs through 10 games.

“Our team gets mentally fatigued quickly,” said head coach Eric Sharon. “With experience, we won’t be the type of team where one error leads to three. I think as we improve we can win one or two games in the playoffs. That would be a huge step.”