Kleczkowski Belts Walk-Off Home Run to Lift Coginchaug to 11-9 Win Over Waterford

A.J. "Cutch" Kleczkowski lived up to his nickname on Thursday night.

The 12-year-old all-star belted a two-out, walk-off home run to give Coginchaug a dramatic 11-9 win over Waterford South in the second round of the Section 2 state Little League playoffs at the Harwinton Sports Complex.

Kleczkowski's home run was a fittingly climactic ending to a game that saw wild emotional swings in both dugouts after Coginchaug blew a 5-0 fifth inning lead, fell behind 9-5 in the sixth inning, then rallied for six runs in the bottom of the sixth to win in front of a crowd of frenzied fans from Durham and Middlefield.

"I'm just shocked," Kleczkowski said. "I never thought that would ever happen. Toward the end my heart started beating, a lot."

The home run kept Coginchaug's record a perfect 9-0 this summer.

Check out Patch's game photo gallery on Facebook and Like Us!

Connor Rulnick's bloop single just over the head of Waterford third baseman Nick Porazzi scored Griffin Saks to give Coginchaug a 2-0 first inning lead. John John Jose and Rulnick each picked up RBIs in the fourth inning to push the score to 4-0.

The team's defense was equally as sharp in the early innings against the District 10 champions, recording two double plays — one in the second inning and another in the fourth inning. Coginchaug nearly had a double play in the first inning as well but the first base umpire ruled that Saks foot was just short of the bag.

While Coginchaug's bats remained hot, Jose gave up just two hits and struck out three through the first four innings. In the fifth inning, he allowed Waterford to score on a wild pitch with two outs to make it a 5-1 game.

Waterford pitcher Dylan Bosco then led off the sixth inning with a double. Two batters later Jose gave up a two-run home run to Liam Spellman and although Coginchaug still had a 5-3 advantage, the momentum had shifted.

Trailing by two runs with just one out, Waterford loaded the bases and Jose was replaced by James Salemme, who proceeded to get Robert Silva to hit a dribbler back to the mound which Salemme picked up and threw home for the force out.

Needing just one more out to get out of the jam, Salemme walked the next Waterford batter to make it a 5-4 game. Salemme then had trouble handling a one-hopper back to the mound off the bat of Eric Pincot who made it to first base as Waterford tied the score at 5-5.

Waterford would add four more runs off Salemme to take a 9-5 lead before the game was halted by a medical incident involving the home plate umpire, who was carried off the field on a stretcher, likely the result of dehydration as temperatures remained in the mid-90s during the game.

"When they came off the field and they were sitting on the bench I had a little conversation with them," said Coginchaug manager Ken Vallone. "I told them we gave it to them, and now we need to take it back."

After a 15 minute delay, Rulnick replaced Salemme and got Porazzi to fly out to end the rally but with some players fighting back tears, Coginchaug was desperate for a rally of their own with only three outs.

Ryan Cross led off the inning with a single to left field and reached second base on a passed ball. After Ryan Genest flied out to center, T.J. Vallone walked and a single by Cole Neidmann loaded the bases for Coginchaug.

Needing a hit to keep his team alive, Jose drove a pitch to deep center that looked like it had a chance to clear the fence and tie the game. But Waterford's center-fielder stopped just shy of the fence to make the inning's second out.

With two-outs, the bases still loaded and his team trailing 9-5, Saks hit a line drive to right center to knock in two runs, pulling Coginchaug to within 9-7.

The game appeared to be over when Rulnick hit a soft grounder down the first base line but Waterford's first baseman was unable to handle the toss and Rulnick hustled safely to the bag as Neidmann crossed home plate to make it 9-8.

Saks scored a few pitches later on a passed ball to tie the game at 9-9 and Coginchaug still had one out and Kleczkowski at the plate.

"[Saks] scored and I was like there goes all the pressure off me," Kleczkowski said. "Then I just swung. I knew it when everybody started cheering"

Kleczkowski drilled a pitch over the fence in left-centerfield and was mobbed by his teammates as he crossed home plate celebrating his team's 11-9 win.

"Guys, I'm proud of you," Vallone told his team after the win. "You never gave up."

Coginchaug will play South Windsor, which beat Burlington 2-1 on Thursday, in Harwinton on Saturday at noon.