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Expectations were high from the organization and its fans, especially following a 2003 campaign that saw the Twisters record a 30-10 record including a berth in the NECBL Championship Series.
But the Twisters, due to sloppy defense and many failures to hit in the clutch, got off to a disappointing 8-16 start and barely recovered in time to make the playoffs.
"Last year was very different," said Hunt, who recorded his 200th win as manager this season. "We had three legit No. 1 pitchers (Dennis Robinson, Matt Torra and Bobby Garza) and had kids fighting for spots from day one. The competition on the team carried over into games and that group of players had their sights set on a championship from day one.
"This year we had kids coming and going constantly and had a tough time getting things going."
Offensively, the Twisters were sporadic, often putting runners on base but ultimately leaving them there. The team hit just .246 with runners in scoring position.
Eli Iorg led the way with a .304 average with eight doubles, five triples, three home runs, 15 RBI and 11 stolen bases. But as much as he helped the team at the plate, he hurt them just as much in the field. The shortstop committed a league-high 19 errors, including many late game situations.
Jeff Natale, a Hamden native, hit .279 with nine doubles, 12 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts. He walked 30 times and was hit nine times in recording an impressive .435 on-base percentage.
The Twisters were hurt at the plate by Brian Cavanaugh, Anthony Norman, Jeff Hourigan and Steven Broschofsky, who all had batting averages under .200.
Pitching wise, the Twisters allowed almost a run more a game compared to last season (2.18 in 2003 and 2.97 in 2004), but still led the league in that category for the second straight season.
Jeff Hourigan, the team’s ace in 2002, returned to that role this season and thrived. The right-hander, a Beacon Falls native and University of Connecticut student, went 5-2 with a 1.83 ERA in eight starts. In 54 innings, he allowed just 32 hits and 17 walks, while striking out 55.
His season was highlighted with a no-hitter at Danbury on July 28 and finished his three-year Twister career in style as he recorded the team’s lone playoff victory on Tuesday at Fuessenich Park.
Paul Hammond, T.J. Franco, James Cramphin, Steve Spurgeon and Ryan Amason all pitched to an ERA under three. Amason notched a team-best 5-0 record.
"We showed a lot of improvement in the last half of the year," Hunt said. "That team worked their tails off in the second half to get to that point (Game 3 of the Newport series). It was a dogfight right until the end and we gave one of the best teams in the league all they can handle in the playoffs. Unfortunately, we came up short "
Here are the top 5 highlights and lowlights of the Twisters’ season:
Highlights
1. July 20 vs. Holyoke: Gordie Gronkowski clubbed a two-run homer in the eighth to give the Twisters a dramatic 4-3 win over the Holyoke Giants at Fuessenich Park. The win was the 200th in manager Gregg Hunt’s career.
2. July 28 at Danbury: In the heat of a playoff push, Jeff Hourigan came up huge, tossing a no-hitter in the Twisters’ 1-0 win over the Westerners at Rogers Park. Hourigan struck out six and walked three, two of which came in the first inning.
3. August 3 vs. Newport, Game 2 of the Southern Division first round: Hourigan went eight innings and Nick DeVito hit a clutch two-run homer as the Twisters evened up the best-of-3 series at one. The win was Torrington’s lone of the playoffs.
4. July 31, vs. Sanford: On the final day of the regular season, the Twisters clinched a playoff berth with a 5-3 win over the Mainers before over 2,700 fans at Fuessenich Park. Eli Iorg recorded three hits in the victory.
5. June 28 at Holyoke: Paul Hammond pitched a dominant, one-hit shutout against the Giants in a 9-0 win at McKenzie Stadium. The left-hander struck out 11 and didn’t allow a hit until Justin Vincent picked up a single with one out in the ninth.
Lowlights
1. August 2-3 vs. Newport, Game 1 of the Southern Division first round: In a game that spanned two days in two stadiums because of fog, the Twisters dropped a 4-1 decision thanks to six errors, two of which came on pick-off attempts from pitcher T.J. Franco.
2. July 30 vs. Berkshire, Game 1 of a doubleheader: Holding what seemed a comfortable 4-0 lead heading into the sixth, the Twisters imploded as the Dukes scored 12 runs -- nine before an out was recorded -- in the inning. Twister pitchers Hammond, Phil Tognetti and Greg Talpey combined to allow three home runs, including a grand slam to Gary Kruger.
3. July 12 at Newport: The Twisters committed six errors, including three by Iorg, in a 6-3 loss to the Gulls. All of Newport’s runs came in the third and Hammond suffered the loss, despite giving up only one earned run.
4. June 24 vs. Danbury: After starting the year 4-2, the Twisters went on a five-game losing streak, culminated by this heart-breaking 12-inning loss to the Westerners. Torrington would not reach the .500 again.
5. July 26 vs. Concord: The Twisters scored four runs in the ninth to tie the game at five, highlighted by a three-run homer with two outs from DeVito. But Jon Welch’s homer in the 11th was the difference as Concord snuck out of Fuessenich Park with the victory.
