A Night of Drama in Middletown
Staples emerged victorious in the CIAC Class LL baseball championship, edging Trumbull 3-2 after eight grueling innings.
The momentum shifted in the bottom of the seventh when Trumbull’s batters launched a home run that tied the contest at 2-2, igniting the crowd.
Staples answered in the next half‑inning, with Cole Landgraf delivering an infield hit that plated the winning run and sent the bench into celebration.
Earlier, Staples had taken a 2-1 lead in the fifth frame after a series of walks and a defensive error opened the door for scoring.
Trumbull, however, left 11 runners stranded throughout the game, a factor that proved decisive as the clock wound down.
The win marks Staples’ fourth state title in seven championship appearances, a milestone that follows heartbreaking defeats in the title games of 2023 and 2024.
The final was also a rematch of a regular‑season FCIAC showdown earlier in the year, where Staples had prevailed 11-1, adding a layer of narrative to the rematch.
Trumbull entered the game aiming to capture its first CIAC championship in 28 years, a quest that fell just short on this night.
Lukas Snow, a senior pitcher for Staples, was recognized as Player of the Game for his poise on the mound in relief duty.
The Staples roster that night included a host of standout athletes — Cole Landgraf, Lukas Snow, Jules Cicero, Charles Fitch, Brayden Jagoe, Vincent Vega, Andrew Valentino, Paul Dottori, Jason Castello, and Anthony Moura — who collectively turned the tide.