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06/28/2015 12:00 AMThe Branford Senior American Legion baseball squad took its first two losses of the summer last week, although Post 83 still sits in first place in Zone 2 with their record of 10-2. Rich Balzano and company took a 4-3 loss at Orange in 10 innings, came back to edge Orange at home 3-2, blanked Milford 4-0 behind Sean Halligan’s no-hitter, and then split a doubleheader against Hamden by losing the first game 3-2 in eight and taking the second 10-4.
Playing at Orange on June 24, Branford took a 1-0 lead in the second when Devin Derenzo scored on BJ Massey’s single. Orange put up three in the third for a 3-1 advantage, but Post 83 tied the game by scoring twice in the top of the seventh. Derenzo, Chris Stankiewicz, and Mike Querfeld singled to spark the rally, after which Dylan Millhouse’s sacrifice fly scored Derenzo with Massey’s single plating Stankiewicz for the tying run. Orange later scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th on a wind-whipped fly ball. Dawson Frawley pitched the first six innings and Gerald Delise went the rest of the way.
Mike Keinz then threw five strong innings for the win and Millhouse tossed the last two to get the save when Branford avenged its loss by beating Orange 3-2 at home on June 25. Querfeld’s two-out single brought in Bryce Baker and Tyler Criscuolo to give Post 83 the lead for good in the third inning. Branford’s split of the pair versus Orange helped keep Balzano’s club stay just a whisker ahead of Orange for first in Zone 2. At week’s end, Branford was a half-game over Orange (9-2) for the top spot.
Post 83 then completed its season sweep of Milford (8-8) by prevailing 4-0 on the road on June 26. Halligan, who recently graduated from North Branford, was spectacular by hurling a no-hitter in which he fanned five and received excellent defensive support. Branford struck with a pair in the first as Will Coleman walked and scored when Derenzo hit into a double play, followed by Stankiewicz’s base hit that plated Nick Candelora, who had also walked. Then in the top of seven, Massey singled and scored on Coleman’s single and Baker later crossed home plate. Massey went 6-for-7 in Branford’s first three games on the week.
Hosting Hamden (6-7) for two games the next day, Branford lost the opener 3-2 in eight innings. Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, Branford tied the game when Criscuolo singled and scored on Baker’s sac fly. Post 83 went up 2-1 in the sixth as Querfeld doubled and raced home on a single by Baker. Hamden then tied the game in the top of seven and singled home the go-ahead run in the eighth. Millhouse pitched seven solid innings with Delise throwing the eighth for Post 83, whose offense was held to two hits.
However, Branford’s offense came alive in the 10-4 triumph in the nightcap. Dan Driscoll pitched 4.2 innings and Candelora closed it out. Post 83 put up six runs in the fourth, triggered by Criscuolo’s grand slam. The shot reached the right field parking lot at Branford High School with Balzano calling it “one of the hardest-hit balls with a wood bat I have seen.” Hamden didn’t go away and cut it to 6-4 in the fifth, but Branford came back with two in the bottom half when Baker and Massey each scored on an error. Then in the sixth, Tanner Giddings and Mike Gogliettino both executed perfect squeeze bunts to score Criscuolo and Querfeld, respectively, and put a bow on the six-run victory.
—Chris Piccirillo