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08/07/2015 12:00 AMBranford Senior Legion baseball Coach Rich Balzano admits he wasn't sure what he'd get from his squad this summer after Post 83 saw several key pieces from last year's juggernaut move on. What Balzano got was a bunch of diligent youngsters who hit their midseason stride and reinforced that Branford is the team to beat in Zone 2 as Post 83 stood atop the standings for the sixth-consecutive summer.
The title certainly didn't come easy for Branford, which trailed Orange for the top spot when the home stretch approached. However, as the summer heated up, so did Post 83. Balzano and crew won their last seven regular season games to finish two games up on Stratford and three ahead of Orange for first in the zone at 23-5—clinching the crown by beating Shelton in its penultimate contest.
So even though his club took an uncharacteristically early exit from the State Tournament by getting swept in its best-of-3 series with Monroe, Coach Balzano is pleased with the sum total of a season that saw Post 83 prosper by progressing and playing with pride.
"I think we weren't sure as coaches whether this was a 23-win team or a 14-win team and I definitely think this team did a great job of overachieving and playing as well as they could have played," said Balzano, whose squad was 26-7 overall. "It's really a sense of pride for us to win the zone. We had so many new players that, in early June, they didn't necessarily understand the importance of winning the zone, but by game 15, they were checking the standings every night. So we've perpetuated the message that winning the zone is a goal and that we have to have pride about it."
One of the components behind Branford's success was its knack for winning the deciding game of a season series. Post 83 split its first two meetings against North Haven, Hamden, West Haven, and Orange and wound up winning the rubber game all four times. Due to rainouts, Balzano's team only faced Shelton once, yet it was perhaps the campaign's biggest win—a 5-1 home triumph on July 16 that locked up the zone championship.
Dylan Millhouse tossed a complete game to collect the victory in the clincher. Millhouse, a Branford resident who also saw time at designated hitter and the outfield, won six games and anchored a pitching staff which was one of the team's biggest strengths. Millhouse was joined in the rotation by fellow right-hander Mike Keinz of North Branford (4 wins), along with southpaws Sean Halligan (5 wins) and Dawson Frawley (3 wins), who hail from North Branford and Branford, respectively.
"Dylan is a power pitcher who did a great job of working in off-speed pitches. He kept hitters off-balance all year by blowing his fastball by them and then throwing that dinky curve. Sean is one of the craftiest pitchers that's ever played for us. He drew tough assignments, but mixed up his fastball, slider, curve, and change and was instrumental throughout the year," said Balzano. "Dawson was sick and missed a few starts, but toughed it out and took just one loss. He has two more years left and we're excited about him. Mike Keinz is a big, strong, hard thrower who also drew tough assignments, but finished with four wins and did a very good job."
Post 83's pitching staff also featured Gerald Delise, who won two games and saved several others with Balzano calling him "a strike-throwing machine." Fellow right-handed Branford resident Dan Driscoll won two games as a spot starter/middle reliever, North Branford's Nick Candelora notched a handful of saves, and Branford lefty Tanner Giddings won a ballgame and also played some outfield.
Another reason Branford thrived was its sharp infield defense. Balzano said there was just one game in which they committed more than one error and added that they turned "11 to 12 double plays effortlessly." Branford's BJ Massey and Candelora shared time behind the plate with Candelora also playing short; Devin DeRenzo, who will captain the Hornets next spring, started at first base; North Branford's Will Coleman played second and a little left field; Bryce Baker, who will also captain the Branford High School squad, logged innings at shortstop and second; and Tyler Criscuolo followed his remarkable Hornets' career by holding down the hot corner at third.
"BJ Massey is one of the best receivers of the ball and is a very solid contact hitter who batted in the mid-300s. Devin was a first-year player who moved into the cleanup spot and also batted in the mid-300s, while playing very solid defense," Balzano said. "Will Coleman batted leadoff for most of the year and had no fear with two strikes. He was always taking the pitcher deep in counts and hit in the high-300s. We called up Bryce from the Juniors right before the season started and he was a great addition who got several clutch hits in big spots. Tyler has one of the strongest throwing arms I've seen at third base and, offensively, he bailed us out of about a half-a-dozen games. He put us on his back many times and batted .385."
Coach Balzano also credited Branford's Mike Gogliettino for doing a fine job as the backup catcher, which involved him working the back end of doubleheaders on some humid summer weekends.
Going around the outfield, Jordan Botte and Geoff Yasevac split innings in left with the latter additionally playing DH and some right, fellow Branford resident Chris Stankiewicz patrolled the expanses of center field, and North Branford's Mike Querfeld was Post 83's regular right fielder.
"Jordan is a young, first-year player who has all kinds of potential and made one of the most electrifying plays of the year against Hamden when he came in hard for a fly ball and threw a bullet to nail the runner tagging up. Geoff Yasevac gave us senior leadership and is a great bench and clubhouse guy who you want on your team and contributed in a number of ways," said Balzano. "Chris has great speed and a strong throwing arm and continued our tradition of great center fielders at Post 83. He was rock solid for us all year. Mike played very good defense and was a great contact hitter who seldom struck out and had a number of key hits."
Balzano completed season No. 11 as Branford's skipper and was joined in the dugout by assistant coaches Frank Forgione and Kyle Heinz; team manager Chet Santoro; and volunteer James Balzano, who's his son and a program alum.
Balzano additionally dished out kudos to the Post 83 Junior Legion coaching staff for prepping players to excel when called up to the big club. Branford's Juniors were guided by Head Coach Ryan Santoro, plus assistants John Ponzillo and Mike Krause. Balzano also expressed gratitude to Post 83 for "allowing us to coach the team," and gave special thanks to the program's sponsor, Massey's Glass, "for their continued support of all three American Legion teams here in Branford."