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05/02/2016 12:00 AMSoftball
The Hornets put one in the win column by routing Cross 20-5 last week, after which they took defeats against North Haven and Amity for a record of 1-9.
Head Coach Chuck Reale’s club earned that victory with a 15-run home decision over Oronoque opponent Cross in a game that was halted after five innings due to the mercy rule on April 25. Freshman pitcher Sophia Araneo picked up her first victory, while fellow freshman Lexi Falcigno hit for the cycle and had seven total hits with seven RBI.
Branford then hosted another division foe and took an 11-0 loss to North Haven on April 27. Araneo doubled and Ariel Hansen had the Hornets’ only other hit.
After that, Branford lost 8-1 at Amity on April 29. Facing one of the state’s elite pitchers in Katy Koshes, the Hornets saw Araneo hit another two-bagger, while Matilda Kreider had three hits, including a RBI double.
“The Amity game was an important game for this new team since it proved that they could go the distance against a top-notch club. We’ll see how it plays out for the duration,” Coach Reale said. “Defense has improved, but still not at the point where routine plays are guaranteed. Moving freshman Jess Shanley to first and returning junior Liv Datre to left field has certainly helped the situation. Sophia Araneo continues to improve with how she approaches the circle. However, we’ll need a more consistent offensive attack if we’re going to have any kind of success in the remaining games.”
Baseball
Branford won two more Oronoque showdowns last week to remain in the first place in the division with a record of 5-0. The Hornets prevailed at Career 8-3 and in East Haven 5-4 for its divisional duels, after which they took a 3-1 home loss to Law for an overall mark of 6-5.
On April 25, Head Coach Stephen Malafronte’s club defeated Career 8-3 at West Rock Park in New Haven. Bryce Baker went 2-for-4 with two RBI, doubling in the third inning and hitting a single in the fourth. Tanner Giddings contributed to the offensive attack by blasting a two-run double in the fourth. Zane Kmietek went the distance for the Hornets by allowing just three hits, while striking out five.
Two days later, Branford edged out East Haven by a 5-4 final. Branford was led by Jordan Botte, who went 2-for-4, including a solo homer in the second inning, with three RBI. Ross Prior also went yard in the fifth inning. Carson Mendoza and Jack Spencer both worked out of several difficult situations and combined to get the job done on the bump for Branford.
On April 29, the Hornets dropped a 3-1 contest to Law at home. Greg Bradshaw pitched well for the Hornets, giving up just three runs and allowing six hits. Bryce Baker had two hits for Branford, which struggled to get anything going offensively against Law hurler Jerry Bravo.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
The Hornets raised their record to 6-1 by sweeping a quad-meet in Branford on April 28. Head Coach Kevin Connell’s squad defeated SCC foes Law (91-59) and Career (100-30), while also upending non-conference adversary Morgan (100-50).
The wins kept coming for Claira Janover and she posted first-place finishes in four events. Janover won the 100 hurdles in 16.1 seconds, the 300 hurdles at 50.1, grabbed first in the high jump at 4 feet-8 inches, and was also the victor in the triple jump by hitting a mark of 32-6. Other victories came from Anneliese Troidle in the 1,600 (5:48), Keira Integlia in the javelin (105-5), Cyrene Nicholas in the 800 (2:30), Kiersten Bjork for the discus (79-2), Etta Hanlon in the long jump (15-4), and Bridget Wirtz in the pole vault (8-0).
Delivering second-place showings were Integlia in the shot put (28-5.5), Nicholas in the 3,200 (12:44), Taylor Brown for the pole vault (8-0), Liante Claude in the 400 (62.3), plus Issy Bysiewicz in both the 110 hurdles (16.4) and 800 (2:31).
Placing third for Branford were Troidle in the 3,200 (12:50), Integlia in the discus (74-2), Bjork in the javelin (74-3), and Hanlon in the pole vault (7-0).
“Overall, a strong team effort. We got contributions from many areas and continue to see improvement. Winning 10 events in a quad-meet was very important to our success today. Kiersten Bjork continues to show an aptitude in the discus and is regaining form in the javelin,” Coach Connell said. “Very pleased by what we got from our team today. Many individuals are coming around, but we still have some work to do to be ready for the championship season in a few weeks.”
Then on April 30, the Hornets traveled to Danbury to take part in a unique competition in the O’Grady Relays. In the javelin relay, Branford’s team of Integlia (102 feet), Hanlon (84), and Bjork (82) placed third. The Hornets were also third for the pole vault relay behind the trio of Brown (8-6), Wirtz (8-6), and Leah Pendl-Robinson (7-6). Nicholas ran the 2,000-meter steeplechase and finished fourth by running 7:57.85. Also, Branford competed in the 300 hurdles relay with the team of Bysiewicz (49.03), Janover (53.26), and Pendl-Robinson (55.89) taking eighth.
“Interesting meet. Really showed where we have many of our strengths as a team,” said Connell. “Etta Hanlon threw the javelin for the first time. Maybe a preview of things to come.”
Boys’ Outdoor Track
Branford hosted Morgan out of the Shoreline Conference on April 28 and doubled up the Huskies by the final tally of 100-50. The Hornets improved to 3-4 with the win.
Branford was led by a slew of first-place victories in the victory. Claiming first in multiple individual events were Marshall Borrus in the 200 (24.4) and 400 (55.3), Andrew Byrne in the 1,600 (5:05) and 3,200 (11:10), Kory King for the 300 intermediate hurdles (44.2) and triple jump (38-7), Seraphin Tala in the 110 high hurdles (17.1) and the high jump (5-8), and Jake Roberts in the shot put (34-2) and discus (111-1). Also prevailing were Marzio Mastroianni in the 800 (2:12), Matt Alexander in the long jump (18-4), and Justin Dombrowski for the pole vault (8-0). On top of that, the Hornets saw their 4x800 relay of Mastroianni, Joe Borst, Marshall Borrus, and Byrne race to first in a time of 8:53, while the 4x400 of Mastroianni, Dan Lau, Borrus, and Borst was victorious at 3:51.
“Marshall Borrus had a tremendous meet. Most importantly, Marshall is a gifted student, a good leader, and a respectful young man. He is talented enough to run any event from the 200 meters to the 3,200 meters. Due to injuries, the coaches asked Marshall to run the 200 meters and relays. It was awesome to see him win the events,” Head Coach Rich Biondi said. “Jake Roberts also performed well, as well as Dan Lau and Joe Borst. As a team, the kids are working hard, they have a great attitude, and they are improving.”
Girls’ Lacrosse
The Hornets continue to post one-sided triumphs against any team that stands in their way and are now riding an eight-game winning streak. Last week, Head Coach Jackie Ceccolini’s club won all three of its contests to improve to 8-1 overall on the season. Branford began its stretch by going to Monroe and coming home with a 15-5 win over non-conference opponent Masuk. Two days later, the Hornets hosted SCC Sacred Heart Academy and blew out the Pacers 16-4. Branford then completed another perfect week by scoring a 12-7 victory at another non-conference team in Old Saybrook on April 30.
Boys’ Lacrosse
Branford endured a pair of defeats last week to drop to 4-6 this spring. The Hornets first took a 9-2 loss at Shelton on April 27. Then on April 29, Branford had a home duel against Cheshire and lost by the final score of 12-1.
Golf
Branford got back to its winnings ways last week by posting a trio of victories to improve to 5-4 on the season. First, on April 25, the Hornets hosted a tri-match at Pine Orchard Country Club and scored a 172 to defeat both Lyman Hall (182) and Foran (201). Then on April 28, Branford had a matchup on the road against North Haven at Wallingford Country Club and prevailed by the final of 181-222.
Boys’ Tennis
The Hornets had three contests last week and claimed victory in two of them to stand with a record of 8-1 this year. Branford began the week by recording a 7-0 whitewash of Law at home on April 25. Then on April 27, the team posted a 6-1 victory over Career at Edgewood Park in New Haven. Two days later, the Hornets took their first loss of the spring by dropping a 5-2 decision to Fairfield Prep at Fairfield University.
Girls’ Tennis
Branford went 2-1 last week and improved its record to 6-2 in the 2016 campaign. On April 25, Branford went to West Haven and claimed a 7-0 victory at Painter Park. Two days after that, the Hornets welcomed East Haven to town and handed the Yellowjackets a 6-1 defeat. Branford closed the week by dropping a 7-0 home decision to Hand.