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05/09/2016 12:00 AMBaseball
Westbrook split its two games this past week by losing to Haddam-Killingworth and defeating Hale-Ray to move to 5-8 and stand three wins shy of qualifying for states.
On May 6, Westbrook hosted Hale-Ray and won 4-1. Zach Jacobs struck out seven to earn the victory on the mound. Jason Ferrucci open broke the scoring open for Westbrook with a two-out, two-RBI single in the third inning. The Knights would tack on two more runs in the fifth inning to secure the victory. Ferrucci went 1-for-3 with two RBI, Brad Cates had an RBI, Sean Antonson went 1-for-3 with a run scored, and Chris Benzi and Arno Utegg both walked twice and scored.
The day before on May 5, Westbrook lost to Haddam-Killingworth 15-5 on the road.
Softball
The Westbrook softball squad lost its only contest of the week to Hale-Ray, 7-1, at home. The Knights are now 6-7 on the season and need two victories in their last seven games to clinch a spot in the Class S State Tournament.
Boys’ Tennis
Westbrook boys’ tennis won its fourth-straight match last week and improved to 9-3 on the year.
The Knights blanked North Branford at home 7-0 in their only contest on May 2. North Branford has just one player on its team and he faced Westbrook’s No. 1 singles player Gus Marx, who had a strong match by winning 6-1, 6-0. The Knights claimed their six other points via forfeit.
“Gus is playing better. He’s a bit more patient now and I think he knows some of his toughest matches occur in the next few weeks,” said Head Coach Dan Shapiro. “When he is focused, he can be one of the best players in our league.”
Girls’ Tennis
Westbrook’s girls’ tennis team defeated North Branford 5-2 last week to improve to 10-2 this season.
In singles, Casey Burns remained perfect on the year with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Nicole Messore, while Sara Farnoli defeated Lauren Ablondi 6-0, 6-1. In doubles play, Maddie Archer and Katie Xenelis beat Erin Stiegler and Jordan Franco in three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3; Olivia Fabrizi and Marilyn Ulanowicz topped Sydney Constantinia and Alyssa Diaz 6-3, 6-2; and Skylar Jacobs and Alyssa Esposito defeated Frankie Palma and Kaylen Grandpro 6-1, 6-4.
“[We were] missing a couple of top varsity players today...When singles won, we were tied 2-2 as we had subs playing at No. 3 and No. 4 singles. Second doubles then won to give us 3-2 advantage. No. 3 doubles played a great match today and won in straight sets to give us our fourth point, which was then followed by a win at No. 1 doubles to finish the match at 5-2,” said Head Coach Paula Fitzgerald.