Hornets’ Softball Finished with a Flourish in 2016
The Branford softball squad featured a young bunch of athletes this spring and that inexperience showed in the standings as the Hornets owned a record of 1-11 entering the home stretch. While some teams might have packed it in, Branford stayed upbeat and used what it learned from its lessons to finish the year strong. The Hornets won five of their last eight games, including their final four, making Head Coach Chuck Reale feel proud of his athletes for their resilience and also optimistic about what Branford can achieve next year.
“We knew going in this would be trial by fire because we had a lot of younger players and were trying to sort out who would play where on a consistent basis and, early on, it was rough going. But winning the last four games and playing better from that point on, you could see that these young kids were settling in,” Coach Reale said. “And that was reassuring. Our players realized that they could push through it and showed fortitude, determination, and did a lot of grinding to push through some serious adversity that might have crushed other young players.”
Branford had already defeated Oronoque Division opponent Cross for its first win of the year in April and then the Hornets beat the Governors 18-4 for win No. 2 a month later. After losing a few, Branford claimed victory in its last four contests by winning at Valley Regional 23-0, earning a 6-4 victory in Sheehan, prevailing at division foe Career 13-5, and edging Valley Regional at home, 3-2, on May 23. The Career victory avenged a 10-1 loss to the Panthers from earlier in the season, but the Hornets’ biggest win was the one against a playoff-bound Sheehan team, which had blown out Branford 11-2 just three days prior.
“The Sheehan win was a key win because it was a team that had just taken us to task severely. When we came back, we controlled the game and you could feel it in the dugout. You knew these kids were starting to believe they could get the job done against a good team,” said Reale. “The Sheehan win was a turnaround for us. They realized they could play at that level. We kept telling them, ‘Don’t look over your shoulder. Just grind it out and have faith in your abilities.’”
Freshman Sophia Araneo was the winning pitcher in all six of the Hornets’ victories and, much like her teammates, she kept performing better as the campaign progressed. Coach Reale said that senior captain catcher Matilda Kreider did an excellent job of working with Araneo and both athletes also had fine years offensively. Kreider hit .347 with 12 RBI, while Araneo had a .353 average and was in the lineup every day as Reale didn’t need to use a designated hitter in place of her.
“Sophia could have easily folded from the early struggles and lost all confidence, but she actually turned that around. We told her to stay detached, play loose, just do the best you can, and whatever happens, happens. Nobody could be happier than the coaching staff in terms of the way things turned out for her because she pitched well down the line, even in a few games that we lost,” said Reale. “Behind the plate, Matilda helped keep Sophia calm in what otherwise might have been an emotionally horrible experience for a young pitcher. Matilda understood her role well and part of that was that she was in charge with helping this kid, and she did a tremendous job.”
On the right side of the Hornets’ infield, freshman Jess Shanley took over at first base during the middle of the season and batted .316. Senior captain Katie Massey started at second base and posted a .339 batting average on 21 hits to go with 36 runs scored and a .397 on-base percentage (OBP).
“Jess came in as a utility player and won the first base job simply through her drive, determination, and her coachability. She was like a sponge in terms of soaking up what we taught her about a position that she really hadn’t played much before and she was pretty flawless over there,” said Reale. “Katie was as solid as they come. She hit leadoff and really set the table for us. She played well in the field and was well-suited for a captain because of her personality. She’s a funny kid who kept everyone loose, but would also be serious.”
At shortstop, sophomore Marisa Minore had an unreal year by batting .537 with 36 hits, including 13 extra-base hits, plus 14 RBI. Minore, who put together a 17-for-20 stretch late in the year, was selected to the All-SCC Oronoque Division Team. Freshman third baseman Lexi Falcigno hit .371 with 23 hits, including 14 for extra bases, along with a .418 OBP and 12 RBI. She also hit for the cycle in Branford’s first win versus Cross.
“Marisa terrorized opposition pitchers. That’s flat-out it and we knew it was going to happen. With two more years left, she’ll really make people take notice and, hopefully, we can have that translate to some more wins,” Reale said. “Lexi is another representative of the talented youth movement that we have. She’s part of a core group of returning young players who’ve logged some serious time and so it will be exciting to watch them develop and grow. She’s also an excellent outfielder and we’ll look to move her to center field next year.”
Speaking of the outfield, sophomore Jenessa Pietruszka took over in left field in the second half of the season and batted .280. Senior Ariel Hansen played center field and junior Olivia Datre was the primary starter in right. Senior Shannon Healy also saw time in right field and was named a team captain midway through the campaign. Reale said that Healy “brought a lot of spirit to the team and came up with big hits,” and the coach also discussed what his three regular outfielders brought to the table.
“Jenessa was great at reading fly balls and has better-than-average speed. We’re excited about what she can do at the plate and think she’ll be able to hold down left field or right field as a sophomore,” he said. “Ariel is one of the best defensive center fielders we’ve had and she also brought a calming leadership to the bench as a senior. She’s somebody you like to have on your team. She’s a selfless player who worked hard day to day and that’s infectious when you show the younger kids what they’re supposed to be doing.”
“Olivia batted No. 2 and was our best at [dropping down sacrifice bunts],” Reale continued. “She has a stable approach and a strength for us is that she can play anywhere. She can catch, she’s our other pitcher behind Sophia, and she played third, second, first, and all three outfield positions.”
Datre will be one of Branford’s senior captains next year in tandem with Hunter Kelly, who hit .304 as the squad’s backup catcher this spring. The Hornets’ roster was rounded out by senior outfielders Ariana Dichello and Natasha Bailey; sophomore Jackie DaRos, who was a courtesy runner; and freshman Katy Kaczor, who was also a courtesy runner.
Reale’s coaching staff featured JV Coach Alicia Loesche, pitching coaching Lindsay Wasserman, and JV assistant John Kustra.
In a few months, Evaun Boatman, who coaches the softball team at Walsh Intermediate School, will be coaching a fall ball program. Coach Reale is encouraging athletes to go out for the squad, so they’ll be even more experienced come springtime next year, when Branford’s players will be a year wiser and the Hornets will look to get out to a stronger start in an effort to return to the postseason.
“We’ll have a young team that’s experienced and so we look forward to next season. With that experience comes the expectation that we are going to get off to a better start,” said Reale. “This was a young group that pushed through tremendous adversity early and started to believe in themselves. They showed not only showed confidence in themselves, but each other, and that is exciting for next year.”