Printer Friendly Version - Hand Baseball, Softball Qualify for States; Lily Geshwind Gets 100th Hit

Senior Lily Geshwind recorded the 100th hit of her career with the Hand softball team when the Tigers played Foran on May 3. Pictured are Geshwind and her teammates following Hand’s 7-6 loss against the Lions. Photo courtesy of Susan Wivell

The Tigers’ softball squad clinched a berth in the State Tournament last week and also saw senior Lily Geshwind reach the 100-career hit milestone.

Hand defeated East Lyme 10-3 on May 1 to seal its spot in states. The Tigers lost a 5-4 contest to Mercy the next day and took a 7-6 defeat to Foran on May 3 to move to 8-4.

Against East Lyme, the Tigers scored 10 runs on seven hits, led by Caroline O’Connor’s RBI triple in the second. Sophie Schreck had two hits, an RBI, and a stolen base. Adding four more hits were Kelly Cody (RBI), Abby Geshwind, Hollis Wivell, and Christina Coric. Catcher Lily Geshwind and Connor each stole a base. Junior pitchers Abby Geshwind and Caroline Schreck combined for a five-hitter with 11 strikeouts and a walk.

Facing Mercy, the Tigers’ offense was led three RBI from Connor (2-for-3), plus 2-for-4 performances by Lily Geshwind and Wivell (stolen base). Abby Geshwind had a sacrifice fly RBI, while Cody and Coric each contributed a base hit. Abby Geshwind allowed just two walks and eight hits. Hand’s stellar infield defense kept Mercy’s runners in check by recording 17 of the 18 outs and allowing only two infield hits.

Hand jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning against Foran. A leadoff single and steal by Wivell and then a reach-on-error hit and stolen base by Sophie Schreck put two runners into scoring position with no outs. Next up, Lily Geshwind ripped a grounder into left field, scoring both Wivell and Schreck, while recording her 100th varsity career hit in the process. Abby Geshwind then drew a walk that set the stage for Kaitlyn Martin to score courtesy runner Taylor Leckey on a sharp hit and increase the lead to three. Foran couldn’t muster any offense until it scored a run in the fourth inning. The Tigers answered right back in the fifth, when Abby Geshwind (2-for-3, 3 RBI) got a hit that scored Wivell (2-for-4, 2 stolen bases) and Leckey for a 5-1 lead. Courtesy runner Gina Ciotti also had a stolen base in the fifth. However, the Lions scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth and three more in the sixth on four total hits to go up 7-5. A seventh inning Hand rally started when Abby Geshwind hit in Lily Geshwind (1-for-4, 2 RBI), but the game ended with Foran hanging on for the 7-6 victory.

Hand was victorious in three of its four games last week to improve to 9-6 and nail down a berth in the Class L State Tournament. The Tigers also own a record of in the 3-2 SCC Hammonasset Division.

The Tigers took down Ledyard, 10-2, on May 1, after which they clinched their states berth with a 19-2 rout of Career on May 2. The following day, the Tigers took an 11-4 defeat to Branford, but then finished the week with a 10-2 win over Foran on May 6.

Against Ledyard, Eddie Sweeney had a 3-for-3 performance that included a grand slam, a triple, a double, and five RBI. Will Reiner went 2-for-4 with a run scored, Julian Banerji went 1-for-2 with three runs scored, and Cam Fitzgerald had a hit and two RBI. Sophomore Jake Crawford earned his first varsity win as he pitched four innings and only allowed one unearned run. Hand jumped all over Ledyard in the top of the first and scored seven runs in the inning, including the grand slam by Sweeney. Reiner and EJ Mastronardi had back-to-back singles to lead off the game.

Facing Career, Sweeney went 4-for-4 with three runs and four RBI to give him a hit in eight straight at-bats. Banerji hit 2-for-3 with three runs scored and a double, Fitzgerald went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, Mike Elias was 2-for-4 with five RBI, and Robert Bordiere went 4-for-4 with two runs and four RBI for the Tigers. Ryan McAneany improved to 2-0 as he went 6.1 innings, allowing only one hit and one earned run, while striking out eight. Hand scored three runs in the first, three in the second, and seven in the third to make it 13-0. The Tigers added four in the sixth and one in the seventh.

Battling Branford, Tom Hobin went 4-for-4 with an RBI, Elias was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, Reiner went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and James Degrasse doubled. Branford jumped out to an early lead on a two-run home run in the second. Branford added four runs in the third and two in the fourth to take an 8-0 lead. Hand battled back for four runs between the fifth and sixth innings, but the pressure that Branford’s offense put on Hand’s defense was too much for the Tigers to overcome.

The Tigers defeated Guilford and Shelton to notch their first wins of the year and move to 2-5.

Hand started the week with a 172-178 victory over Guilford on May 1. Chris Bader and Luke Lanza both shot a 41 and were co-medalists as the low scorers of the match.

The Tigers made it two straight with a 173-177 final against Shelton on May 3. Michael McKeon shot a 41 and Lanza a 43.

Hand took defeats against Mercy and Lauralton Hall this past week to move to 2-4.

The Tigers began their week with a 202-222 loss to Mercy on May 2. The scores for Hand were Gabby Martin with a 41, along with Emma Boey (56), Josie Anderson (59), Erickson Richard (66), and Gabby Larizza (72).

Hand then lost a 193-205 decision to Lauralton Hall the next day. Martin (43), Boey (46), Angie Balzano (55), Anderson (61), and Larizza (62) competed for the Tigers at this meet.

Hand began the week with a 10-7 victory over Guilford on May 1. Goals for the Tigers were scored by Tom Swank (3), Nate Palumbo (2), Liam Gottlick (2), Teg Cosgriff, Tanner Garitta, and John Ruggiero. Matt Rubino and Cosgriff assisted on goals, plus Griffin Fitzmaurice had 11 saves. Hand outshot the Indians 31-18.

The Tigers first dispatched Hall, 15-5, on May 2. Then on May 4, Hand earned a 12-8 win over Lauralton Hall.

It was a pretty simple story for Hand last week, which upped its mark to 10-0: three matches, three 6-1 finals, and three wins for the Tigers.

Hand scored a 6-1 triumph over Notre Dame-West Haven on May 1. The Tigers then defeated Hamden by that same final one day later. Hand next defeated Shelton in another 6-1 decision.

Hand had one contest last week when it traveled to Shelton for a road contest. The Tigers took a 3-0 loss on May 1 and are now 2-8 this year.

Zakery Santoemma and the Hand boys’ lacrosse team defeated rival Guilford 10-7 on May 1 for their eighth win of the year. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Source