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05/14/2017 12:00 AMSoftball
The Cougars’ softball squad was victorious in three of its four contests last week to stand with a mark of 13-4 this year.
H-K started its week with a 9-6 victory over Morgan on May 8. With H-K trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the first, Amanda Minervino (2-for-4) singled and scored on an fielder’s choice by Ali Halligan. The Cougars plated three more in the second on a two-RBI double by Olivia Whitehead (2-for-3) and a fielder’s choice by Minervino to drive in Whitehead. H-K’s Ari Masotti walked to open the third and came home courtesy of a Shannon Nelson sacrifice fly. Morgan grabbed two runs in the fourth and then the Huskies’ Sydney Chomicz homered in the fifth. Masotti drew another walk to open the fifth and was chased home by Halligan’s triple to the center field fence. Riley Mroczka sent Halligan home on a fielder’s choice. Mroczka initiated a 5-3-2 double play to shut down Morgan’s sixth inning scoring chance. H-K picked up two in the sixth on a towering sacrifice fly to center by Masotti that was hit so deep, it brought in runners from third and second. The Huskies rallied for two runs in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to grab the win from H-K.
The Cougars took a 9-3 defeat to North Branford the following day.
H-K then squeaked past Cromwell 5-4 on May 10. H-K gave up three unearned runs in the first inning, but pitcher Hannah Theriault then took charge and struck out the next three batters to retire the side. H-K earned its first run in the top of the second on singles by Halligan, Nelson, and an RBI single by Hannah Little. Cromwell countered in the bottom of the inning with its final unearned run. Mroczka (2-for-4) singled in the fourth, with courtesy runner Tori Rich scoring later in the inning. H-K’s bats came alive in the fifth as Rachel Senechal (2-for-3), Little (3-for-3), and Olivia Whitehead generated an RBI each. Halligan contributed two hits to the H-K effort.
The Cougars gained a measure of revenge against North Branford with a 3-1 win over the two-time defending Shoreline Conference champions on May 12. In the bottom of the first, North Branford’s Julia Haeckel singled up the middle. On the next pitch, the Thunderbirds’ courtesy runner sprinted toward second base, but H-K catcher Faith Mauri threw her out. With runners on first and second, a nifty play on a ground ball by Senechal took North Branford out of the inning. The Thunderbirds attacked again with two out in the second, grabbing a run on three successive singles. With two outs in the third, the Cougars mounted their own rally as Senechal singled, and Mauri tripled her home. Mauri scored on a passed ball to give the Cougars the 2-1 lead. In the fifth, Whitehead was hit by a pitch, setting the table for an RBI triple by Senechal. Theriault got the decision as the winning pitcher.
Baseball
H-K improved to 15-4 following an impressive three-win week that featured victories against a couple of fellow Shoreline Conference heavyweights.
The Cougars began the week with a 3-1 win over defending conference champion Cromwell on May 8. Luke Bauer scattered four hits and struck out seven to win his fifth game of the season. Ross Meglin hit a two-run single in the third, and Tyler Popp homered in the second for H-K.
H-K next took down North Branford, 10-1, on May 10. Trevor Rydel scattered six hits, struck out six, and allowed only one run in a complete-game effort. Crandall had three hits, scored twice, and drove in two runs. Owen Marica had two hits and scored two runs.
The Cougars next defeated two-time Class S finalist Morgan by a 4-1 score on May 11. Marica allowed only one run in seven innings, while striking out seven to get the win. He also had three hits and scored a run. Tyler Popp had a big two-run double in the first for the Cougars.
Boys’ Lacrosse
H-K is now 11-2 after taking two Shoreline Conference contests last week. H-K defeated Cromwell 12-4 on May 8. The Cougars next scored a 12-2 win over Old Lyme on May 11.
Girls’ Lacrosse
H-K split a pair of recent contests and now sports a mark of 7-6 with berth in states in the bag. The Cougars took a 16-10 loss to Old Lyme on May 11, but they then clinched their spot in states with a 12-9 decision over Mercy on May 12.
Boys’ and Girls’ Outdoor Track
On May 9, the Cougars’ outdoor track program traveled to Old Saybrook to compete in a tri-meet against Old Lyme and Old Saybrook. The boys’ team went 2-0 to improve to 10-1 by defeating Old Saybrook 83-67 and Old Lyme 109-41. Leading the way for the Cougars were event winners in Nick Formica in the 100 (11.5), Luke Sodergren in the 300 hurdles (46.3), Zeb Khalid in the 200 (24.1), Nate Breiling for the discus (133-10), and Wally Sample with the javelin (110-10). The 4x100 relay team was also victorious.
The H-K girls also went 1-1 to put their record at 9-2 as they defeated Old Lyme 117-33, while losing to Old Saybrook 103-47. Event wins came from Veronica Chrzanowski in the 200 (27.4), the long jump (15-8.5), and the triple jump (32-3), plus Destiny Pendleton won the discus (82-2).
Golf
The Cougars are now 6-4 overall after earning a split in two matchups last week.
H-K first took a 171-185 loss to Old Saybrook on May 8. The Cougars came back to post a 169-198 victory versus Hale-Ray on May 10. Alex Segaline medaled with a 39, Tom Fulner shot a 42, Oliver Artus nailed down a 43, and Johnny Maio shot a 45.
Girls’ Tennis
H-K earned one victory in its four matches last week and is now 7-10.
The Cougars took a 6-1 loss to Westbrook on May 8. H-K’s victory came from Nikki Clementel and Neve Blanton, who won a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 decision.
H-K was then edged 4-3 by East Hampton the next day. Winning for H-K were Emily Beck (6-0, 6-0), Hannah Stankiewicz and Lindsey Johnson (7-6, 6-3), plus Clementel and Blanton (6-0, 6-2).
The Cougars took a 6-1 defeat to Old Saybrook on May 10, but then beat North Branford 4-3 on May 11.
Boys’ Tennis
The Cougars scored a victory over North Branford in their three matches last week and are now 2-12-2.
H-K took a 6-1 loss to Westbrook on May 8. Giacomo Volpicelli posted the Cougars’ win by a 6-0, 6-0 score. The Cougars next lost 4-2 against Old Saybrook on May 10. Volpicelli (6-4, 6-2) and Ben McLaughlin (6-4, 6-4) notched victories.
H-K then blanked North Branford 5-0 on May 11. Volpicelli improved to 12-0 in league play with a 6-0, 6-0 win. McLaughlin won in straight sets (6-4, 6-4), No. 3 singles went to Nicholas Luneau by forfeit, as did the match at No. 4 singles, which went to H-K’s Nicholas von Feldt. In doubles play, the Cougars’ Simon N. Brown and Tim Luneau won by forfeit.
The Cougars then took a hard-fought, 4-3 loss to East Hampton on May 12. Volpicelli (6-0, 6-3), McLaughlin (6-2, 6-3), and von Feldt (6-0, 6-3) prevailed for H-K.