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05/20/2017 12:00 AMSoftball
The North Haven softball team clinched the Oronoque Division title by winning its final two games of divisional play last week. The Indians edged Lyman Hall 2-1 at home and then locked up the Oronoque crown by posting a 15-0 win at Cross on May 17. North Haven has now won the Oronoque championship seven times and this marks their first title in the newly realigned Oronoque Division.
Then on May 19, North Haven earned a 6-5 home win versus Amity to move to 16-3 overall.
Caitlin Ranciato singled home the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 2-1, walk-off victory versus Lyman Hall. Sarah Lombardi led off with a pinch hit single and advanced on Peyton Davis’s sacrifice bunt. After Olivia Peterson reached on an infield single, Ranciato’s hit won it for the Indians. Lauren Card pitched a six-hitter and struck out seven.
Eryn Sheeley earned the win by giving up two hits and striking out nine when North Haven blanked Cross. Julianna Jones went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Carly Brown was 2-for-2.
Facing Amity, it was Carly VanDuesen’s turn to win it with a hit in as North Haven trailed 5-4 entering the bottom of the seventh before plating a pair of runs for the 6-5 victory. VanDuesen was 2-for-4 with two RBI, Laurissa Amaker went 3-for-4, plus Davis, Ranciato, and Card also went 2-for-4. Caroline Gabrielle added a double for the Indians, who saw Card earn her 14th win of the season.
North Haven is competing in the SCC Tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Indians are hosting No. 7 West Haven in a quarterfinal contest at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24. If North Haven wins, it will face the winner of Guilford and East Haven in the semis at Biondi Field at West Haven High School at either 5 or 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 25. The SCC final is at Biondi Field at noon on Saturday, May 27. North Haven will also be playing in the Class L State Tournament.
Baseball
The Indians staked their claim to a share of the Quinnipiac Division title by earning a 4-3 home victory in 11 innings against Xavier on May 17. North Haven went 4-2 in the Quinnipiac to share to the title with East Haven. The Indians have now won seven division titles since the SCC’s inception, and this is their first one in the Quinnipiac, which they moved into this season. North Haven also posted two wins against North Branford and one versus Law to finish at 14-6 for the regular season.
Junior Luca Lawrence pitched all 11 innings of the Xavier victory, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with three walks and 12 strikeouts. Trailing 3-1 in the seventh, North Haven used two walks, a wild pitch, and a base hit by Matt Solomon to tie the game. Then in the 11th inning, the Indians won it when Craig Somma singled home Kevin Lucey. Solomon singled twice with two RBI, Lucey drew three walks and scored a run, Chris Stevens walked twice, hit a single, and scored a run; and Brendan Clark singled, scored, and drew a walk. Lucey, Stevens, Clark also had one stolen base apiece.
Two days earlier, the Indians earned a 5-3 home win over North Branford. North Haven scored four runs in the first inning en route to the victory. Preston Young picked up the win by allowing three runs (2 earned) in four innings. Clark struck out seven through three scoreless innings to close it out. Solomon tripled, scored a pair of runs, and had a stolen base; Dom Onofrio doubled, scored, a run and drove home two; Peyton Farina singled with a run and a RBI; Steven Erbe had a single, a RBI, and a stolen base; plus Vinnie Anastasio added a double.
The Indians closed the week by posting a 6-4 home win versus Law on May 18. North Haven led 6-2 through two innings and held on for the win. Mark Tantorski was the winning pitcher by throwing 1.2 scoreless innings of relief, Griffin Bottomley worked two scoreless innings, and Clark fanned five in two scoreless frames. Clark also had a single and two RBI, Anastasio singled and doubled with a run and two RBI, Farina singled, scored two runs, and swiped a base; and Jake Tantorski had a single with a run and a RBI.
Two days later, North Haven won a 12-6 decision at North Branford.
North Haven is the No. 5 seed in the SCC Tournament and will play at No. 4 East Haven in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. on Monday, May 22. With a victory, the Indians would face the winner of Amity and Hamden in the semis at Piurek Field at West Haven High School at either 4 or 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23. The SCC final is at that same site at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 25.
After SCCs, the Indians will play in the Class L State Tournament.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
Sophomore Erica Marriott took first place in a pair of events, while senior Sarah Vanacore defended her shot put title at last week’s SCC West Sectional Championship. North Haven scored 101 points and finished in third.
Marriott ran a time of 12.53 seconds for the preliminaries of the 100-meter dash, coming in second to Lauralton Hall’s Kathryn Kelly, who ran 12.08. However, in the finals, Marriott recorded a mark of 12.36 to take top honors, with Kelly placing second at 12.45. Marriott also hit a distance of 17 feet-0.75 inches to take first in the long jump, defeating runner-up Brooke Joyner from Career (16-5.5). In the 200, Marriott ran a time of 25.54 to take third.
Vanacore staked claim to her second straight sectional shot put title by throwing 36-7, which was well ahead of Susie Okoli from Cross, who took second at 33-0.5. Vanacore also posted third-place showing in the discus with a 96-8.
Senior Elise Symon finished second in the 1,600-meter run (5:31.42) and was fifth for the 800 at 2:30.51. Symon also ran with junior Macey DiCarlo, sophomore Shannon Reilly, and senior Maily Tran on the 4x800 relay that took third at 11:11.03.
Sophomore Camille Sahirul took third in the triple jump (33-7.5) and finished fourth in the long jump (15-6.5). Sophomore Julia Mappa cleared 4-8 in the high jump and came in third place. Junior Ashley Brown ran a 1:02.04 for fourth in the 400. In the 100 hurdles, Nina Maratea and fellow senior Adra Chbihi both advanced to the finals, where they finished in fourth and fifth, respectively, behind times of 18.52 and 18.85. Freshman Sammy Curcio made the finals of the 100-meter dash and took sixth at 13.30.
Junior Jacqui Weaver cleared 7 feet in the pole vault to finish seventh, freshman Samantha Helwig was seventh (85-0) for the javelin, with junior Kyla Delvecchio in eighth (84-10), and senior Kayla Rodriguez finished eighth in the shot put at 28-7.5. North Haven’s 4x100 relay of Curcio, Mappa, Sahirul, and Brown took sixth place with a 53.99.
Boys’ Outdoor Track
Seniors Omar Gebril and Josh Bryson both captured first-place finishes to lead North Haven to a third-place showing at the SCC West Sectional Championship at Amity on May 15. The Indians scored 86.50 points at the meet.
Gebril captured the crown in the 800-meter run by posting a time of 2:01.84, which beat out runner-up Marzio Mastroianni of Branford, who ran a 2:02.73. Bryson was second for the preliminaries of the 110-meter high hurdles at 16.19 seconds, only placing behind Xavier’s Alex Bates (16.08). Bryson came back to take first in the finals by running 16.07, while Bates finished second at 16.12. Gebril also finished second in the triple jump (41 feet-10 inches) and was fourth for the long jump (20-8.5). Bryson additionally took third in the high jump (5-6) and finished fourth for the 300 intermediate hurdles with a 43.68.
Sophomore Robert Farley placed fourth in the 110 hurdles prelims at 16.54 and improved to third in the finals with a mark of 16.31. Farley also cleared 9-6 in the pole vault to grab fourth place. Junior Matt Coyle and freshman Eric Spignesi both cleared 8-6 and finished in sixth and eighth, respectively.
Junior Eric Milliard threw 44-0.5 in the shot put and finished in third place. Milliard was followed by senior Carson Tebbetts in seventh (40-2.5), plus junior Joe DePrimo in eighth (40-0). In the discus, freshman Kyle Maruca took fourth with a throw of 115-7, while senior Michael Tran was in fifth place at 115-6. Sophomore Christopher Morgan finished fourth in the triple jump at 40-10 and freshman Ethan Okwuosa took seventh behind a distance of 38-1.5. Senior Chris DeBridgita threw a 115-2 in the javelin and finished eighth. North Haven’s 4x800 relay of senior Jordan Tong, junior Cory Reilly, senior Jonathan Goodrich, and sophomore Jack Opramolla placed sixth with a 9:14.10.
Boys’ Tennis
North Haven clinched a spot in the Class L State Championship by earning a 6-1 victory at East Haven on May 15. The Indians went on to win one their final three matches in regular season play to post a record of 10-7. North Haven will open play in states this week.
The day after beating East Haven, North Haven took a 5-2 loss to Xavier at Watrous Park in Cromwell. Nick Cristante won 6-2, 6-3 in the No. 1 singles match. Johannes Eisenberg and Jack Steinman won crazy contest by the score of 6-7 (9-11), 6-2, 10-6 at No. 1 doubles.
Two days later, the Indians hosted Branford and were edged 4-3. Steinman won a 6-3, 6-4 decision at No. 3 singles, while Billy Sgro won 6-2, 7-5 at the No. 4 spot. North Haven’s No. 1 doubles team of Riley Powell and Matt Carroll claimed a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 victory.
North Haven closed the regular season with a 7-0 home win versus Wilcox Tech. Eisenberg (6-2, 6-3); Cristante (6-0, 6-0); Steinman (forfeit); and Sgro (6-0, 6-0) won their singles matches, while the teams of Carroll and Powell (forfeit), Ryan Griffiths and Mike Gagliardi (forfeit), and Max Petruzziello and Quinn Dallai (8-1) also grabbed victories.
Girls’ Tennis
The Indians dispatched Hamden, Sheehan, and Sacred Heart Academy to finish at 17-3 for the regular season.
North Haven earned a 6-1 home win over Hamden on May 15. Julia Migliorini won a 6-0, 6-1 decision at No. 1 singles, Hillary Hoyt prevailed 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3, and Rachel Petry was a 6-4, 6-2 victor at No. 4. North Haven’s top doubles team of Nina Padro and Amber Jean-Guillaume won 6-3, 6-1; Sejal Atluru and Zoe Bowerman came back for a 5-7, 6-0, 6-1 win in the No. 2 match; and the No. 3 team of Avery Hill and Katrina Nadolny won 6-1, 6-0.
On May 17, the Indians hosted Sheehan and prevailed 6-1. Migliorini (6-3, 6-1); Olivia Hoyt (6-1, 6-3); Hillary Hoyt (6-0, 6-0); and Petry (6-0, 6-0) were all victorious. Atluru and Bowerman won 6-2, 6-3, while Hill and Nadolny posted a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
North Haven won 5-2 versus Sacred Heart Academy at Hamden Middle School on May 19. The Indians swept singles play behind wins from Migliorini (6-0, 6-1); Olivia Hoyt (6-1, 6-4); Hillary Hoyt (6-0, 6-0); and Petry (6-2, 6-1). Hill and Nadolny won a 7-6, 6-2 contest at No. 3 doubles.
North Haven is the No. 4 seed in the SCC Tournament and hosts No. 5 Lauralton Hall in the quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, May 22. If the Indians win, they will take on the winner of Hand and Law in the semis on Tuesday, May 23 at Yale University. The final also takes place at Yale and will be held on Wednesday, May 24. The Indians have the Class M State Tournament coming up.
Boys’ Lacrosse
North Haven completed its regular season at 13-2 after splitting a pair of matchups. The Indians took an 18-2 defeat at Fairfield Prep on May 15 before defeating Amity 10-5 at home on May 17.
In the Amity game, North Haven was down 5-3 at halftime, but outscored the Spartans 7-0 in the second half to come away with the victory. PJ Saracino scored three goals, while Max Sullivan had two goals, and Zack Orth scored one. Bowen Brennan handed out two assists, plus Saracino and Korbin Pecora both had one assist. Dustin Byrnes made nine saves in net.
North Haven is the No. 2 seed in the SCC Tournament and will host Cheshire in a semifinal game at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23. With a victory, the Indians would face the winner of Fairfield Prep and Xavier in the final at Ken Strong Stadium at West Haven High School at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 25. North Haven will also be competing in the Class M State Tournament.
Girls’ Lacrosse
The Indians wrapped up their regular season by winning two of their final three games to post a record of 9-6.
On May 15, the Indians were edged by West Haven, 11-10, at North Haven Athletic Complex. North Haven held a 7-4 halftime lead, but the Blue Devils rallied for the victory. Annie Uyeki scored four goals and had an assist. Courtney Babbidge scored two goals with an assist, Kylie Brandt and Haley Murray both had a goal with an assist, and Meg Christoforo and Madison Fredericks added goals.
The following evening, North Haven had a game at Law at prevailed 12-9. The Indians trailed 4-1 in the first half, but outscored Law 11-5 the rest of the way to hand Law its first loss in SCC Division II play. Annie Uyeki buried four goals, while Meg Christoforo had three goals with an assist. Kylie Brandt and Haley Murray both scored a pair of goals, Murray added an assist, and Courtney Babbidge scored a goal. Samantha Langner came up with 13 big saves in net.
North Haven hosted Ledyard for its Senior Night at Vanacore Field on May 18 and prevailed 9-6. The game was tied 5-5 at halftime before the Indians outscored Ledyard 4-1 in the second half. Uyeki had two goals with two assists, while Clara Pellegrino and Murray also scored two goals. Babbidge, Brandt, and Callyn Priebe added one goal apiece for North Haven, which saw Langner make 12 saves.
North Haven will next compete in the Class M State Tournament.
Golf
The Indians took two defeats in a tri-match to move to 5-9.
North Haven had a contest at Farms Country Club on May 18 and shot a 184 to drop decisions against Sheehan (169) and Cheshire (178). Matt Mezzano (44), Gianni Abate (45), Alex Kirtland (46), and Steve Pugliese (49) accounted for the Indians’ score.