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05/21/2017 12:00 AMSoftball
The North Branford softball team wrapped up its regular season with a 15-5 record after winning two of its three games last week.
North Branford’s week began with a 6-4 loss to Berlin on May 16. Danielle Ramada had two hits, and Angelina Ramada and Olivia Hemstock both knocked home a run for the Thunderbirds. Sydney Senerchia pitched a complete game and allowed four earned runs with 11 strikeouts.
The next day, North Branford took on Morgan and won an 8-1 contest. Julia Haeckel pitched a gem as she allowed one run on three hits to go with 13 strikeouts. At the dish, Emily Muzyka had two hits and three RBI, while Hemstock had two hits and two RBI for North Branford. Kayla Despres and Senerchia each added an RBI in the win.
North Branford closed out the regular season with an 11-3 victory over Old Lyme on May 18. Eight different players recorded a hit and seven different T-Birds had an RBI in the balanced offensive attack. The T-Birds also drew 11 walks in the victory. Senerchia pitched six innings of one-hit ball and struck out 12, after which freshman Mairead Aiken pitched the final inning.
North Branford clinched the No. 2 seed in the Shoreline Conference Tournament and will host No. 7 Cromwell in a quarterfinal on Thursday, May 25. If North Branford wins, it will face the winner of No. 3 Haddam-Killingworth and No. 6 Coginchaug the next day. The final is slated for Saturday, May 27 at Old Lyme High School.
Baseball
North Branford finished the 2017 season with a record of 4-16.
On May 15, North Branford lost 5-3 against North Haven. Nick Mancini had a double for the T-Birds.
On May 17, Lyman Hall edged North Branford 2-1. The T-Birds later lost to North Haven by a 12-6 score on May 20.
Girls’ Lacrosse
The Thunderbirds finished the regular season with a 13-3 record, which was good for the No. 2 seed in the Shoreline Conference Tournament.
On May 16, Old Lyme—the tournament’s top seed—defeated North Branford 16-11. Stephanie Seymour and Sydney Hogan had four goals each, while Jessie Kilburn, Tara Lauro, and Emilie Wilkinson scored a goal apiece.
The T-Birds rebounded with a 14-12 win over Haddam-Killingworth on May 18. Hogan notched four goals, plus Lauro and Wilkinson had three each. Kilburn scored two goals, and Ali Barrett and Emmy Norton had one each. Elissa Nuzzo made 12 big saves in net to preserve the victory.
In the Shoreline Conference Tournament, North Branford will host No. 3 Old Saybrook in a semifinal game on Tuesday, May 23. Should the Thunderbirds win, they’ll face the winner of No. 1 Old Lyme and No. 4 Haddam-Killingworth for the title at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 25 at Morgan.
Boys’ Lacrosse
North Branford lost its final two games of the year and came up one winy shy of qualifying for the postseason with a record of 6-10.
May 6 was Senior Night for North Branford and the T-Birds took a 13-10 defeat against Old Lyme. Senior captains Connor Odell and Dillon Blake scored all of North Branford’s goals as Odell scored seven and Blake added three. Blake also contributed four assists, while fellow senior captain Brian McKee had two. Xavier Cognata made 14 saves in goal.
North Branford then lost a 17-5 contest at Masuk in its season finale on May 18.
Girls’ Tennis
The Thunderbirds split four matches to close out their season last week. North Branford improved its overall record to 6-14 with first-year Head Coach Matt Tortora.
The T-Birds’ week started with a 7-0 loss to Old Saybrook on May 15, but North Branford beat Portland 6-1 the very next day. North Branford swept doubles play as Nicole Yeager and Briana Dautaj won 6-1, 6-1; Alyssa Diaz and Janessa Pompano won 6-1, 6-2; and Jordan Caplan and Mikayla Harrison prevailed 6-2, 6-3. Wins at singles came from Sydney Constantinidi (6-0, 6-0); Zelda Galdenzi (6-1, 6-0); and Sofia Cavalier (6-0, 6-0). Jordyn Franco took a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 loss in the No. 1 singles match.
On May 17, North Branford defeated East Hampton 5-2. Wins came courtesy of Franco (6-7 [4-7], 6-1, 6-4); Constantinidi (6-4, 6-2); and Galdenzi (6-1, 6-3); along with the teams of Diaz and Pompano (6-2, 7-6 [7-5]), plus Caplan and Morgan Odice (6-3, 6-2). Sofia Cavalier dropped a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 contest, while Yeager and Dantaj lost 6-2, 6-2. Coach Tortora was especially proud of Franco’s victory as the senior captain played through pain to earn a three-set win.
To end the season, Old Lyme recorded a 5-0 victory over North Branford on May 18.
Boys’ Tennis
North Branford faced East Hampton in its lone match last week. The Bellringers posted a 6-1 victory over North Branford on May 17.
Golf
North Branford won one of its four matches last week to finish with a record of 3-13 this year.
On May 15, Coginchaug defeated North Branford 172-191. John Lovelace shot a 47 for North Branford, while Jake Neubig shot a 47, Christian Defrancesco had a score of 47, and Paul Zumbo scored a 50.
The next day, North Branford bested Hale-Ray 173-181. Neubig earned medalist honors with a 39 and was followed by Lovelace (43), Defrancesco (45), and Zumbo (46).
On May 17, Cromwell beat North Branford 173-183. Lovelace, Neubig, and Zumbo all finished with a 44, plus Defrancesco shot a 51.
To close out the week, Old Lyme defeated North Branford 168-199 on May 18. Lovelace shot a 45, Neubig had a 49, Defrancesco shot a 52, and Spencer Farrell had a score of 53.