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05/29/2017 12:00 AMThe Guilford softball team won a thrilling contest against North Haven in the SCC Tournament semifinals before taking a loss to Cheshire in the championship game. The Indians then opened play in the Class L State Tournament and dropped a decision to Sacred Heart Academy to finish the year with a record of 17-7.
The 3rd-seeded Indians entered the SCC Tournament and rallied for a 3-2 quarterfinal victory over No. 6 East Haven. Then as a result of rain, the SCC Tournament semifinals were pushed back and held on the same day as the championship game on May 27. First, the Indians hit the road to face No. 2 seed North Haven and pulled off a 6-3, eight-inning victory to earn their first berth in the conference final. Facing top-seeded Cheshire that evening, Guilford was held without a hit and took an 8-0 loss at West Haven High School to end a day that was filled with valiant efforts by the Indians.
"I'm happy with everything the girls did. It was a long day for them," said Head Coach Steve Zajac. "Cheshire got the lead on us early, but then we played a few good innings. We would've liked to get a few runs across, but the girls were in good spirits afterwards."
Junior pitcher Amanda King pitched a complete game for Guilford, giving up eight hits and five walks, while striking out two. Coach Zajac credited King for persevering through the long haul by pitching 14 innings in one day's time, and he also handed out high praised to his defense.
"Amanda just ran out of gas in the Cheshire game, but she did pitch eight innings earlier in the day against North Haven," said Zajac. "But against Cheshire, the defense played well behind her and made no errors."
Cheshire got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the first inning, scoring on a sacrifice fly, an RBI double, and a wild pitch. Three innings later, Cheshire made it 5-0 by scoring on a single and a wild pitch. Guilford put together a threat after drawing a pair of walks in the fifth, but Cheshire's batter got out of the inning on a lineout. The Rams scored their sixth run on a homer in the bottom of the fifth and picked up their last two runs in the sixth for the 8-0 victory.
Previously, in the semifinals, the game stood scoreless until North Haven went ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the third. However, King and company escaped a bases-loaded jam to prevent any further damage. Junior second baseman Sara Barreira reached base on an error in the top of the fourth. Sophomore first baseman Emily Torre and sophomore third baseman Jordyn Goldstein followed with base knocks before freshman pinch runner Delaney Kenney scored on a passed ball to tie the game. Sophomore Leah Kornguth gave Guilford a 2-1 lead with an RBI on fielder's choice.
North Haven tied the score at 2-2 with a pair of singles in its half of the fourth inning, and the score stayed that way until the sixth, when North Haven regained the lead on a home run. Guilford was down to its last at-bat in the top of the seventh, but Barreira singled to score junior outfielder Charlotte Young from second base to tie it up again. Moving to the decisive eighth, Torre walked and Goldstein singled to get it going for Guilford. Torre scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, freshmen outfielder Mary Evans provided an insurance run on a ground ball to second base, and the Indians tacked on one last run for the 6-3 win.
Coach Zajac felt that his club's dramatic run to the SCC final personified the Indians' season-long spirit as they never gave up until the games were finished.
"This SCC run was fantastic. They are never out of a game. They can always come back, and they showed that against East Haven," Coach Zajac said. "They've played hard all year and have made the big plays. They are a tough group of girls and keep fighting until the end."
Three days after the SCC final, the 6th-seeded Indians opened up the Class L State Tournament versus No. 27 seed Sacred Heart Academy and took a 4-2 loss to end the year at 17-7 overall.
From the Sidelines
Amanda King made the All-SCC First Team, while Emily Torre earned Second Team honors for Guilford. King was also named to the All-State Team for Class L and was selected to play in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Junior Select All-Star Game.
Earlier in the year, Guilford handed Cheshire its first loss of the year and snapped the Rams' 39-game winning streak with a 3-1 win on May 8.
The Indians finished the regular season with a record of 15-5 and went 5-3 in the SCC Hammonasset Division.