This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
06/24/2017 12:00 AMThe Guilford softball squad proved that it was a force to be reckoned with and a team that you didn’t want to give a second chance when it was down to its final out this spring. As a result, the Indians reached a new milestone by advancing to their first SCC Tournament final in program history during the 2017 season.
Head Coach Steve Zajac and the Indians finished with a record of 15-5 for the regular season, including a 3-1 win versus previously undefeated Cheshire that put an end to the Rams’ 39-game winning streak. Then as the No. 3 seed in the SCC Tournament, Guilford recorded thrilling comeback victories over 6th-seeded East Haven (3-2) and No. 2 seed North Haven (6-3 in 8 innings) en route to its first conference final, where the Indians took an 8-0 defeat to top-seeded Cheshire. Then in the Class L State Tournament, the No. 6 seed Indians lost 4-2 against No. 27 Sacred Heart Academy. When all was said and done, Guilford finished the year with an overall record of 17-7, marking the most victories for the Indians in a season in Coach Zajac’s tenure.
“As the season started, we were hoping to build off of an 11-11 season, which had been our first SCC and Class L State Tournament team in four seasons. We had goals of getting back to both tournaments and going as far as we could,” said Zajac. “After a very successful 15-win regular season, we had a great run in the SCC Tournament, making the finals after two come-from-behind, last-inning wins over East Haven and North Haven. It was very exciting to have the walk-off win versus East Haven on Jordyn Goldstein’s base hit and Sara Barreira’s two-out RBI to tie the game against North Haven. Although we lost in the finals to Cheshire, it was thrilling to make it to the finals of the SCC Tournament for the first time since the league was created.”
Guilford’s captain’s chair was shared by junior pitcher Amanda King and her battery mate Megan Zampano, who was the Indians’ lone senior. King her showed mastery in the circle by recording all 17 of the team’s wins to go with 206 strikeouts in 158 innings pitched. At the dish, King batted .471 with five home runs and 28 RBI on her way to All-SCC First Team and Class L All-State honors. She was also named Guilford’s Most Valuable Player and was selected to play in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Junior Select All-Star Game. Zampano, who also saw time in right field this year, drove in 11 runs and was picked to play in the Umpires’ Association Scholar Athlete Classic.
“Amanda King was a captain for the second year. As a pitcher and No.3 batter, we ask a lot of her, and she delivers. She does a great job of leading on the field and in the dugout. Amanda is very knowledgeable about the game and tries to share her knowledge with her teammates,” Coach Zajac said. “Megan Zampano is a quiet leader who led by example, always giving her best in practice and between the lines during the game. Megan caught many games for us this year and played right field, too. She did a great job improving her batting. She will be missed next year.”
The Indians saw several underclass athletes shine this year, while helping to develop a strong future for the program. Sophomore first baseman Emily Torre batted.421 with seven doubles, four triples, five homers, 29 RBI, and a team-best 33 runs. Sophomore Leah Kornguth played second base, third base, and the outfield before finishing the year behind the plate for Guilford’s playoff run. Kornguth was fourth on the team with her 16 RBI, while junior center fielder Charlotte Young hit .309 for the season. Barreira, also a junior, played second base and came up with the big clutch hit to tie the game against North Haven in the SCC semis.
Sophomore outfielder Jessica Smith provided a steady presence the plate, including a home run that broke a scoreless tie against Sacred Heart Academy in a regular season victory. Fellow sophomore and third baseman Goldstein batted .451 with two home runs and 26 RBI.
In terms of Guilford’s freshman class, Coach Zajac praised the play of Mary Evans, Eva Ott Hill, and Delaney Kenney.
“[They] all did a great job for us in the outfield,” he said. “Mary came up with one of the biggest hits of the year, when she got a two-out hit to drive in the tying and winning runs in our victory over Cheshire, who was ranked No. 1 in the state, snapping their 39-game winning streak.”
In terms of team awards, in addition to King being crowned MVP, freshman outfielder Sha Jameson was named Guilford’s Most Improved Player; sophomore shortstop Ava Gladwin, who scored 25 runs, was presented with the Coaches’ Award; and Guilford also featured four Scholar Athletes in Zampano, Torre, Kornguth, and Goldstein.
Only losing Zampano to graduation, Guilford appears to be in great shape for 2018 as the team will return the vast majority of its key players from the recent season. Coach Zajac concluded by saying that this year’s edition of the Indians left an indelible mark on him, because of how they never gave in until the last out of the game was made.
“We return 12 of our 13 varsity players, including 11 different girls who have started games for us this year. If we can stay healthy and work hard in the offseason, we should be a contender for the division and league title in 2018,” said Zajac. “I was extremely proud of all the girls’ efforts this season. The girls worked hard to achieve a 17-win season, the most wins in my years as head coach. They were an incredible group that was never out of any game, coming from behind late in games, especially in victories versus Foran, East Haven, and North Haven. I was disappointed when we lost to Sacred Heart Academy in the Class L State Tournament, but only disappointed, because I wouldn’t have a chance to continue coaching this group.”
From the Sidelines
Guilford’s regular season wins this year came against Lyman Hall (6-3 and 8-1), Branford (13-0 and 9-0), East Lyme (6-3 and 7-2), Foran (7-5), Law (7-5 and 6-4), Shelton (13-1 and 19-8), Career (20-2 and 7-2), Sacred Heart Academy (14-0), and Cheshire (3-1).
The Indians finished at 5-3 in the SCC Hammonasset Division this season.
This was Steve Zajac’s 16th year as the Indians’ head coach. Guilford assistant coaches were Christa Parisi, who completed her third season as the JV coach; and newcomer Meghan Wiese, the former coach at Adams Middle School who was in her first year as a varsity assistant.