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04/08/2018 12:00 AMBaseball
The Hand baseball team has stormed out to a 2-0 start this spring, while outscoring its two opponents by a combined total of 22-1 in the process. The Tigers defeated East Haven 12-1 and then posted a 10-0 shutout over Foran in the opening week of the season.
The Tigers began the year with a 12-1 rout of East Haven on March 31 in a game that lasted six innings due to the new mercy rule. East Haven jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, before Tom Hobin doubled and Paul Gagliardi delivered a clutch two-out RBI single to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom half. In the second inning, Cam Fitzgerald crushed an RBI double to give Hand a 2-1 lead.
By the fourth inning, Hand’s offense had struck for four runs, while Tigers’ pitcher Kyle Schaefer had settled in and was on cruise control. Schafer pitched five innings and only needed 57 pitches for the complete-game decision, allowing three hits and one run to earn his first win. Also for the Tigers, Eddie Sweeney had three hits and three RBI, Gagliardi had three hits and two RBI, while Phoenix Billings, Julian Banerji, Hobin, Fitzgerald, and James Degrasse all had two hits.
“The standout player of the game was Paul Gagliardi,” said Head Coach Travis LaPointe. “He went 3-for-3 with some really gritty, clutch at-bats. He also made some terrific plays at third base and solidified our infield defense.”
Hand followed up that victory by blanking Foran 10-0 on April 5. In 2017, Hand posted a regular-season record of 13-7 and qualified for both the SCC and Class L State tournaments.
Softball
The Tigers were triumphant in their first two games of the 2018 season. Hand defeated rival Guilford 10-4 in its season opener on March 31 and then outslugged Amity 11-10 on April 5.
A year ago, Head Coach Mike Niekrash’s squad posted a mark of 15-5 for a regular season that included a perfect 8-0 record in the SCC Quinnipiac Division to claim the title. The Tigers went on to play in the quarterfinals of the SCC Tournament and then lost to Pomperaug in the quarterfinals of the Class L State Tournament to finish at 17-7 overall.
Girls’ Tennis
Hand began its defense of the SCC and Class M state championships by notching a 6-1 win over Amity on April 6.
Singles victories for the Tigers came from Sam Riordan, sister Lindsay Riordan, Annie Barrett, and Ellie Weinstein. Doubles victories were delivered by the teams of Lee Jiaen and Anna Lang, and co-captains Nicki Goldfeder and Nell Karas. Seniors Jennie Burris and Clare Nelson took a close loss in the match.
Last year, Head Coach Kitty Palmer’s squad went 15-0 for the regular season, after which Hand beat Law, North Haven, and Amity to claim its seventh SCC Tournament title. Then in the Class M State Tournament, Hand upended Lauralton Hall, Barlow, and Pomperaug, before posting a 5-2 victory versus Guilford in final to put a bow on their perfect record of 22-0.
Boys’ Tennis
The Tigers kickstarted their campaign with a 6-1 victory over Fairfield Prep on April 5.
In 2017, Head Coach Dawn Fagerquist and the Tigers brought an unblemished record into their SCC Tournament championship match against Fairfield Prep after going 19-0 for the regular season and winning their first two contests in the conference draw. The Tigers then took first loss of the season by dropping a 5-2 decision to the Jesuits. Hand then finished in second place at the Class L State Championship.
Boys’ Lacrosse
The Tigers claimed victories against Foran and Conard to begin the 2018 campaign. In their first game with new Head Coach John Orlando, the Tigers scored a convincing 13-4 win over Foran on April 4. Hand then notched an 8-6 final over Conard two days later.
Last spring, the Tigers finished the regular season at 10-6, qualified for the SCC Tournament, and then defeated Newington, Berlin, Weston, and North Haven to reach their third straight Class M State Tournament final, where Hand took a 9-6 loss to New Canaan.
Girls’ Lacrosse
The Tigers stand at 2-1 following the first week of the spring season. Hand kicked off its campaign with a 16-1 win against North Haven on March 31. The Tigers took a 12-1 defeat to Wilton on April 3, but bounced back with a 20-7 victory over Weston on April 7.
Last spring, Head Coach Kevin Siedlecki and the Tigers won the SCC Tournament for the third year in a row on their way to a record of 16-5.
Boys’ Golf
Hand started the year with a 168-216 win over Sheehan on April 5 at Traditions Golf Course in Wallingford.
In his first high-school match, Matthew Doyle earned medalist honors as the low scorer with a total of 39. Matt Pellatt scored a 42, Michael McKeon shot a 43, and Connor Quinn had a 44 for Hand.
Last year, Head Coach Jim Holleran and the Tigers finished eighth at the Division II State Championship.
Boys’ Volleyball
Hand defeated Shelton by a 3-2 final on to begin its season on April 6. Last year, Head Coach Marc Figlar’s squad finished with a record of 4-14 on the campaign.