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06/16/2018 12:00 AMEvery baseball team sees a pivotal point in its season that becomes a defining moment of the campaign. For the Guilford baseball team, the turning point of its 2018 season came with a victory versus Shelton in early May, and the savvy, senior-laden Indians rode that momentum to a deep playoff push. Guilford ultimately won 16 ballgames and then earned three victories in the Class L State Tournament to advance to the semifinal round this spring.
Head Coach Brian Hayden’s club sat even with a record of 7-7 through the first 14 games of the regular season, needing just one more victory to qualify for the Class L tourney. Guilford got the job done with a 2-0 shutout of Shelton behind a two-hit, 13-strikeout performance from senior Noah Rubino on May 9. The Indians never looked back, closing the season on a six-game winning streak to finish with a record of 13-7 and also earn the No. 7 seed in the SCC Tournament.
The Indians battled to a 1-0 defeat in eight innings against No. 2 seed and eventual finalist Hand in the SCC Tournament quarterfinals. Then as the No. 10 seed in the Class L State Tournament, the Indians doubled up both No. 23 East Lyme (6-3) and 26th-seeded Lyman Hall (4-2) to reach the quarterfinals, where they met No. 2 seed North Haven. In a game that took two days to complete due to weather, Guilford prevailed 5-4 in 10 innings after facing a 4-1 deficit entering the sixth.
Then in the semifinals, the Indians took a 4-1 defeat versus No. 11 seed and eventual champion Wethersfield at Dunkin’ Donuts Park on June 6. Coach Hayden’s squad finished the year with an overall record of 16-9.
“The win streak was big. We played under the lights against Shelton, and the win set the tone for us. It was the turning point for us,” said Hayden. “Then Noah threw a no-hitter against Foran. Our pitching was tremendous in that stretch. The game against Hand in SCCs was one of the best games I’ve ever seen. We faced the bases loaded against North Haven in the bottom of the ninth when the rains came, but we never panicked. That game was a microcosm of our season.”
Coach Hayden said the Indians had some lofty goals entering this season and had to traverse a schedule of high-caliber opponents in their quest to reach them. Despite hitting a brief rough patch in the middle of the year, Guilford found its focus during the home stretch and zoned in for a superb run.
“The boys came into the year with high expectations, and it was a real grind for most of the year against great competition,” Hayden said. “They really got back to doing the things that make them great baseball players, and then things really clicked for us from there.”
Guilford was bolstered by a deep class of 11 seniors that featured tri-captains Rubino, Matt Donlan, and John Luke Cianciolo. The Indians’ senior class also included Gray Stephens, Kevin Cargos, Tom Cattaneo, Logan Driscoll, Kam Miles, Evan Song, Matt McGrath, and Casey Johnson.
Rubino and Cattaneo combined to throw a pair of no-hitters, and Rubino also threw a no-no on his own in a 4-0 win against Foran on May 14. McGrath escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth inning to get the win versus North Haven in the Class L state semis. Stephens hit the game-tying single in the seventh inning, and Cianciolo had the go-ahead single in the 10th.
Rubino earned All-SCC and All-State honors on behalf of the Indians this year. Driscoll, who batted .733 during Guilford’s six-game surge, earned a spot on the All-SCC team, as did junior Ben Panagoulias.
Coach Hayden praised his seniors for not only being ideal leaders in both the dugout and on the field, but also for serving as exemplary role models for the entire town throughout a memorable 2018 campaign.
“Our senior class was a talented group that meant a lot to the community and the team. They are good students in the classroom and volunteer their time to help out,” said Hayden. “They set up a winning culture here, and they’ve helped show that Guilford can compete with the better teams in the state. They’ve left behind quite a legacy.”
From the Sidelines
In the regular season, the Guilford baseball team defeated Lyman Hall (5-0 and 11-1), West Haven (8-0 and 13-8), Morgan (9-2 and 10-0), East Lyme (15-4), Cross (9-3 and 3-2, in eight innings), Foran (11-1 and 4-0), Shelton (2-0), and Branford (2-0). The Indians’ losses came against Darien (2-0), Hand (9-1 and 5-4), Fairfield Prep (3-2 and 8-0), Shelton (5-0), and Branford (5-3).
The Indians finished with a record of 5-3 in the SCC Oronoque Division, while competing against Foran, Cross, Shelton, and Fairfield Prep.
Brian Hayden finished his seventh season as Guilford’s head coach.
The Indians’ assistant coaching staff was comprised of varsity assistant coaches Jeff Bonetti and John Foti, JV coach Adam Nuzzo, and freshman coach Ralph Russo.