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07/15/2018 12:00 AMSenior Legion Baseball
The Branford Senior American Legion baseball team is in third place in the Zone 2 standings with a record of 12-5 in zone play entering the last week of the regular season. Post 83 trails Hamden (16-3) by three games for first place in the zone. In last week’s action, Head Coach Kyle Heins’s squad lost two out of three against Orange, bounced back to post a victory over West Haven, followed by a split of two games versus Hamden. Branford has also qualified for the State Tournament that gets underway this weekend.
“We are playing really good baseball right now,” Coach Heins said. “Everyone is competing, and we know that since we clinched a playoff spot, it’s all about seeding. We are happy where we are.”
Post 83 hosted Orange for the opener of a three-game series on July 10 and recorded a 7-0 shutout at Branford High School. Zane Kmietek pitched six scoreless innings to get the win for Post 83. Nikko Liguori had a big day at the plate by going 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored to lead the Post 83 offense.
The next day, Branford was on the road to face Orange and dropped a 4-3 decision. Alphonse Suppa had two hits and drove in all three runs for Branford.
The day after that, Post 83 and Orange squared off again in the rubber game of the series at Branford High School, where Orange squeaked out a 2-1 win to take the series.
Then on July 13, Branford hit the road to play West Haven at Piurek Field and prevailed by the final score of 4-3. Henry Watson threw five innings to earn the win on the mound for Post 83.
The following morning, Coach Heins’s club hosted Zone 2 frontrunner Hamden and claimed a 4-0 victory at Branford High School. Kmietek pitched another gem by tossing a complete-game shutout to raise his record to 5-0 on the season. Liguori had two hits and scored two runs, plus Zach Withington had a hit to go with two RBI for Branford.
Then on July 15, Post 83 dropped a 4-1 decision in Hamden.
Junior Legion Baseball
Branford lost six of its seven contests last week and now has a record of 7-12 in Zone 2 this summer.
On July 9, Branford lost to North Haven by a 3-0 score at home. Dan Farricelli pitched his best game of the year as he only allowed three unearned runs in the sixth inning. At the dish, Enrique Diaz had two hits, while Justin Lucibello, Jack Van Gelder, and Justin Elpi all had one for Post 83.
The next day, Branford took a 3-0 defeat at Hamden. AJ Bruckman took the loss on the mound, although he only allowed one earned run. Glen Iacovetti had Branford’s lone hit in the defeat.
Post 83 responded by notching an 8-4 road win over Hamden on July 10. Van Gelder went five innings on the bump to earn the victory as he allowed three unearned runs on five hits and two walks. Diaz picked up the save by pitching the last two innings. Farricelli had a hit with two RBI and a run scored; Bruckman and Declan Ross each had two hits, an RBI, and a run scored; plus Elpi had two hits and scored a run. Carter Shannon had a RBI double and scored a run, Iacovetti had a hit with a run scored, and Diaz had a hit and a RBI in the win. Dylan Giordano drove in two runs for Branford--one via bases-loaded walk and the other on a sacrifice fly.
The day after that, Branford lost a 4-3 contest at Hamden in the rubber game of the series. Then over the weekend, Post 83 was swept by Orange in a three-game series. Branford dropped both ends of a doubleheader on the road by losing 5-0 and 6-1 decisions on July 14. The following morning, Post 83 took a 15-2 home loss versus Orange.
Branford closes out its regular season by playing two contests against New Haven this week.
Prep Legion Baseball
Branford recently lost two of three against Meriden and then two of three against fellow Zone A opponent North Haven. Post 83 has a record of 8-9 in the zone and sits in third place entering the last week of the regular season.
On July 8, Post 83 split a home doubleheader against Meriden by dropping the first game 7-3 and winning a 3-2 decision in the second game at Branford High School. Two days later, Branford took a 12-6 road loss at Meriden in the rubber game of the series.
Then on July 11, Post 83 split a doubleheader in North Haven as Branford notched a 7-4 victory in the opener and lost a 5-2 contest for the nightcap. Three days later, Branford hosted North Haven at Totoket Park and won a slugfest by the final score of 15-13 to take that series.