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07/22/2019 12:00 AMThe Branford Junior American Legion baseball team completed its season on a high note by sweeping a three-game series against Zone 2 opponent Cheshire last week. Post 83 finished with a record of 4-21 in Zone 2 play this summer and went 5-22 overall on the campaign.
Branford started the final week of its season by taking a 7-4 loss to Hamden on July 14. Marc Cirillo had two hits and drew two walks for Branford, while Dominic Bonanno and Jack Van Gelder both had a hit, a walk, and a run scored. Ryan Nuzzo went 1-for-3 with a walk and a pair of RBI.
The next day, Branford dropped an 8-2 decision to West Haven. John Onofrio turned in a solid effort in relief by allowing one run on three hits for Post 83. Van Gender had a hit with two walks, and Cirillo finished the game with a hit and a run scored.
Following that defeat, Branford lost a pair of contests in a two-game set versus Meriden. Post 83 took a 5-1 defeat on July 16 and then lost by a 5-0 final the following day. Nick Soliwoda pitched well in relief for Branford in the first game. Van Gelder, Nuzzo, and Soliwoda all had one hit apiece.
In the second matchup, Meriden scored five runs during the first inning, but Onofrio came on in relief in the third and posted zeros the rest of the way. However, Branford’s offense was held to just one hit by Soliwoda.
Branford finished its season by recording a three-game sweep versus Cheshire. On July 19, the two teams played a doubleheader that saw Post 83 notch a 5-2 win and a 7-4 victory.
Van Gelder pitched a complete game for Branford in the first contest, allowing just two runs on five hits to go with five strikeouts. Zabawa had two hits and two RBI, Cirillo had a hit, while Ben Cooke added a hit, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
In the second game, Zabawa got the win by tossing 6.1 innings in which he allowed four runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Onofrio closed out the game on the mound to notch the save. Zabawa helped himself at the plate by drawing four walks and scoring three runs. Bonanno had two hits, two walks, and three RBI, while Ryan Anderson had a hit, a walk, and scored two runs.
On July 20, Branford beat Cheshire by a 5-2 score in its season finale. Max Libel scattered six hits in a complete-game effort for Post 83. Bonanno had two hits, an RBI, and a run scored; Adam Chase had a hit, a walk, and scored a run; Van Gelder hit an RBI double; Cirillo had a hit, drove in a run, and scored a run; and Nuzzo finished with a double for Head Coach Michael Krause’s club.