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04/25/2021 12:00 AMBoys’ Golf
The Branford boys’ golf team began its 2021 season by playing three matches last week. The Hornets earned a win versus East Haven, took a loss against Sheehan, and then defeated Amity for a 2-1 start to the year.
Branford claimed a 183-194 home win versus East Haven in its season opener at Pine Orchard Country Club on April 19. Senior Finn Thompson and junior Justin Acquarulo were Branford’s co-low scorers as both athletes finished with a round of 45. Senior Billy Linder finished with a 47, while fellow senior Luke Albinger carded a 48 for the Hornets.
The following day, Branford hosted Sheehan and took a 185-197 defeat against the Titans. Sophomore Keegan LaLonde earned medalist honors for Branford by turning in a low round of 40 on the afternoon. Acquarulo shot a 51, Thompson finished with a 52, Linder scored a 54, and senior Sean McCarthy finished with a score of 59.
On April 22, Branford was on the road to face Amity. The Hornets notched a 180-182 victory versus the Spartans at The Tradition Golf Club at Oak Lane in Woodbridge. Thompson and Linder both totaled a score of 44 for Branford in the win. LaLonde and Acquarulo each finished with a total of 46.
Girls’ Tennis
The Branford girls’ tennis team earned wins versus East Haven and Sheehan to go with a loss to Jonathan Law last week. The Hornets now have a record of 3-3 on the season.
The Hornets hosted East Haven on April 19 and posted a 7-0 shutout against the Yellowjackets. Then on April 22, Branford notched a 4-3 victory versus Sheehan in another home match. Senior captain Shae Lepre rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the third set to win her No. 1 singles match in a tiebreaker and secure the victory for Branford.
The following day, the Hornets played a road match against Jonathan Law and lost by a 5-2 score. Sophomore Leila Omeragic notched a 6-3, 6-3 victory for Branford in the No. 2 singles match. Fellow sophomore Evelyn Mollow claimed a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles.
Boys’ Tennis
The Branford boys’ tennis team played three matches last week and came away with two wins to improve to 2-4 on the year. The Hornets took a loss to Hand and then earned wins versus Shelton and North Haven in last week’s matchups.
On April 20, Branford took a 7-0 road loss against Hand. Two days later, the Hornets were back on the road to face Shelton and posted a 7-0 shutout for their first win of the spring season.
Junior Josh Berdon claimed a 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 1 singles for the Hornets when they defeated Shelton. Junior Matt Gaudioso earned a 6-4, 7-6 victory at No. 2 singles; junior William Mollow netted a 6-3, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles; and senior Declan Ross posted a 6-0, 6-0 victory in the No. 4 singles match.
Branford’s No. 1 doubles team of seniors Justin Fatheree and Alec Aceves-Acosta netted a 6-3, 1-6, 10-4 victory. The Hornets’ No. 2 team of senior Ayush Sharma and freshman Luke Baylis earned a 7-5, 6-4 win, while the No. 3 duo of sophomore Adam Albrecht and freshman Matt Law triumphed by a 6-4, 6-0 score.
The day after that, Branford hosted North Haven and claimed a 6-1 victory. Berdon (6-3, 6-4), Gaudioso (6-1, 6-4), Mollow (6-1, 6-2), and Ross (6-0, 6-0) were victorious in the singles matches for Branford. The Hornets’ No. 1 doubles team of Aceves-Acosta and Fatheree posted a 6-1, 6-4 win, while the No. 2 team of Baylis and Sharma won a 6-1, 6-0 decision.
Boys’ Lacrosse
The Branford-East Haven (Bfd-EH) boys’ lacrosse team notched its first victory of the year while gaining a split of two games last week. Bfd-EH now has a record of 1-3 on the season.
Bfd-EH took a 9-7 road loss against Lyman Hall on April 19. Then on April 23, the team was back on the road to face West Haven and prevailed by a 10-7 final. Bfd-EH and West Haven were locked in a 5-5 tie at halftime. The Hornets then outscored West Haven 5-2 in the second half to come away with the win.
Seniors Luke Volpe and Jared Yakimoff both scored two goals and had two assists for Bfd-EH in the victory. Senior Matt Cordero and sophomore Sean Bosworth added two goals apiece. Senior Nick Chieffo had a goal with two assists, senior Dylan Pyle scored a goal, and junior Cam Paleski contributed an assist. Junior Aidan Strebel made 20 saves in goal for Head Coach Jim May’s team.
Girls’ Lacrosse
The Branford girls’ lacrosse team earned its first win of the season when the team claimed a 12-10 victory versus Mercy last week. The Hornets also took a loss to Hand and have a record of 1-2 this year.
On April 20, the Hornets hosted Hand for a matchup at Branford High School. Branford took a 17-4 loss to Hand in the contest.
Three days later, the Hornets put their first won of the season in the books when they defeated Mercy by a 12-10 score in a home game. Junior Isla Lionetti scored six goals and had an assist for Branford in the victory. Sophomore Jennifer Spencer scored three goals, while junior Julia McHenry added a pair of goals. Sophomore Ellena Galdenzi made 10 saves in goal for the Hornets.
Baseball
The Branford baseball team notched one win in its three games last week and is now 2-5 on the season. The Hornets took losses to Hamden and Jonathan Law before defeating Foran in recent action.
On April 19, Branford hosted Hamden and took a 3-0 loss to the Green Dragons. Senior Dan Farricielli pitched 6.1 innings and struck out five batters for the Hornets in the loss. Fellow senior Collin McNeil went 2-for-3 at the plate.
Then on April 22, the Hornets took a 14-0 against Law in another home game at Branford High School. The following afternoon, Branford hit the road to face Foran and claimed a 9-5 win versus the Lions.
Junior Sam Smith earned the win on the mound by pitching five innings when Branford upended Foran. Fellow junior Kyle Givner worked the last two innings of the game to finish it off for the Hornets.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
The Branford girls’ outdoor track squad opened its 2021 season with a home meet versus Lauralton Hall on April 22. Head Coach Kevin Connell’s team took a 101-44 defeat against the Crusaders in its first meet of the year.
Branford recorded a few first-place finishes in its meet with Lauralton Hall. Freshman Joelle Budz took first place in both the 100 (13.9) and the 200 (29.2) for the Hornets. Senior Jen Hincapie finished first in the shot put (24-5) and the javelin (68-11). Senior Ashley Duong took first place in the pole vault (6-6), while junior Katie Laska finished first in the 400 (74.1). The Hornets’ 4x100 relay of sophomore Sarah Nwagboli, Laska, junior Sam Burzynski, and Budz finished first with a time of 57.6.
Freshman Tess Wasiolek came in second place in the 800 (2:39.1) for Head Coach Kevin Connell’s team. Junior Lauren Dombrowski took second in the javelin (55-6).