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05/09/2021 12:00 AMThe North Haven baseball team enjoyed a winning week that saw Head Coach Bob DeMayo’s club claim victory in two of its three games to improve to 6-5 this season. North Haven earned home wins against Branford and Amity before taking a loss at Fairfield Prep in last week’s contests.
North Haven started off its week by notching a 10-7 win versus Branford at Bailey Road Field on May 5. North Haven trailed 4-0 entering the bottom of the third inning, but scored two runs in the frame and then plated eight runs during the fifth inning to take a 10-4 advantage.
Branford rallied for three runs in the seventh, but North Haven was able to hang on for the three-run victory and avenge its 3-2 loss in Branford on April 14.
Senior captain JJ Mazzaro pitched a complete game to earn his fourth of the year for North Haven. Mazzaro allowed seven runs, only one of which was earned, while scattering 10 hits, issuing no walks, and striking out six in his seven-inning effort.
With North Haven down 4-0 in the third inning, junior Mike Anquillare hit an RBI single to put his team on the board. Sophomore Steven Vincent followed with an RBI single that cut the deficit to 4-2.
North Haven sent 12 batters to the plate during its momentous fifth inning. With the bases loaded, Vincent drew a walk to force in a run and make it 4-3.
Junior Anthony Acampora then drew another walk that forced in a run and tied the score at 4. Junior Chris Hager’s single brought home the go-ahead run, after which juniors Shaun Murray and Ryan Balzano added RBI singles to help North Haven put its eight-spot on the scoreboard.
Branford scored three runs in the seventh and had a runner at second base with one out, but Mazzaro got the last two batters of the game to pop out and seal the win for North Haven.
Vincent went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored, and two RBI in the victory. Murray and Anquillare both went 1-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored, and an RBI. Junior Owen Pincince was 1-for-2 with two walks, a double, a run scored, and a stolen base.
Two days after defeating Branford, North Haven kept the good times rolling by posting a 5-2 win versus Amity at DeMayo Ballfield. Junior Alexander Bauman tossed a complete game for North Haven, giving up just two runs on four hits and one walk in seven innings pitched. This was another revenge victory for North Haven, which had taken a 5-4 loss to the Spartans on April 22.
Amity scored two runs on a leadoff homer and an RBI single in the first inning, but Bauman kept the Spartans off the board the rest of the way. North Haven cut it to 2-1 in the bottom of the first when Murray worked a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Balzano, and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Pincince.
North Haven took the lead for good by plating three runs in the bottom of the third. Hager and Murray both walked and then Balzano was hit by a pitch to fill the bases. Pincince followed with a two-run double to right field that scored Hager and Murray to give North Haven a 3-2 lead. One batter later, senior captain Cole Zalegowski hit an RBI single that brought home Pincince for a 4-2 lead.
North Haven tacked on an insurance run in the fifth inning. Pincince singled, moved to second on a base hit by Anquillare, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Vincent to make it 5-2. Bauman retired 12 of the last 13 batters that he faced, including the final seven of the game, to solidify the victory for North Haven.
Pincince went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and three RBI at the plate. Murray drew two walks and scored two runs, while Hager also had two walks to go with a run scored for North Haven.
In its final game of the week, North Haven took an 18-1 road loss to Fairfield Prep at Fairfield University on May 7. The Jesuits scored five runs in the first inning, 10 runs in the second inning, and three runs in the fifth inning before the game was called. North Haven scored its run in the third inning when Murray singled and later scored on a bases-loaded walk by Anquillare. Pincince drew two walks and had a stolen base in the game.
North Haven’s next game is a home game versus Jonathan Law on Friday, May 14 at 7 p.m. North Haven is playing a road game against Foran at 3:45 p.m. on Monday, May 17 and then a road game with Guilford at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19. North Haven will conclude its regular season by playing a home doubleheader against East Haven at DeMayo Ballfield on Saturday, May 22, with the two contests scheduled for 3 and 7 p.m., respectively.