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06/07/2021 12:00 AMBaseball
The North Branford baseball team won its first two games in the Class S State Tournament before taking a loss in the quarterfinal round last week. The Thunderbirds finished the 2021 season with an overall record of 12-10.
North Branford entered the Class S bracket as the No. 20 seed and opened the draw with a 13-7 victory at No. 13 seed Oxford in a first-round game on June 1. The following day, the T-Birds hosted No. 29 seed Litchfield for a second-round contest and won the game by the lopsided score of 19-3. Then on June 2, North Branford hosted No. 28 Immaculate in the quarterfinals and were eliminated from the tournament with a 4-2 defeat against the Mustangs.
Boys’ Lacrosse
The North Branford boys’ lacrosse squad earned a victory in the qualifying round of the Class S State Tournament and then took a loss in a first-round contest last week. The T-Birds posted a record of 9-10 for the spring campaign.
As the No. 15 seed, North Branford started off states by claiming an 11-3 home victory against No. 18 Holy Cross in the qualifying round on May 29. Senior Matt Pedersen had four goals and an assist for the Thunderbirds in the win. Junior Jake Saldutti scored two goals, while senior Ethan Raymond, senior Tyler Waligroski, and junior Jake Palumbo each had a goal with an assist. Sophomore goalie Dradon Brindisi made 16 saves for North Branford.
Then on June 2, the Thunderbirds played at No. 2 seed Bacon Academy in a first-round matchup and lost the contest by the final score of 14-10. Saldutti scored six goals to go with an assist for the T-Birds. Pedersen had two goals, Raymond and Waligroski both contributed two assists, and junior Joey Marra had a goal with an assist. Brindisi made six saves in net.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
The North Branford girls’ outdoor track team was represented by two athletes at the Class S State Championship at Willow Brook on June 3.
Senior Nadia Becker competed in the preliminaries of the 100-meter dash and finished in 13.44 seconds to take 14th place. Becker also ran the 200-meter dash and posted a time of 28.11 seconds to take 17th place.
Fellow senior Onna Gott competed in the 400 for the T-Birds at states. Gott finished in 14th place by running a time of 1:05.97.