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06/13/2021 12:00 AMComing off of a year without softball, North Branford Head Coach Nick DeLizio and the Thunderbirds had no idea what to expect heading into the 2021 season. Led by three senior captains, the athletes on the North Branford softball team learned how to play for each other and used some excellent chemistry to advance to the Class M state championship game.
Although his squad took a 6-0 loss to Seymour, Coach DeLizio will always be proud of what North Branford accomplished on the ballfield this spring.
After defeating Kaynor Tech and Jonathan Law in its first two matchups of the Class M State Tournament, No. 5 seed North Branford faced top-seeded Woodland in the semifinals at West Haven High School on June 7. Woodland was undefeated coming into the contest, but the Thunderbirds handed the Hawks their first loss by notching a 7-2 victory to advance to the final. North Branford scored three runs in the first inning and then added four more runs in the third inning on its way to the win.
Freshman Lindsey Onofrio had three hits with one run scored and three RBI, while junior Bella Hills had one hit, one run, and two RBI for North Branford. Junior Lauren Ackerman had two hits with two RBI, and senior captain Jada Miconi contributed two hits and scored two runs.
Freshman Kiley Mullins got the start on the mound and allowed single runs in both the first and second innings. However, Mullins kept Woodland off the scoreboard and the rest of the way and wound up striking out four batters to help the Thunderbirds make their way to the championship game.
“We knew we had to get on them early. The pressure wasn’t on us. We have been in that situation before. Just go in and be yourselves. Play your game,” Coach DeLizio said. “We had a big first inning. Lindsey was key. Kiley used that momentum to pitch a great game.”
With its win in the semis, North Branford advanced to the Class M state final and took on No. 10 seed Seymour at DeLuca Field in Stratford on June 11. The Thunderbirds were riding a wave of momentum coming off of their big semifinal win, but they were without a key player for the state final.
Junior catcher Hanna Senerchia, who was recently named All-State and All-Shoreline Conference First Team, suffered an injury against Woodland in the semis and was unable to play versus Seymour. The Wildcats scored two runs in the first inning, two runs in the second, and then added one run apiece in both the third and sixth innings on their way to a 6-0 victory over North Branford.
Onofrio, Ackerman, and junior Gianna DePino had the T-Birds’ three hits in the game. Mullins pitched a complete game in which she allowed eight hits and struck out six. The defeat marked the first shutout loss of the year for North Branford, which finished its season with a record of 21-3.
“Hanna got injured in the Woodland game. The complexion of our team changed. If we had our best lineup forward, it would have given us more certainty,” said DeLizio. “We didn’t have all our pieces of the puzzle. We weren’t ourselves that game.”
Despite the loss to Seymour, Coach DeLizio said that it didn’t take away from anything the Thunderbirds accomplished this season. Along with the run to the Class M final, North Branford claimed its sixth-straight Shoreline Conference title on its way to a 21-win campaign. Following the last out of the state final, DeLizio felt nothing but pride regarding the T-Birds’ achievements.
“Going into the season, you don’t know who is going to step up. I’m so proud of these girls and how they played. We won our sixth Shoreline championship. There were quality teams in the Shoreline this year. To take care of our neighborhood was a huge accomplishment,” DeLizio said. “To ride the momentum into the State Tournament, go through Kaynor Tech, beat a good Law team, and then knock off the No. 1 seed—that’s huge. That’s big for the program.”
This season, North Branford was led by its three senior captains in Miconi, who made All-State and the All-Shoreline Conference First Team; along with Erica Piercey and Sophia Ouellet, who were both All-Shoreline Second Team honorees. Miconi, Piercey, and Ouelett were the only seniors on this year’s roster, and Coach DeLizio said that they all strengthened the T-Birds’ chemistry by bringing their own unique leadership skills to the team. DeLizio added that all three captains are leaving the program in better shape than when they arrived.
DeLizio described Ouellet as one of the most unselfish players on the squad. DeLizio said that Ouellet always treats everyone with respect, makes her teammates laugh during practice, and constantly plays her hardest, while also making some incredible catches in the field.
Piercey moved to second base this year, and DeLizio said that she grew as a leader throughout the season. Piercey was also a captain for the North Branford girls’ basketball team and used that experience to guide the T-Birds’ younger players on the softball diamond.
Coach DeLizio added that Miconi was the vocal leader on the team and always made her teammates smile if they were struggling. On top of that, Miconi proved an offense force for the Thunderbirds this spring.
While North Branford is losing three key seniors, the team will still be returning 11 athletes for next season. This includes Hills, who was selected to the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team; and Onofrio, who was All-Shoreline Honorable Mention. DeLizio believes that the postseason experience the T-Birds gained this year will help the club immensely going forward.
“Getting to play in the Shoreline Tournament, winning the Shoreline championship, making these kinds of runs is all great experience for the girls to hold on to,” DeLizio said. “How many freshmen can you say have been a part of a program that made a state championship? Not many. The juniors can take what the seniors left to them and build off of them. Now you know what it takes to play in these games.”
As he reflects upon the 2021 season, Coach DeLizio said that he will always appreciate the way the T-Birds approached the game and all the memories they made just as much as what they accomplished on the field.
“The unselfishness, the team-first mentality, and the amount of fun we had while still remaining competitive,” said DeLizio about how he will remember the 2021 Thunderbirds. “There were a lot of good times at practice. There weren’t cliques. We were all together. We had one goal, and they bought into one system. They were playing for each other. They were a joy to be around.”
The North Branford softball team’s roster features senior captains Jada Miconi, Erica Piercey, and Sophia Ouellett; juniors Lauren Ackerman, Nichole Gomez, Bella Hills, Hanna Senerchia, and Gianna DePino; sophomore Tessa Juniver; and freshmen Kiley Mullins, Lindsey Onofrio, Gabrielle Senerchia, Natalia Lucibello, and Gianna Fico.