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07/26/2021 12:00 AMThe Guilford 11-U All-Stars baseball team enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in recent memory with Head Coach Ralph Russo this summer. Guilford captured a District 9 championship and then claimed the Section 3 title on its way to making the state’s Final Four.
Guilford’s historic run began when the club won the District 9 Tournament with an undefeated performance. Guilford started off the draw by posting a 16-0 win versus Westbrook in its opening game, led by a four-hit shutout from Nick Vigliotti. Will Eden had three hits to pace the offense.
Two days later, Guilford rallied from a five-run deficit through four innings to claim a 6-5 victory over Madison and advance to the championship game. Then on July 14, Guilford faced Madison again with the District 9 title on the line and prevailed by a 9-2 score at Jaycee Field in Madison. Ben Mennone hit a bases-clearing triple to help Guilford get the win and clinch the district crown.
The athletes on Guilford’s roster are Ethan Aulenti, Cole Connellan, Miles Drake, Ethan Eagle, Will Eden, Eric Lowe, Nolan McGowan, Ben Mennone, Charlie Ogeneski, Ethan Russo, and Nick Vigliotti. Coach Russo’s assistant coaches are Frank Mennone and Dan Vigliotti.
“We knew what it took to win from the very beginning. We battled back from a 5-0 deficit against Madison, and that showed what these kids were capable of,” said Russo. “It was great to win the District 9 Championship and move on to sectionals.”
After winning districts, Coach Russo’s squad competed in the Section 3 Tournament that was held at Adams Middle School in Guilford. In its first game of the tourney, Guilford notched an 18-0 victory against Waterford as Eagle, Ogeneski, and Mennone combined to pitch for the shutout.
The following day, Guilford edged out Wethersfield by 6-5 score to advance to the Section 3 title game. Eagle and Mennone had two hits apiece in the win.
Guilford faced Waterford again in the championship on July 19. With a spot in the state’s Final Four up for grabs, Guilford came away with a 3-2 victory to clinch the Section 3 crown. Ethan Russo pitched a complete game for Guilford in front of its hometown crowd.
“We had an absolutely huge crowd of spectators at Adams, with Guilford Little League baseball and softball of the past, present, and future all very well-represented,” Coach Russo said. “The boys were extremely touched by the outpouring of love and support, and they were very inspired.”
Guilford went on to compete in the State Tournament in Willimantic last week. Guilford took a 6-1 loss against Manchester in its opening game on July 24.
Manchester scored two runs in the first inning, three runs in the second, and another run in the fourth to take a 6-0 lead. Guilford plated its lone run of the game on an RBI single from Ogeneski in the fourth inning. Guilford loaded the bases in the fifth, but was unable to capitalize on the opportunity.
The following day, Guilford faced Southington and needed a win to keep its dreams of winning a state title alive. In a dramatic contest, Guilford dropped a 4-3 decision against Southington in eight innings.
Eagle scored on an RBI double from Aulenti to give Guilford a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Southington answered with three runs in the bottom half of the frame to take a 3-1 lead. Ogeneski helped Guilford chip away at Southington’s lead when he singled to score Vigliotti in the third inning.
Down to its last at-bat, Guilford tied the game at 3-3 by scoring a run in the top of the sixth. The matchup ultimately went to extra innings, where Waterford won it by scoring a run in the bottom of the eighth.
Despite the loss, Coach Russo said that his players had fun while going on a memorable playoff run this year. Russo knows that it was a great experience for Guilford’s athletes, and he feels proud about the way that they performed.
“There’s only a couple of [Guilford] teams that have ever played for the state championship. To my knowledge, those teams that made the State Tournament were in 2008 and 1978, so we are in very good company,” said Russo, who also coaches the Guilford High School boys’ ice hockey team. “I know these guys wanted to win the title, but they should be proud of how far they came as a ball club. They battled until the very last out.”
On the heels of such a successful season, Coach Russo believes that Guilford’s players will be primed to make some noise when they compete at the 12-U level next summer.
“As long as they keep working hard, I know they can do it,” Russo said. “All of these kids left it all on the field, and they will be motivated to come back next year and win some more.”