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Guilford Hitting its Stride Down the Stretch

As the Guilford 19-U AAU baseball team nears the end of its regular season in the East Shore Travel League, Head Coach Ryan Fraser feels enthused about the progress that his squad has made this summer. After coming away from last week’s slate with a win, a loss, and a tie, Guilford is sporting a record of 10-7-1 with three games remaining in the regular season.

Guilford started off last week by taking an 8-5 loss to the CT Warriors. The Grizzlies then played a doubleheader against the East Hartford RoadRunners, earning a 6-6 tie and a 6-3 victory.

“We’re a young team in the league. So, early on, we had to believe that we could compete with these older guys,” Coach Fraser said. “We’ve lost a lot of close games, so we’re trying to turn the corner on that. We’ve played a little better than our record shows.”

The Grizzlies opened their week by dropping an 8-5 decision versus the CT Warriors at Guilford High School on July 27. Sam Ametrano took the start on the mound and pitched four innings for Guilford. Ryan Halas threw two scoreless innings in relief. Chris Golino recorded two RBI for the Grizzlies, and Michael Torre also had an RBI in the game.

“Defensively, we’ve handed out a few extra outs. They jumped out to an early lead, because we made an error in the first inning,” said Fraser. “Then they scored three runs in the third to make it 6-0. It was tough to battle back from that deficit.”

Then on July 31, Guilford was on the road to face the East Hartford RoadRunners for a doubleheader and came away from the set with a tie and a win at Martin Park. In the first contest, the Grizzlies rallied for two runs in the sixth inning to knot the score at 6-6, which held up as the final. Torre and Ametrano collected two hits apiece for Guilford in the tie.

Guilford went on to notch a 6-3 victory over the RoadRunners in the nightcap behind a dominant outing from Torre on the hill. Torre fired five shutout innings in the win, allowing just two hits and striking out five. Golino paced the Guilford offense with two hits, including a home run, and a pair of RBI.

“The team is continuing to work on defensive mechanics and footwork to help make key plays in hopes of pushing us over the top,” Fraser said. “We are also focused on gathering key hits in the close games.”

Guilford’s roster for the 2021 summer season features Colin Pompano, Aiden McBrierty, Joe Tafro, Sam Ametrano, Jack Farrah, Andrew Shosho, Michael Torre, Tyler Zajkowski, Chris Golino, Alex Vincent, Ryan Halas, and Colby Ambroziak. Coach Fraser’s assistant coach is his father, John Fraser.

“I love the players’ buy-in and effort on a day-to-day basis,” Coach Fraser said. “My dad continues to do a great job working with players related to the mental side of the game that will help push us over the top in close games. It’s just my dad and I coaching together, which I love.”

Golino is leading the Grizzlies with a .357 batting average this year and also has the second-most RBI on the team with 13. Vincent is hitting at a .342 clip with a .468 on-base percentage. Torre leads the Grizzlies in runs scored (16), RBI (15), and stolen bases (12). He also has a 2.10 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched.

There are 15 teams competing in the Rusty Zoarski 19-U League this summer, and the top 10 squads qualify for the playoffs. Guilford has put itself in a good position to qualify. The Grizzlies will first complete their regular season by playing a road game against City Angels Baseball Academy on Saturday, Aug. 7, followed by a home doubleheader versus the NCT Mustangs on Sunday, Aug. 8.

“As we approach the postseason, I’m looking forward to seeing these guys continue to produce,” said Fraser. “Our league is hosting a double-elimination tournament, and it looks like we’re definitely going to qualify since we’re in the top half of the standings.”

Fraser feels that his team is jelling at the right time as the playoffs draw closer. Fraser is looking for the Grizzlies to finish the regular season strong and then make some noise in the postseason.

“We are starting to round a corner, and I think we are hitting out stride in terms of confidence,” Fraser said. “As I mentioned, we’re a young team, but the more wins we collect, the more confidence it gives us. Our goal is to end the regular season with a few more wins and, hopefully, make a run in the playoffs.”