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08/09/2021 12:00 AMThe Branford Prep American Legion 15-U baseball team won its first game in the State Tournament before taking a defeat in the quarterfinals of the draw last week. Post 83 notched a 13-2 first-round victory versus Ellington and then dropped a 7-0 decision against West Hartford in the state quarterfinals to finish with an overall record of 14-9 for the year.
With a combination of athletes from Branford and North Branford, Head Coach Billy Mitchell’s team enjoyed a successful season this summer. Coach Mitchell said that Post 83 was bolstered by solid pitching, hitting, and defense throughout the campaign, and he was also happy to see excellent teamwork amongst a roster full of dedicated players.
“We accomplished our goal of getting better as a team and as individuals,” said Mitchell. “Last year was rough with COVID and kids not having played. Since that time, these kids have really improved a lot. It shows this season. We played some really good teams around the state. We did pretty well in my opinion.”
Branford’s roster for the 2021 season featured Caleb Allen, Kyle Anderson, Brandon Collins, Jason Cosgrove, Logan Cser, Jayden Giardini, Jaeden Konesky, John Mautte, Jason O’Connor, Tim Rice, Matt Scalia, Jack Smith, Kyle Stegina, and Anthony Sullivan.
Most of the athletes on the team played for Coach Mitchell when Branford fielded a team in the Connecticut Baseball League last summer. After competing in a 14-U fall league, they got back together to play for the Post 83 Prep Legion team this year.
Branford recorded a mark of 13-8 during the regular season to finish in fifth place out of 16 teams in the Zone D standings. Coach Mitchell was pleased with his club’s progress as the season unfolded and told his players that it was “their time” entering the State Tournament.
Branford was the No. 5 seed in the State Tournament and started off the draw by hosting No. 12 seed Ellington in the first round on Aug. 2. Post 83 routed Ellington by the final score of 13-2 in five innings at North Branford High School to advance into the quarterfinals.
Branford scored its first run of the game on an error in the first inning. Allen then drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run and give Branford a 2-0 lead. Post 83 added another run on an error for a 3-0 lead through one.
In the second inning, Branford scored a run on a wild pitch to make it 4-0. Rice followed by hitting a two-run triple that gave Post 83 a 6-0 advantage. Allen hit an RBI single and later scored on a double by Smith to make it 8-0. Branford added another run on an error and one more on a sacrifice fly by Collins for a 10-0 lead.
Stegina had an RBI single for Post 83 in the third inning. Stegina later scored on a wild pitch to make the score 12-0. Konesky doubled in Branford’s final run in the fourth inning to put Post 83 up 13-0. Ellington scored two runs in the fifth inning to make it 13-2, after which the game was called.
O’Connor took the start on the mound and tossed three scoreless innings for Branford, allowing two hits and one walk. Stegina pitched 1.1 innings of relief, and then Allen retired the final two batters of the game to solidify the win.
“We had a really good game in that one,” Coach Mitchell said. “JJ O’Connor started, and the plan was for him to throw the whole game. He only had to pitch three innings. We hit really well. It was just overall a really good game for us.”
Post 83’s offense had eight hits and eight walks in the victory. Rice went 2-for-2 with a triple, two runs scored, and two RBI; while Stegina was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
Konesky went 1-for-2 with two walks, a double, two runs, an RBI, and four stolen bases in the win. Allen went 1-for-1 with two walks, a run, and two RBI; Smith was 1-for-3 with a double, a run, and an RBI; and O’Connor went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.
Scalia drew two walks and scored two runs for Post 83. Anderson scored a run and had an RBI, Collins had the RBI on the sac fly, and Cosgrove had a walk with a run and a stolen base.
The following day, Branford hit the road to face a 4th-seeded West Hartford team in the state quarterfinals at Hall High School. Post 83 took a 7-0 loss to West Hartford and was eliminated from the tournament.
West Hartford scored one run in the first inning, five runs in the second, and one run in the fourth on its way to the victory. Branford’s offense drew nine walks, but was held to one hit in the loss.
O’Connor threw four solid innings of relief for Post 83 in the game, giving up just one run on three hits. O’Connor also drew two walks at the plate and had two stolen bases.
Scalia also drew a pair of walks for Branford. Allen had a single for the team’s lone hit of the day for Coach Mitchell’s squad.
“In my opinion, West Hartford was the best team we played all year. We didn’t hit, and they had a good pitcher. They just beat us,” said Mitchell. “I thought we played OK. We might have gotten worn out a little bit. We did well to get to that game. The competition was really hard.”
Coach Mitchell said that Branford relied on quality pitching and defense this season. Mitchell noted the performances of O’Connor, who went 6-1; Allen, who took multiple no-hitters into the sixth inning; and Stegina, who served as the team’s closer, as being key factors for Post 83’s success.
“We played really good defensively. Pitching and defense were our strengths,” Mitchell said. “It was hard to score runs on us. We didn’t give up many runs this year at all.”
Mitchell added that the camaraderie between his players proved one of Branford’s greatest strengths this summer. While the roster included athletes from two different towns, Coach Mitchell said that everyone on Post 83 became great friends and jelled as a unit as they played more innings together.
“It was a mixture of Branford and North Branford kids, but they got along very well. They all became friends last year. They spent time with each other off the field,” said Mitchell, whose assistant coaches were Stan Konesky, Jr., and Kyle Heins.
“It was really good chemistry,” he added. “They became really good friends.”
In addition to helming the Branford Prep Legion team, Mitchell is also the head coach of the varsity baseball team at North Branford High School. Whether his players are suiting up for the T-Birds, the Hornets, or Post 83, Mitchell feels that the local talent pool has the future of baseball in both towns looking quite bright.
“Branford has a couple of great guys going over there. They are going to be great players for the Branford High team,” Mitchell said. “We have some players from North Branford who I am very much looking forward to.”
Sports Editor Chris Piccirillo contributed to this story