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04/17/2022 12:00 AMGirls’ Tennis
The Branford girls’ tennis team netted two victories last week to improve its record to 3-0 this spring. The Hornets posted wins against Hamden and Lyman Hall in last week’s contests.
On April 11, Branford earned a 5-2 road win versus Hamden. Freshman Peyton Gaudreau claimed a 6-0, 6-0 victory in the No. 1 singles match for the Hornets. Junior Evelyn Mollow notched a 6-1, 6-0 win in the No. 2 singles match.
Branford’s No. 1 doubles team of senior captain Juliana Torello and junior Evie Kaiser won a 6-1, 6-1 decision. The No. 2 duo of senior captain Zadie Schlesinger and junior Scout Engstrom posted a 6-4, 6-0 victory; and No. 3 tandem of senior Tiffanie Ly and freshman Erin Newlan prevailed by a 6-2, 6-0 score.
Two days later, the Hornets hosted Lyman Hall and notched a 7-0 shutout. Gaudreau earned a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles; while junior Leila Omeragic won her No. 2 singles match by the final tally of 6-1, 6-2. Mollow posted a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles; and junior Dominique Smith was a 6-0, 6-0 winner at No. 4 singles.
On the doubles court, Torello and Kaiser claimed a 6-1, 6-2 victory; Schlesinger and Engstrom earned a 6-1, 6-0 win; and Ly and Newlan posted a 6-0, 6-0 victory to help the Hornets sweep the match.
Celina Shrestha is also a senior on Branford’s roster. Reese Inzero is the Hornets’ team manager.
Dave Gruendel begins his first season as head coach of the Branford girls’ tennis team. Jim Cole, who had been the Hornets’ head coach for the past several seasons, passed away in January of this year.
Boys’ Tennis
The Branford boys’ tennis team improved to 4-0 by netting victories in both of its matches last week.
Branford kicked off the week by earning a 6-1 home win versus Shelton on April 11. Senior Matt Gaudioso claimed a 7-6, 6-1 victory in the No. 1 singles match for the Hornets. Senior Josh Berdon won a 4-6, 6-1, 10-6 decision at No. 2 singles; senior Will Mollow triumphed by a 6-1, 6-1 scored at No. 3 singles; and senior Aidan Shamas notched a 6-0, 6-0 win in the No. 4 singles match.
Branford’s No. 2 doubles team of sophomore Matt Law and sophomore Mason Porras posted a 6-0, 6-0 victory. The No. 3 team of sophomore Nirvan Paudyal and sophomore James Heier also won their matchup by a 6-0, 6-0 score.
The following afternoon, the Hornets earned a 7-0 victory over North Haven in a road match. Gaudioso won a 6-4, 6-4 decision at No. 1 singles for Branford. Mollow played No. 2 singles and claimed a 6-7, 6-4, 10-8 victory. Berdon won a 6-0, 6-1 decision at No. 3 singles; and junior Adam Albrecht claimed a 6-0, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles.
On the doubles court, the Hornets’ No. 1 team of Shamas and sophomore Luke Baylis notched a 6-3, 6-1 victory; No. 2 duo of Law and Porras prevailed by a 6-0, 6-0 score; and the No. 3 tandem of Paudyal and Heier earned a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
Boys’ Golf
The Branford boys’ golf team picked up two victories last week to boost its record to 5-0 in the 2022 campaign.
Branford defeated East Haven by the score of 175-200 in a road match at Alling Memorial Golf Club on April 11. Senior Justin Acquarulo earned medalist honors by shooting a low score of 42 for the afternoon. Junior Colin Deane was next in line with a 43 for the Hornets. Junior Keegan LaLonde and junior Matt Morgan both finished with a score of 45.
The following day, Branford hosted Foran at Pine Orchard Country Club and won the contest by the final tally of 165-202. LaLonde was the match medalist with his low total of 38 on the round. Acquarulo and Mike Farricielli both scored a 42, while Morgan posted a score of 43 in the victory.
Girls’ Lacrosse
The Branford girls’ lacrosse team lost a pair of road games last week to move to 1-3 for the spring season. The Hornets took a one-goal defeat versus North Haven and then lost to Fitch in recent action.
On April 11, Branford played a road game against North Haven and was edged out by an 11-10 score. Senior Julia McHenry and sophomore Ally Colburn both scored 3 goals for the Hornets in the contest. Junior Jenny Spencer and sophomore Tess Ferrie each scored 2 goals. Senior Nina Shamas and junior Raiyn Fries both had 1 assist. Junior goalie Ellie Galdenzi made 6 saves in net, and sophomore Holly Fischer stopped 5 shots in goal for the Hornets.
On April 16, Branford traveled to Groton to face Fitch for a non-conference game and took a 15-5 loss the Falcons. McHenry, Spencer, Fries, Colburn, and Ferrie scored the Hornets’ goals in the game.
Baseball
The Branford baseball team took four defeats last week and is now 1-5 on the season.
Branford took an 8-3 loss to Wilton in a home game on April 11. Then on April 13, the Hornets hosted Jonathan Law and lost by a 9-4 score.
The next day, Branford played a home game versus Shelton and dropped a 5-1 decision to the Gaels. The Hornets finished their week by taking a 12-2 road loss against West Haven on April 16.
Softball
The Branford softball team took three losses last week to move to 0-4 this year.
The Hornets took a 6-2 road loss against Amity on April 11. Senior Marzia Johnson and sophomore Maddie Lawler both had 2 hits for Branford in the contest.
Then on April 13, Branford hosted Jonathan Law and lost the game by the score of 13-3. The next day, Branford was on the road to face Foran and took an 11-2 defeat to the Lions.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
The Branford girls’ outdoor track team competed against Wilbur Cross and Sacred Heart Academy in a tri-meet at Bowen Field last week. The Hornets took a 113-28 loss to Sacred Heart Academy and lost to Cross by a 66-64 score to move to 0-4 on the year.
Senior Julia Duffy claimed first place in the 400 (63.0) for Branford at the meet. Sophomore Joelle Budz won the 100 (12.9), and junior Sarah Nwagboli finished first in the 200 (27.3). Nwagboli placed second in the 100 (13.2), while Budz was second in the 200 (27.5) for the Hornets.
Freshman Ella Stone took second place in the long jump (14-4) for Branford. Junior Gianna Piscitelli finished fourth in the discus (67-4), and sophomore Cecile Hazen placed fourth for the javelin (60-5).