Valley Baseball Puts the Squeeze on St. Bernard; Softball Refuses to Lose
Baseball
The Valley Regional baseball team tallied two more wins last week in a slate of three games. The victories move the Warriors' record to 3-3 on the season in Head Coach Brian Drinkard's second season at the helm.
On April 9, the Warriors opened the week with a tough 11-2 home loss against Haddam-Killingworth. The next day, Valley bounced back with an 11-7 road win over Coginchaug. Jake Robertson earned the win on the mound and Chris Sparaco picked up a save in relief. Garrhett Watrous continued his hot hitting with three hits, and Kyle Metz drove in three runs. Josh Ross added two RBI, and Evan Benson had a pair of hits in the victory.
On April 12, Valley headed to Dodd Stadium to face off against St. Bernard and scored a 1-0 win in a pitcher's duel. Freshman James Marsden earned his first varsity win throwing a 3-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts versus St. Bernard. The Warriors got the game winning run in the top of the seventh inning, which started with a Metz single. He proceeded to take second base on a passed ball, and then was subbed out for pinch runner Michael Brooks. Jake Roberston bunted Brooks to third base, and Chris Sparaco dropped down a squeeze bunt to bring Brooks home for the winning run.
Softball
The Warriors continued their hot start with three more wins to put on the pile. Now Head Coach Allyson Pitney's squad is just one win shy of qualifying for the Class M State Tournament with a record of 7-0.
On April 9, Valley secured a 6-0 home win against Haddam- Killingworth. The next day, the Warriors headed to Durham to face Coginchaug and scored a 4-1 road win over the Blue Devils. On April 12, Valley grabbed a lopsided 13-2 home victory against Cromwell.
Girls' Tennis
Valley earned two more wins last week to remain undefeated on the season. The two victories moved the Warriors' overall record to 6-0 in Head Coach Sally Riggio's second campaign at the helm of Valley girls' tennis.
On April 9, the Warriors secured a shutout in a 7-0 home triumph against Haddam-Killingworth. The next day, Valley battled in a tough road match against North Branford. Ultimately, the Warriors were able to eke out the narrow 4-3 victory.
Boys' Tennis
The Warriors earned their first victory of the season last week as they took home a pair of wins on a two-match slate. The positive results improved Valley's record to 2-3 in Head Coach Callie Riggio's first season at the helm.
On April 9, the Warriors secured a 6-1 road win against Haddam-Killingworth. The next day, Valley was scheduled to face North Branford, and the Warriors won the match by default.
Girls' Lacrosse
Valley had just one game on the schedule last week, and the Warriors took a loss in that contest. With the defeat, Head Coach Randy Netsch's squad drops to a record of 1-4 on the season.
On April 11, the Warriors hosted Old Saybrook and lost a 20-6 contest at home against the Rams.
Crew
The Valley crew competed in a regatta at Bantam Lake in Litchfield this past week. The Warriors were up against Lyme-Old Lyme and Taft in conditions that features a tailwind of 9- to 10 miles per hour. Water conditions were mostly fair with rougher waters appearing in later races.
The girls' first coxed boat of four took third place with a time of 5:51.5. Valley's second boat came in fourth place in its heat with a time of 6:50.6. In the third race, Valley's No. 3 coxed boat of four took second place with a time of 6:26.9. The girls' fourth boat placed fourth with a time of 7:20.5.
On the boys' side, the first boat of four took second place with a time of 5:16.54, less than a half second behind Lyme-Old Lyme's time of 5:16.08. The boys' novice boat took first place with a time of 5:36.10.