Printer Friendly Version - T-Birds Softball Secures 8th Consecutive Shoreline Conference Crown

The North Branford softball team poses proudly for the eighth year in a row as the Shoreline Conference champions after defeating Haddam-Killingworth 10-3 on May 25 at Lyme-Old Lyme High School. Photo courtesy of Roxanne Senerchia

Members of the T-Birds’ softball squad huddle around the Shoreline Conference crown, as North Branford beat Haddam-Killingworth 10-3 on May 25 at Lyme-Old Lyme High School for the school’s eighth-straight league title. Photo courtesy of Dina Falcioni

The North Branford softball team has shown its dominance against the Shoreline Conference all season long, and so it likely comes as little surprise that the domination flowed freely into the postseason as the Thunderbirds soared to Shoreline supremacy once again.

Following a 19-1 regular season record and then scoring quarterfinal and semifinal round wins over No. 8 Valley Regional (by a 12-0 final) and No. 4 Cromwell (7-4) on May 22 and May 23, respectively, the top-ranked T-Birds entered the Shoreline Conference Tournament final on May 25 as the seven-time reigning title holders and faced off against No. 3 seed Haddam-Killingworth.

In that title tilt, North Branford kept its place at the throne by defeating the Cougars 10-3 on May 25 at Lyme-Old Lyme High School to yield the T-Birds their eighth straight Shoreline Conference championship. With the win, North Branford also made it 3-for-3 in contests against H-K in 2023, and the T-Birds also finished the conference draw by outscoring their opponents 29-7 in three rounds of action.

“This year, we have a strong core of returning players, and a lot of the younger girls got playing time last year and have that big-game experience. So, they are used to the pressure and experience of a big game, and it is nothing new to them,” said Head Coach Nick DeLizio. “We had one loss this season and after it, we turned it around, because the challenge was how resilient we could be, and we had many comeback wins from there.”

On the afternoon, junior captain Lindsey Onofrio was 3-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored. Sophomore Alexa Falconi hit 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored a run. Also driving in runs for the T-Birds were junior Natalia Lucibello, senior captain Tessa Juniver (also 2-for-4 at the dish), freshman Lauren Vitarisi (2-for-2), sophomore Adriana Hills, and junior Kiley Mullins–helping her own cause, as Mullins struck out eight while only allowing four walks, three hits, and three earned runs by going the distance with a complete seven innings in the pitching circle.

“Kiley was locked in all game. You can tell the maturity and focus on the mound from her,” said DeLizio. “Her fastball had a lot of life, she hit her spots, and her off-speed pitches were fantastic. She has full faith in her teammates and it showed. She only gave up three hits all game and our defense made the plays.”

After a scoreless first inning, the upset-minded Cougars plated two runs across via a home run in the top of the second before North Branford got one back in the home half of the same frame on a leadoff, first-pitch homer from Juniver. H-K made it 3-1 with another tally heading to the bottom of the fourth– a juncture of the game which saw the T-Birds turn the tide with four runs of their own to claim a 5-3 lead.

“We were down early against H-K, but none of us were worried after their home run,” said DeLizio. “We knew they would come back, and that is exactly what they did. You cannot coach, teach, or practice that. We know their pitcher well and her tendencies, so we knew we could hit her. The girls felt they had control, and they controlled the tempo of the game.”

The contest remained quiet offensively until the last half of the sixth inning, where North Branford broke the game open further with five additional runs of insurance to make it nine unanswered tallies after trailing 3-1, capped off by a triple from Lucibello before shutting the door in the seventh and clinching the crown.

“It feels great to contribute to the tradition of the team’s success,” said Juniver. “Throughout the tournament, everyone was contributing something, and I believe that is why we had so much success. When the team was faced with obstacles, we came together and pushed through to achieve our goals. We definitely went into the tournament with a target on our backs, but because of our hard work we were able to achieve the goal of coming out on top.”

Onofrio, Lucibello, and Mullins earned First Team All-Shoreline, plus Juniver and Falcioni were Second Team with junior Gabrielle Senerchia garnering honorable mention.

“Winning Shorelines is a huge accomplishment,” said Onofrio. “There is a lot of talent in the Shoreline, and it is an extremely competitive conference. Being able to win the title eight years in a row is a huge accomplishment for our program, and it really shows how hard we worked for it.”

North Branford next ventured into the Class S State Tournament. As the No. 2 seed, the T-Birds earned a first-round bye before hosting No. 18 Coginchaug in the second round on May 31 and prevailing by a 5-2 score.

North Branford next hosted No. 23 seed Housatonic (11-9) in the quarterfinals on June 2 and dominated with a 12-0 win that was ended after six innings due to the mercy rule. Mullins pitched a gem, fanning 16 batters while allowing only two hits and a walk. Onofrio went 2-for-3 with a homer, triple, three RBI, and scored two runs. Lucibello contributed at the dish by hitting 3-for-4 with a round-tripper of her own, plus a double, two RBI, and four runs. Senerchia also drove in four.

North Branford, which is now 24-1 overall, sits one win from a third-consecutive trip to a state final. The T-Birds will compete in a state semifinal on June 5 (after press time) against No. 11 Cromwell (15-7). The winner advances to the final on Saturday, June 10 at Burrill Family Field at UConn.

With the combination of the girls’ craving for a state crown and their recent knack for the clutch, the pieces are in place to finish the double championship puzzle.

“The girls are seasoned in states; they are hungry, greedy, and want more,” said DeLizio. “I have seen some amazing things in this program the last two weeks that I’ve never seen. We were down 1-0 to Old Lyme and won 2-1; we beat Ellington and hit a homer off the fastest pitcher in the state; and we had a walk-off home run against East Haven. We were down 4-3 to Cromwell [in the semis], tied it with a sacrifice fly, and then Tessa hit a walk-off, three-run homer that I will never forget. This group has been to the state finals twice and wants to take it all now. The group is more mature and driven.”

The T-Birds’ roster this spring is comprised of senior Juniver; juniors Onofrio, Mullins, Lucibello, Gianna Fico, Senerchia; sophomores Hills, Mary Brown, Christina Aneiro, Gabriella Bigio, Emilyn Nay, Falcioni, Lily Ardito; and finally freshmen of Vitarisi, Madison DiStefano, Ava Ryszczyk, Alexa Snedeker, Sofia Ludington, Skylar Gage, and Ashley Berardesca.