The Guilford 10-U All-Stars baseball team lives by the phrase “Get Dirty.” It’s a sentiment that’s emphasized by Head Coach Justin Lowe and his fellow members of the coaching staff. Getting dirty means doing your part on every play in order to generate the most success for your team. Each member of the ballclub has bought into that concept and, together, they’ve led Guilford to championship royalty this summer.

The Guilford 10-U All-Stars captured the District 9 title by sweeping Middletown in a best-of-3 championship series last week. Coach Lowe’s squad went 4-0 in the pool-play portion of the tournament to advance to face Middletown for the championship. Guilford defeated Middletown by a 10-6 score in the first game and then earned a 9-0 victory in the second game to claim the District 9 crown in Deep River on July 10. As a result of winning the district title, Guilford advanced to compete in the Section 3 Tournament.

The Guilford 10-U All-Stars baseball team’s roster features Adam Aulenti, Sebastian Carafeno, Atlas Curley, Brayden Dill, Hunter Jackson, Evan Lowe, Evan Manfredonia, Louis Mezzanotte, Marco Nunzianto, Ryan Reed, Nick Tafro, Nico Tropiano, and James Yoo. Head Coach Justin Lowe’s coaching staff includes assistant coaches Jeremey Jackson and Rich Tropiano.

Coach Lowe is taking his responsibility seriously while leading Guilford as its head coach. Lowe feels proud of how his team has come together during the past couple of weeks on its way to taking the district title.

“My job is to really build a community and build up everybody to understand and embrace their role and their position. Building that summer family, I’ve just been really proud of really everybody,” Coach Lowe said. “It’s a lot of work for the kids to put in and, to come out on top, it’s exciting. To get that banner is quite an achievement.”

The Guilford All-Stars triumphant run began with a 20-1 victory against East Hampton in the pool-play portion of the District 9 Tournament on July 1. Guilford went on to notch a 16-0 shutout over Deep River the following day. The two wins showcased an offense that flourishes when everyone plays their role, setting the stage for a highly anticipated game versus Madison on July 5.

Coach Lowe was expecting his team’s bid for a championship appearance to come down to its matchup against Madison—and that’s exactly what happened. In its closest game of the tournament, Guilford came out on top over Madison by the final score of 3-1. Hunter Jackson pitched a good game for the Guilford All-Stars in the win. The game served as a display of efficient defense from both teams, making it a nail-biter throughout.

“Just a great game for pitching and defense on both sides. You don’t see a game like that in 10-U that’s 3-1 too often,” said Lowe. “Part of our mantra is defense. Our team defense is just tremendous. In the Madison and the two Middletown games, we made just one error.”

Prior to facing Middletown for the title, Guilford had a rematch against Deep River and prevailed by a 18-0 final on July 7. Guilford turned in a solid all-around performance heading into its series versus Middletown with the championship crown on the line.

In the first game of the series, Middletown grabbed an early leading by scoring 4 runs in the first inning against Guilford on July 9. The deficit marked Guilford’s biggest test of the tournament, and Coach Lowe’s club responded well. Guilford came back by scoring 7 runs in the second inning and went on to get the 10-6 victory. Brayden Dill and Adam Aulenti shared the pitching duties for Guilford in the win. Evan Lowe and Nico Tropiano both scored 2 runs for Coach Lowe’s squad.

The following day, the Guilford 10-U All-Stars faced Middletown in the second game of the championship series. Guilford held Middletown’s offense in check all game and went on to get a 9-0 victory that secured the District 9 title. Jackson and Tropiano combined to allow just 4 hits on the mound. Evan Lowe and Marco Nunzianto each had 2 RBI in the win.

Coach Lowe was pleased to see the extended hours of practice time pay off for Guilford in what was essentially a flawless performance from his team in the clinching victory.

“There’s always that connection where you’re putting in the practice time, and you’re seeing it in the game. Kids were prepared for situations,” Coach Lowe said. “Even with the situation, every kid was getting in the game and scoring runs and being a part of something, even if you’re a kid who only gets on base one time the whole game. If you could come in and slide into home, you got dirty, and you’re part of the win.”

Tropiano, Nunzianto, Lowe, Dill, and Ryan Reed all posted a batting percentage of more than .500 during the six-game District Tournament. Nunzianto led the team with 13 RBI, while Tropiano scored the most runs with 11 for the

All-Stars.

Coach Lowe feels glad that all of his players are performing well and buying into the concepts that the coaches have been outlining on a game-by-game basis.

“I put up a list of goals for every game, and it’s kind of the same list. Some of the goals are running on and off of the field, celebrating outs, and just doing things the right way,” said Lowe. “Kids really bought into that concept of doing things that right way, and I’d have to say I’m most proud of that. We talk about it every single game.”

With the District 9 title in its grasp, the Guilford 10-U All-Stars baseball team will be participating in the Section 3 Tournament that’s taking place in East Lyme this week. The tournament begins on Tuesday, July 19 and culminates with the championship game on Friday, July 22. The winner of the Section 3 Tournament earns a bid into the state’s Final Four.

The dreams of the Guilford 10-U All-Stars team have become a reality this summer. Coach Lowe appreciates how the program has grown thanks to the dedication of his players and the support of the community.

“When you have 13 players with Little League roles, there’s substitution roles. Certain kids are playing the field, and there’s certain roles of pinch hitting and bunting,” Lowe said. “What I’m most proud of is everyone bought into the community and being a part of the team, whether it’s making new friends or building upon old friendships.”