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04/11/2015 12:00 AMBranford baseball went winless in its four games with East Haven the past two years and so it was imperative for Coach Ed Bethke’s club to get a victory versus the defending Oronoque champs last week, especially considering the Hornets had taken lopsided losses in their first two games of 2015. Bethke and company got just what the doctor ordered on April 11 as senior right-hander Dan Driscoll twirled a five-hitter, Branford played flawless defense while capitalizing on some East Haven miscues, and the Hornets got a few timely extra-base hits en route to their 10-2 rout of the Yellowjackets.
In a game that was moved from East Haven’s home field to the MacVeigh Complex following a few days of rain, Branford scored two runs in the first inning, two more in the second, and then blew it open by plating a five-spot in the fifth. The Hornets—who had lost to Shelton and West Haven earlier in the week—improved to 1-2 with a mark of 1-0 in Oronoque play while the Yellowjackets dipped to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the division.
“I would say the monkey is off our back greatly today for our first win of the season. The energy and intensity of the players was hugely different compared to our first two games,” Coach Bethke said. “We were 0-4 against East Haven and today was also the start of our spring break week and we haven’t had a lot of success in that week in the past, so to get our first win of the season, a division win, and our first win against them in two years—there were a lot of positives for us moving forward.”
Branford got on the board by scoring twice in the bottom of the first. Junior Isaiah Rodriguez reached on an error and Geoff Yasevac singled, after which Rodriguez scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Ross Prior’s walk with the bases loaded then brought home senior Yasevac and the Hornets were up 2-0.
Bethke’s club struck for three more runs in the second inning to make it 5-0. Sophomore Jordan Botte got aboard on an error, senior Dominic Acquarulo walked, and then Rodriguez singled in Botte for Branford’s third run. Junior Devin Derenzo then worked a bases loaded walk that forced in Acquarulo, followed by Rodriguez scoring on another Yellowjackets’ error for the five-run command.
East Haven cut it to 5-1 when John Kikosicki went deep center for the first outside-the-park home run at Branford’s home field, where a fence was put up during the offseason. However, the Yellowjackets’ momentum was short-lived as the Hornets came right back for five runs in the bottom half to chase starting pitcher Antonio Cancel. The big hits in the frame were a pair of two-run two-baggers—the first from Derenzo and the latter by Prior, giving both three RBI for the afternoon. The rest was left to Driscoll, who went the distance and walked just one while his defense played error-free ball behind him.
“Dan has really been our best pitcher since his sophomore year and we knew we had to go with our best against East Haven in our first division game. He didn’t have his best stuff, but he grinded it out with timely pitches and carried us on his back,” said Bethke. “He was pitching in and out of trouble and falling behind, but he got by with his fastball, came back with the curve and change at the right times, and pitched effectively.”
Earlier in the week, the Hornets dropped a 10-0 decision at Shelton on April 8 in a game that saw Gaels’ starting pitcher Mike Cowell throw a no-hitter. Charlie Ahern—who captains Branford with fellow senior Tyler Criscuolo—was the lone Hornet to reach base in the game when he walked in the second inning. Junior lefty Dawson Frawley, senior Gerald DeLise, and freshman Alphonse Suppa were Branford’s pitchers in the game.
The Hornets’ then hosted West Haven in their home opener the next day and endure a 12-3 defeat. Senior righty Dalton Erickson, Zane Kmietek, and fellow freshman Carson Mendoza toed the rubber for Betkhe’s squad. Mendoza pitched 1.2 shutout innings and Bethke said Kmietek was consistently around the plate, but was victimized by five errors in the fifth inning that led to the Blue Devils scoring seven runs. Ahern had an RBI groundout and Botte singled home a run for Branford.
The Hornets are coming off consecutive campaigns in which they went 7-13 and came up one win short of reaching the postseason. Their starting rotation this year will feature Frawley, Erickson, Driscoll, and DeLise with rookies Suppa, Kmietek, and Mendoza slated to pitch in relief. Ahern is the starting catcher with Derenzo at first. Junior second baseman Bryce Baker was out sick last week and so freshman Damien Maniscalco stepped in and held his own. Criscuolo, who manned the hot corner last spring, is back at the shortstop spot he played two years ago because sophomore Nikko Liguori is out indefinitely with a torn ACL. That means Rodriguez slides over from second to third. Criscuolo and Rodriguez were both All-Oronoque honorees in 2014.
Around the outfield, Acquarulo is starting in left with Yasevac in right and Botte up the middle. Juniors Luke DiStasio and Marc Pellegrino are also outfielders and Mike Gogliettino is Branford’s other catcher with Prior starting at designated hitter.
These are the athletes who will try and end the Hornets’ two-year playoff drought and Coach Bethke expects his seniors to be the ones to pave the path back to postseason play.
“Our clear-cut No. 1 goal is to play baseball in the month of June and, if we do that, all the other goals will be accomplished. Those other goals are obviously winning the Oronoque and making the SCC and state tournaments,” Bethke said. “I think the X-factor is that we have tight chemistry with a senior-laden team and what those seniors are capable of will determine how far we go. They all play pivotal roles. We also have a good underclass with athletes who are getting valuable experience and producing in the middle of the order. When the attitude and energy are right, the sky is the limit for this team. If we win our division, we’ll make the state tournament and then anything can happen.”
Bethke enters his third season as Branford’s skipper and is joined on the staff by varsity assistant and JV head coach Steve Malafronte, freshman head coach Bryan Maturo, varsity volunteers Steve Prota and Kevin McDonough, plus freshman assistant Dylan Palluzzi.