Valley Softball Walks Off Morgan to Stay Unbeaten; Boys’ Lacrosse Takes Two
Softball
The Warriors tallied two more victories last week to continue their unbeaten streak. The win pushed Valley’s record on the season to 12-0 on the year.
On April 30, the Warriors scored a 5-0 road win versus North Branford. Valley put a run on the board in the top of the third, two runs in the fifth, and two more in the seventh as it cruised to the win. Addy Bullis was the winning pitcher, and she also supplied a hit in the win. Catcher Carlee Kirla had two hits and four RBI in the victory, while Lauren Allen went 3-for-3 scored a run and knocked in a run. Lexi Ross also went 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.
The next day, Valley won in a walk-off 4-3 victory against Morgan. The Huskies got out to a 3-0 lead after scoring two runs in the third and another in the fourth. The Warriors drew closer in the bottom of the sixth with a single run. Then in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Warriors put together a rally for three runs to seal the victory.
Ross had a pair of hits, a run, and an RBI, while Hannah Jenkins had a hit, a run and a RBI. Riley Millburne also supplied a base hit, a run, and an RBI. Kirla provided a hit and an RBI.
Baseball
Valley played a slate of four contests last week but was only able to come away with one victory. With these results, the Warriors’ record moves to 8-7, and they have qualified for postseason play in the Class M State Tournament.
On April 29, Valley grabbed a 4-3 road win at North Branford to earn its postseason pass. Chris Sparaco earned the win on the mound for the Warriors and James Marsden picked up a save.
Two days later, Valley lost a 10-3 home decision versus Morgan. On May 2, the Warriors hosted Old Saybrook and took a 9-0 home defeat to the Rams. Two days after that, Valley lost a 4-0 road game at Haddam-Killingworth.
Boys’ Lacrosse
The Warriors gained a couple of wins on a four-game slate last week. With the results, Valley’s record moved to 6-5 on the season.
On April 29, Valley lost an 8-1 road game to Southington. On April 30, the Warriors lost a 10-9 home decision against North Branford. Sean Cole provided four goals and two assists, while Ricky Persico scored a goal and dished three assists. Keenan Pindar had a goal and two assists in the defeat. Cam Frazier scored two goals and Duncan Rider added a score, too.
Two days later, Valley notched a lopsided 15-6 road win against Cromwell. The Warriors had a 5-2 lead after the first quarter, expanded that to an 8-2 edge at halftime. Valley outscored the Panthers 7-4 in the second half en route to a 15-6 win.
Rider had a productive game with six goals and five assists, while Cole had three goals and an assist. Ricky Persico also had a scoring burst of five goals and one assist. Cooper Strecker scored a goal and made three assists. Keenan Pindar and Charlie Haughton each had an assist.
On May 4, the Warriors notched a 13-9 road win at Ellington. Valley held a 5-3 edge at halftime, and then outscored Ellington 8-6 in the second half to make it a 13-9 final.
Cole scored four goals and made four assists. Rider had another big day with seven goals and one assist. Strecker (3 assists), Persico (2 assists), and Pindar (1 goal, 2 assists) also added to the win.
Girls’ Lacrosse
The Warriors came away with a split of two games last week. The mixed bag moved Valley’s record to 4-7 on the season. On April 29, the Warriors took a tough 17-4 road loss versus North Branford. Two days later, Valley headed to Suffield and earned a 14-10 win.
Boys’ Outdoor Track
The Warriors competed at the Middletown Invitational at Middletown High School on May 4. A few athletes came away with some strong performances. In the 110-meter hurdles, senior Jason O’Brien came in seventh place with a time of 25.53. Nick Braga took 14th place with a time of 43.87 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles. Andrew Feguson came in 22nd with a time of 23.07 seconds in the 200. In the 800, James Diluca took 35th with a time of 2:06.10. Brian Rankin took 36th with a time 54.10 in the 400 meter dash.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
Valley was at the Middletown Invitational at Middletown High School on May 4. The Warriors saw quite a performance from junior Jenifer Caulfield, who earned second place in the javelin with a throw of 101 feet-1 inch.
Crew
The Valley Regional Crew raced in a pair of regattas last week. On April 28, the Warriors faced off against Stonington and Glastonbury at Mystic Seaport. In the 1,500-meter race, featured only boats of eight. There was an incoming tide at the race’s outset, and there was a light tail wind throughout the race.
Valley’s only varsity eight boat turned in a time of 5:59.0 to place third behind Glastonbury and Stonington. The Warriors also raced a novice eight boat in a 1,000-meter race. Valley’s time of 4:06.2 earned third place.
On May 1, Valley brought four coxed boats’ of four to battle with Lincoln and Thayer Academy at Sekonk River in Providence, Rhode Island. Each race was 1,500 meters, and there was a strong headwind of 15 miles per hour. The headwind paired with an incoming tide made for slow conditions.
Valley’s first boat recorded a time of 6:57.6 and took third in its heat. The Warriors’ second boat clocked in at 7:27.5 for second place in its heat. Valley’s third boat finished second with a time of 7:46.3. Valley’s final boat clocked in at 8:17.8 for second place.
Boys’ Tennis
Valley had two losses on a slate of two games last week. With the defeats, the Warriors’ record moved to 5-7 on the season. On April 29, Valley lost a 6-1 road contest against Westbrook. Two days later, the Warriors were back home where they lost a 6-1 match to Cromwell.
Golf
The Warriors played two matches last week and lost both of them. The losses dropped Valley’s record to 1-4 on the year. On April 29, the Warriors traveled to Clinton Country Club to face Morgan and lost by a 187-220 score. Three days later, Valley lost a 172-224 road match against Old Saybrook at Fenwick Golf Course.