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04/10/2022 12:00 AMSoftball
The North Haven softball team kicked off the 2022 season by playing a trio of road games last week. The Nighthawks came away from the slate with two victories after defeating Mercy and Jonathan Law to go with a loss against Cheshire.
North Haven notched a 21-2 road win over Mercy in its season opener on April 4. Junior Maria Lockery had 3 hits and 5 RBI for North Haven. Sophomore Reece Hebert earned the win on the mound for the Nighthawks.
The next day, the Nighthawks were on the road to face Cheshire and took a 7-6 loss to the Rams. North Haven trailed Cheshire 6-2 entering the top of the seventh inning, but rallied for four runs in the frame to tie the game. However, the Rams scored the go-ahead run in the bottom half of the seventh to get the 7-6 victory.
Sophomore Izzy Blanchard went 4-for-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI for North Haven. Senior Jamie Swiatek had 3 hits, while fellow senior Caroline Toni had 2 hits, including a home run to lead off the game.
North Haven finished its week by claiming a 4-1 win over Jonathan Law in a road game on April 8. Sophomore Gabby Blanchard picked up the win by pitching 5 shutout innings and also drove in 2 runs with a triple in the seventh. Herbert worked the final two frames to get the save. Lockery had 2 hits with an RBI for North Haven.
Baseball
The North Haven baseball team played road games versus Hamden and Cheshire last week and split the set to move to 2-1 in the 2022 season. The Nighthawks defeated Hamden before taking loss to Cheshire in last week’s matchups.
On April 4, North Haven was on the road to face Hamden and claimed an 11-2 victory versus the Green Dragons. North Haven scored 2 runs in first inning, 4 runs in the second inning, and 5 runs in the fifth on its way to the win.
Junior Tyler Harger pitched a solid game to get the win on the mound for the Nighthawks. Harger allowed just 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings pitched.
Senior Owen Pincince had a big day at the plate by going 3-for-5 with a home run, 2 runs scored, and 5 RBI for North Haven. Senior Anthony Acampora went 1-for-4 with a walk, a double, and 3 RBI in the victory.
Senior Shaun Murray went 1-for-2 with 2 walks, 2 runs, and an RBI; while fellow senior Derek Novicki was 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, 2 runs, and an RBI. Senior Mike Anquillare and junior Steven Vincent both drew 3 walks to help Head Coach Bob DeMayo’s squad get the win.
On April 8, North Haven played a road game versus Cheshire and dropped a 10-2 decision to the Rams. Senior Chris Hager went 2-for-3 for North Haven, while Murray was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI in the game. Senior Ty Rooney hit a double, and junior Will Whitcomb had a single with a run scored. Senior Chris Tobin pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the Nighthawks.
Boys’ Lacrosse
The North Haven boys’ lacrosse team began its first season with new Head Coach Justin Blood by playing three games during the opening week of the campaign. The Nighthawks recorded two victories, earning wins versus Hamden and Branford-East Haven to start off the year with a record of 2-1.
North Haven took a 10-4 home loss to Fairfield Warde in its season opener on April 5. Two days later, the Nighthawks hosted Hamden and claimed a 16-3 victory at North Haven Middle School. Then on April 9, North Haven faced off against the Branford-East Haven co-op team in a home game and notched a 4-3 win over the Hornets.
North Haven is coming off of a season that saw the team finish with a record of 3-14 in 2021.
Boys’ Outdoor Track
The North Haven boys’ outdoor track team began its campaign by hosting Hand and Wilbur Cross for a tri-meet at Vanacore Field on April 6. The Nighthawks split the meet by earning an 89-61 win versus Wilbur Cross to go with a 103-47 loss against Hand for a 1-1 start to the year.
Senior Cole DeCusati had a big day by taking first place in three events for North Haven. DeCusati won the shot put (44-4.5), the discus (131-11.75), and the javelin (121-7.75) at the meet. Fellow senior Matt O’Connell finished first in the pole vault (9-6) for the Nighthawks.
Girls’ Tennis
The North Haven girls’ tennis team won one of its three matchups during the first week of the spring season. The Nighthawks took losses against Guilford and Amity to go with a win versus Cheshire for an early record of 1-2.
North Haven took a 4-3 defeat at Guilford in its first match of the year on April 4. Freshman Sophia Padro earned a 6-1, 6-2 victory in the No. 2 singles match for the Nighthawks. Junior Risa Tobin posted a 6-4, 6-3 victory in the No. 3 singles matchup. North Haven’s No. 1 doubles team of sophomore Chandler Morris and sophomore Samantha Ide triumphed by a 6-3, 7-5 score.
The next day, the Nighthawks were back on the road to face Cheshire and netted a victory against the Rams. Then on April 8, North Haven hosted Amity and took a 7-0 defeat to the Spartans.
Boys’ Tennis
The North Haven boys’ tennis team took two defeats last week to move to 1-2 for the 2022 season.
On April 5, the Nighthawks hosted Sheehan and dropped a 4-3 decision to the Titans. Senior Ben Rudikoff notched a 6-3, 6-0 victory in the No. 2 singles match for North Haven. Freshman Seth Tobin gutted out a 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 victory in the No. 3 singles match; while junior Billy Lipinski was a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 winner in the No. 4 singles contest.
Three days later, the Nighthawks faced Notre Dame-West Haven on the road and took a 6-1 defeat at the University of New Haven. Rudikoff notched a 2-6, 6-4, 10-8 victory in the No. 2 singles match for North Haven.