Baseball

The Hand baseball team traveled to Xavier on May 6 and won 6-1. Payton Powell improved his record to 6-0 by pitching six innings and only allowing one run on one hit. Paul Calandrelli had two hits and three RBI, including a two-run triple. Ben Kuja added a double, and Nick Antonetti had a hit and RBI.

On May 9, the team hosted Shelton and won 6-2. Brandon SanMarco pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on four hits. Vinny Benevento and Antonetti both had two hits. Benevento, Will Patla, and Nick Maynard each had two RBI, and Calandrelli recorded a hit and two runs scores.

The Tigers traveled to Notre Dame-West Haven on May 11 and earned a 6-5 win. Maynard had three hits and two RBI, and Patla had three hits and an RBI. Sam Markovitz recorded two hits and an RBI, while Kuja had a hit, run scored, and two stolen bases.

Girls’ Tennis

Hand girls’ tennis began a long stretch on the road on May 6 and lost to a tough Cheshire team, 5-2. Wins for Hand came from Emma Lee at No. 4 singles (6-3, 6-3), as well as Teagan Ariyan and Juliana Jorens at No. 1 doubles (6-1, 6-4). Special mention goes to junior Ella Helfrich at No. 2 singles, who fought through illness and two marathon sets and narrowly lost 7-6, 7-6. In addition, senior Joyce Li and junior Abby Bishop made their 2024 debut in the varsity lineup at No. 3 doubles.

On May 8, the team fell just short of victory in its second meeting with Amity this season, losing 4-3 on the road. Singles wins came from Antoinette Lowy at No. 3 (6-0, 6-0) and Lee at No. 4 (6-2, 6-1).

No. 1 doubles team of Ariyan and Jorens, who continue to grow immensely as a team as the season goes along, came back from a 2-5 second set deficit and outlasted their opponents 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). An all-out battle ensued at No. 2 doubles to decide the match, as Mia Scott and her partner Skylar Powers fought right up to the end but couldn't get to a third set, losing 3-6, 6-7 (3-7).

In the previous two years, Hand has met Amity four times and won a total of one match (Lee at No. 4 singles in 2023). This season, the Tigers have twice come within one set of winning and hope to have one more shot at victory in the SCC Tournament.

Hand closed out the week on the road with a 6-1 win over Sacred Heart Academy at Albertus Magnus College on May 10. Sophomore No. 1 singles player Loden Bradstreet outlasted her opponent 7-5, 6-0, and juniors Helfrich and Lowy, at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively, both dominated in their matches, with Lowy cruising to a shutout win.

Hand won in all doubles lines, with No. 1 doubles pairing of Ariyan and Jorens coming back from a 1-5 first set deficit to win 7-5, 6-3. The No. 2 doubles combo debut of sophomores Emma Lee and Powers won 6-3, 7-5, and the third doubles duo of Li and Bishop dominated their opponents 8-1. Sophomore Maddie Martin made her second appearance in the varsity lineup this season at No. 4 singles and fell just short of a victory, losing 8-4.