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06/02/2024 01:27 PMBaseball
After Head Coach Nick Merullo won SCC Coach of the Year, Guilford baseball entered the Class L State Tournament as the No. 9 seed. In the opening round on May 28, the Grizzlies hosted No. 24 Xavier and won a thrilling 3-2 game.
Guilford tied the game at two in the bottom of the third inning, when Colin Pompano was hit by a pitch and Lucas Ametrano walked to put runners on first and second. Michael Buccaro knocked his second double of the game down the right-field line to score Pompano and move Ametrano to third base. Lucas Deshefy, who was named SCC Player of the Year, followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Ametrano for the Grizzlies' second run. With the game tied at two, Ametrano led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a double, and a few batters later, he scored the game-winning run from second base when he rounded third and sprinted home as Xavier was attempting to turn a double play.
Bryce Meder was outstanding on the mound for Guilford, pitching all seven innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out nine Falcons.
In the second round on May 29, Guilford traveled to eighth-seeded Rockville and won 8-4.
Freshman Cade Rinehart earned his fourth win of the year by pitching five strong innings for the Grizzlies. He then handed things off to senior Brandon Rosa, who earned the save by pitching two scoreless innings of relief. At the plate, Deshefy was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while Buccaro and Adam Copeland both recorded two hits and a double, and Meder had two RBI.
The Grizzlies then hit the road to face top-seeded Woodstock Academy in the quarterfinals on June 1 and took a 7-1 loss to conclude what was still a very strong season.
Softball
The Guilford softball team opened up the Class L State Tournament as the No. 13 seed. In the first round on May 28, the team played host to No. 20 Stratford and earned a big 13-1 win. Sophia Meade, Mallory Sedorra, and Addie Smith all recorded two hits, and they drove in two runs each. Marley Falcone and Leanne Petonito each picked up an RBI, and Ella Munson went 3-for-3 at the plate. Meade pitched six innings, giving up just one earned run and striking out 15 batters.
In the second round on May 29, the team traveled to fourth-seeded North Haven and won 3-0.
The Grizzlies hit the road to No. 5 Brookfield in the quarterfinals on June 1 and won 5-3.
Boys’ Outdoor Track
Andres Gutierrez earned a spot on the All-SCC First Team for his performance in the 300 meter hurdles (38.22). James Oberg was also named to the First Team for his performance in the shot put (52-03). The 4x400 meter relay team of Ethan Wienkamp, Max Freeman, Stephano Jarrin, and Gutierrez were named to the All-Conference Second Team (3:27.15).
On May 28, the team competed in the Class MM State Championship at Willowbrook Park. The Grizzlies finished seventh overall with 39 points. Gutierrez finished second in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 39.37 seconds. The 4x400 relay team (Wienkamp, Freeman, Jarrin, and Gutierrez) finished fourth with a time of 3:25.95.
The 4x800 relay team, comprised of Alex Hansen, Alex Milano, Enzo Taverna, and Coleman Love, took a fourth place finish with a time of 8:15.54, and Oberg finished fourth in the shot put with a throw of 50-9.5 feet. He also finished fifth in the discus with a throw of 137-6. Wienkamp finished fifth in the javelin with a throw of 154-02, while Hansen claimed fifth place in the 1600 with a time of 4:26.91. Freeman placed sixth in the 400 with a time of 51.29 seconds.
The team then competed in the State Open Championship on June 3. Gutierrez finished third in the 300 hurdles with a time of 38.8. The 4x400 relay team of Wienkamp, Freeman, Jarrin, and Gutierrez finished seventh with a time of 3:23.88.
Gutierrez will be competing at the New England Championships at Wildcat Stadium in New Hampshire on Saturday, June 8.
Boys’ Golf
Andrew Beauton was named SCC Player of the Year for his contributions with Guilford golf this spring.
Girls’ Tennis
The Guilford girls’ tennis team, under SCC Coach of the Year Chris Marra, entered the Class L State Tournament as the No. 1 seed. In the first round on May 25, the Grizzlies hosted No. 17 Simsbury and won 7-0.
In the quarterfinal round on May 28, the Grizzlies hosted No. 8 Pomperaug and earned another 7-0 shutout.
The next day in the semifinals, Guilford played host to fifth-seeded Amity and won 4-3. Molly Peterson earned a win at No. 3 singles (6-0, 6-0). Sophie Gochman (6-1, 6-0) won at No. 4 singles.
Mia Hardy and Peyton Lynch earned a victory in the top doubles spot (6-4, 6-2), while Kate Gasparini and Breann Shelton won 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 at No. 3 doubles.
Guilford went head-to-head with No. 2 New Canaan in the final on May 30 and fell 7-0.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
The Guilford girls’ outdoor track team competed at the Class MM State Championship meet on May 28 at Willowbrook Park in New Britain and finished tied for 11th place with 31 points.
Top performers of the day and State Open qualifiers included junior Cassie Ward, who won the high jump with a personal best of 5'0" to also earn All-State honors. The girls’ 4x800 meter relay team finished fourth in 10:00.85, led by Sienna Brackney, Olivia Jackson, Ciara Davenport, and Clara Gahm.
Gahm also qualified for the Open meet in the 3200, taking third in 11:54.70. Other scoring athletes in the meet were Jackson (fifth in the 3200 in 11:57.53), followed by Davenport in sixth in 12:24.55. Brackney finished seventh in the 1600 in 5:42.31, and Gahm collected an eighth place finish in the 800 in 2:24.02.