GHS Sports Recap

Busy Week for GHS Softball
GHS softball played four games last week, winning the first three before losing their first game of the season. 

The Guardians started the week with a 21-0 win over Avon as pitchers Brooke Tracy and Gabby Lambert combined for the shutout. Tracy earned the win after pitching three hitless innings, striking out three. Rayah Snyder finished 4-4 from the plate, scoring three runs and driving in two others. Tracy drove in four runs, while Lambert and Molly Edgington each had three RBIs.

On Tuesday, Snyder again led the team in hits (3) in a 17-2 win over Farmington as the Guardians connected on 16 total hits from the plate. They broke the game open in the fourth thanks to a triple by Nabia Crawford. Tracy (six strikeouts) and Lambert again combined for the win.

Sadie Scurto and Snyder shined in a 14-1 win over Northwest Catholic on Wednesday. Scurto was 4-4 from the plate, driving in seven runs. The junior smacked two home runs, including a Grand Slam in the fourth inning. Snyder did her usual damage, adding two more home runs and five RBIs.

The Guardian suffered their first loss last Friday, falling to Hall 4-0. Hall’s ace Sophia Garner-MacKinnon, a junior who has already committed to pitch at Duke University, did not allow a hit and Guardian defense committed multiple errors, which led to three of Hall’s run. Tracy struck out 11 in defeat, which dropped the Guardians to 6-1 on the season.   
 
GHS Baseball Splits Four Games

The Guardian won two of four games last week, ending the week with a 4-4 record.

On Tuesday, Dan Beagle and Owen Stephens combined for five strikeouts, throwing 81 strikes in 128 pitches, during a 7-5 victory over Avon. Ben Curcio had three hits and Stephens had a pair RBIs in the home victory last Tuesday.

With the game tied at 4, the Guardians broke open the game in the bottom of the sixth when Nick Verdone reached on an error following a hard ground ball to the shortstop, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Curcio was intentionally walked before Powers singled on a line drive to centerfield, scoring Verdone and advancing Curcio to second. Curcio advanced to third and Powers advanced to second on a passed ball, setting up Stephens for a two-run triple on a deep fly to centerfield giving Glastonbury a 7-4 lead.

Avon made some noise in the seventh, scoring a run, but third baseman Sean Borden made all three put outs, extinguishing any attempt at a rally.

On Wednesday, Spencer Azzara pitched 6 1/3 innings in a dominant performance, throwing 59 strikes in 102 pitches and not allowing an earned run to lead GHS over Northwest Catholic 9-3. Sam Benedict was 4-4, scoring three runs and two RBIs. The Guardians opened the scoring in the first when Stephens drove in Benedict on a line drive triple to center field. Glastonbury pulled away with two more runs in the third inning on a two-RBI single by Grant Powers.

The Guardians scored four more runs in the sixth with Alex Boucher, Verdone, Benedict, and Curcio all moving runners across the plate with RBIs.
Dan Cantafi came in for the close, pitching 2/3 innings with 1 strikeout.

Guardians’ baseball ending the week with road losses to Hall on Friday and Southington on Saturday.

Against Hall, the Guardians jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning, highlighted by a three-run homer from Borden. Hall chipped away at the deficit before taking the lead for good in the sixth inning, eventually winning 8-7.

GHS again took an early lead (2-0) versus Southington when Stephens cracked a two-run home run, driving in Curcio. The Knight would score the next seven runs in-route to a 7-2 victory. 
 
GHS Girls Track & Field Shines at Bloomfield Invitational

The GHS girls’ track and field team had a successful day at the Bloomfield Invite on April 24. The team had many first-place finishers, as well CCC and state qualifiers. 
 
Haley Evans, Kylie Hilliard, Annika Paluska, and Mikayla Nedder placed first with a collective time of 10:32.47 in the 4x800 meter race. Following the relay, Emma Smith placed first in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 17.36, followed closely by teammate Zoe Spann-McDonald who placed second in 17.46. Smith also placed first in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 48.08
 
Annika Hurley, Emma Liu, and Lucy Bergin finished first, second, and third in the 1600 meters with times of 5:44.27, 5:44.54, and 5:48.78, respectively. In the 400 meter race, Jackie Caron and Alyssa Healy both had great races with Caron finishing second (62.52) followed closely by Healy who placed third (63.65).
 
Ava Gattinella took the win in the 800 meter race with a time of 2:25.12, followed closely by Kelley MacElhiney who placed second in 2:25.72 and Jackie Dudus who finished fourth in 2:33.51.
 
Hannah Caiola placed second in the 200 meter sprint, finishing with a time of 27.47.
 
Casey MacElhiney, Caron, and Sydney Huff placed first, second, and third in the 3200 meters, running times of 11:26.28, 11:27.27, and 13:08.81, respectively.
 
Ava Gattinella, Healy, Kelley MacElhiney, and Smith capped off the races by winning the 4x400 in the with a time of 4:13.93.
 
The girls competing in the field events also had a great day. In the discus, Layla Spann-McDonald placed second, throwing 28’4.” In high jump, Kate DeSousa placed second with a height of 4’10,” followed by Brittany LeClair who placed third with a height of 4’8” and Cici Ryan who placed third with a height of 4’4.”
 
The pole vaulters won the top-three places of the meet. Mallory Malz placed first with a jump of 10’0,” followed by Sophia Urban with a height of 8’6” and Cici Ryan with 8’6.”
 
Finishing the meet with a great performance in long and triple jump, Malz placed first and second for each event, jumping 16’3” in long jump and 34’3” in triple jump. 
 
 
Perfect Start for GHS Boys Golf
 
The boys’ golf team at GHS has won four of four matches this season and placed top-three at their first invite of the season last week.
 
Last Tuesday at Glastonbury Hills Country Club, enjoying the best weather of the season to date, Glastonbury defeated Windsor (159-230), improving to 4-0. Junior Charlie Dolan was the match medalist, posting a 38 which was the lowest of all players participating. Juniors Connor Goode and Nick DiNino each posted a round of 40 and freshman Gavin Kvadus followed closely behind with a 41, playing the back nine at GHCC.
 
The Guardians have had a different medalist in all four matches they have played this season, which has pleased head coach Tom Zelak.
 
“I knew our team had a lot of depth and this certainly proves that point,” stated Zelek.
 
The team closed the week by placing 3rd out of the 20 teams competing at the Avon Invitational last Friday. Glastonbury was led by Goode, scoring an even-par round of 70, which tied him for second place overall in the field of 100 golfers who competed. Dolan, DiNino and senior captain Ethan Kalk completed the scoring for Glastonbury.
 
Zelek added that the players were somewhat disappointed following the invite because they felt they left shots on the course, but the coach likes how his team competed, “I’m pleased with how they handled the difficult scoring conditions on a course we don’t have much familiarity with. It’s early in our season and this excellent finish in an 18-hole event will only help us to prepare for our tournaments at the end of the season.”