North Branford 10U Softball Fights Hard in Eastern Regionals

North Branford Little League’s 10U softball team extended its season well beyond the . After cruising through and then claiming the , North Branford traveled to Pennsylvania to compete in the Eastern Regional Tournament. Despite dropping the three games, the 10U team put up a fight throughout its play.

Game 1: Maine 6, North Branford 5

“North Branford came out hitting the ball hard,” said Coach Russ Senerchia.

Madison Blakeslee led off the game with a single and a stolen base. Sydney Senerchia followed and they were both knocked in on a single by Danielle Ramada. The next three hits were hard-hit but right at the defensive players.

On the defensive, Senerchia walked the leadoff hitter, who ended up scoring on a fielders choice three batters later and pitched out of the jam. The score remained 2-1 for most of the game until fourth and fifth innings when Olivia Affinito's leadoff walk in the fourth resulted in an eventual score on a passed ball for a 3-1 North Branford lead.

The 10U team padded the lead in the fifth when Danielle Ramada led off with a triple. Affinito walked and both scored on Alexa Gallo's double making it 5-2.

“The lead was hard to get and, unfortunately harder to hold, as North Branford just could not overcome some untimely errors in the bottom half of the fifth.”

North Branford surrendered four runs, falling 6-5. Senerchia allowed two earned runs, walked three and struck out 10.

Game 2: Delaware 9, North Branford 5

The beginning of the contest went quickly as both teams were retired in order through the first three innings. Madison Blakeslee struck out two and forced the other Delaware hitters into ground outs while her defense held strong.

North Branford scored first when Julia DeWitt stole home on a wild pitch in the third. Then in the fourth, Britney Godfrey earned a walk that was followed by a homerun down the right-field line from Marisa Ferraiolo for a 3-1 lead.

Delaware tied the game in the sixth to force extra innings. It took three extra frames before Delaware’s bats proved to be too much and North Branford lost 9-5.

Blakeslee allowed only two walks and struck out five; Senerchia had seven defensive put outs; and Gallo caught two stealing.

Game 3: New Jersey 3, North Branford 2

In a game against eventual Eastern Regional Tournament champion New Jersey, “North Branford had nothing but pride to play for and they did just that,” said Senerchia. “Playing a New Jersey team that had already ruled its previous opponents and was favored to win the regional tournament, North Branford held strong.”

In a game-long pitchers duel, two New Jersey pitchers combined for eight strikeouts and everything else was played well by a stingy New Jersey defense.

Senerchia retired 13 of the New Jersey batters by way of strikeout, though she did allow five walks and with some aggressive base-running, New Jersey was able to create three runs.

It turned out to be just enough as the two runs North Branford worked out fell just short in a hard-fought game. Godfrey had two singles.