Grizzlies are 2023 SCC Champions!

May 25, 2023

The Guilford Grizzlies Varsity baseball team won the SCC Championship on Thursday by defeating reigning champs (past 2 years) Fairfield Prep, 10-7, at West Haven High School's Whitey Piurek Field. It was Guilford's first SCC Championship crown since 2007, and the team defeated 2, CIAC Class LL schools in Xavier (CIAC #7, GameTimeCT #7) and Prep (CIAC #8, GameTimeCT #9) to earn the title.

Lucas Deshefy has had a remarkable Sophomore year, and was awarded SCC Player of the Year prior to the start of Thursday's game. One might think it would be a lot of pressure on a 15 yr. old to live up to those honors in a huge game, in front of a large crowd, but all Deshefy did was go 3 for 3 with 2 doubles, a walk, 2 RBI and a run scored to help propel his team to the title. After the game, Deshefy was awarded the SCC Tournament MVP, and rightfully so, having gone 7 for 10 with 4 doubles & 4 RBI in the Grizzlies' 3-game run.

As for the game...it was not as close as the score might indicate, as the Grizzlies held a 10-3 lead after 5 innings, although Prep rallied for 4 runs in the top of the 7th.

Sam Ametrano was Guilford's starting pitcher in the Championship Game. The Senior, lefty gave his team 5 outstanding innings by not surrendering a single earned run, striking out 5, and only allowing 1 walk to the Jesuits. All 3 Prep runs scored against Ametrano came in his last inning of work. Guilford uncharacteristically committed 5 errors in the game, and Ametrano bulldogged his way out of jams in the 1st, 3rd & 4th innings to keep a zero on the Prep side of the scoreboard.

In the bottom of the 1st inning, Deshefy gave his team just what they were hoping for, an early lead to ease the pressure. After a Lucas Ametrano 1-out walk, Deshefy roped the first pitch he saw into the left-center gap for a double, scoring the speedy Ametrano all the way from first to make it 1-0, Grizzlies.

Neither team scored in the 2nd, but in the bottom of the 3rd, Guilford put a lot of pressure on the Jesuits when they scored 6 times to take a commanding 7-0 lead.

The inning began with an Alex Vincent walk, and a controversial play when Cole Morgan-Berry laid down a sacrifice bunt and collided with Prep pitcher Andrew Lanzillotti, who was covering first on the play. After initially ruling Morgan-Berry safe on the play, a long umpire discussion reversed the call to Morgan-Berry being out, but nonetheless, he had done his job moving Vincent along to 2nd. Sam Ametrano then drew a walk and his brother, Lucas, was hit by a pitch that loaded the bases for the scorching-hot Deshefy, who lined a single into center that scored Vincent for a 2-0 Guilford lead.

With the bases still loaded and the Prep infield drawn in, Mike Buccaro delivered a hard ground ball on the first base line that ricocheted off the Prep first-baseman, into foul territory down the right field line. Both Ametranos scored and Guilford doubled it's lead to 4-0. Bryce Meder would follow Buccaro with a line drive single into right that scored Deshefy, making it 5-0 with Buccaro advancing to 3rd on the play. A few pitches later, Meder would take off attempting to steal 2nd base and when the Prep catcher threw to 2nd, Buccaro took off for home and scored the Grizzlies 5th run of the inning to make it 6-0, Guilford. A wild pitch allowed Meder to advance to 3rd before Carter Williams drove in the final run of the frame when his sac fly pushed Meder across for a 7-0, Guilford lead.

After Prep scored 3 times in the top of 5th to close the gap to a 4-run deficit, the Grizzlies answered back with 3 more in the bottom of the inning to make sure this one wouldn't get away.

With 1 out, Deshefy stroked his 2nd double of the game to left and Buccaro lined an infield single off the diving Prep first-baseman's glove, to put runners at the corners for the Grizzlies. Up next was Meder who drove a 2-RBI triple over the Prep center-fielder's head that cleared the bases, to make the score 9-3. Williams followed Meder with his 2nd sac-fly of the game, to put the Grizzlies into double-digits with a 10-3 lead after 5.

Perhaps exhausted after an unbelievable 3-games-in-4-days stretch, and pitching in all 3 games, Deshefy surrendered 4 Jesuits hits and a walk in the top of the 7th, that allowed Prep to cut the Guilford lead to 10-7. Meder came on in relief to get the final 2 outs of the game by retiring the only 2 batters he faced. The final out looked to be a dribbler that sounded as if it hit the Prep batter's hand on the swing, but after a brief delay that allowed the umpire to clarify the call as a strikeout, a celebration 16 years in the making let loose.

The win was Guilford's 14th consecutive victory, a remarkable streak that dates back to April 21st, and their 20th win of the season. While many CT baseball pundits have been hard to convince that the Grizzlies are indeed, one of the state's top teams, there can be no doubt that notice has been served. Along the way, Guilford has defeated CIAC Class L, #2 ranked East Lyme, #6 Middletown, #9 Notre Dame - WH, and CIAC Class LL #7 Xavier and #8 Fairfield Prep. All 3 of the SCC teams mentioned here were also featured in GameTimeCT's Weekly Top 10 poll throughout the season.

Now that the SCC Tournament is over, Guilford must concentrate on the CIAC Class L State Tournament that will begin for them on Tue., 5/30 at GHS Field, where they will battle New London in the opening round. But for now, they will enjoy a celebratory Memorial Day Weekend, basking in the glow of their Conference Title, while they honor all of the remarkable men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country so we can enjoy baseball games, winning championships, and the gifts of freedom they have given to us all.

Check back here for CIAC Tournament Updates (click here for a link to the Tournament Bracket) - and be sure to check out the 8+ minute highlight video of the game!