Pitching, defense and timely hitting led the Fairfield Prep baseball team against Notre Dame-West Haven, yet again. Kyle Mollo scattered nine hits over five-plus innings, and the third-seeded Jesuits hung on for a 4-3 win over the sixth-seeded Green Knights in Tuesday's SCC quarterfinals at Alumni Diamond. Chris Collins had two hits and scored two runs, and Kevin Stone's third-inning two-out, two-RBI double helped Prep (15-6) advance to Thursday's conference semifinals at West Haven's Quigley Stadium against Amity at 4. Notre Dame pitcher Greg Zullo scattered eight hits, struck out six and allowed four runs over six innings, despite dealing with a hamstring injury. Tied 2-2 with two outs in the third and Collins and Joe Ganim on, Stone roped a line drive to the gap in left, scoring the two and putting Prep ahead for good. After Mollo surrendered a leadoff single to Zach Ardito in the sixth, senior David Gerics came in and retired six of the seven batters he faced to pick up a save.

Staples sweeps FCIAC track and field championships Impressive victories by senior Henry Wynne in the 800- and 1,600-meter races helped lead the Wrecker boys to their second consecutive conference title, while record-setting victories by freshman Hanna Debalsi in the 1,600 and 3,200 helped the Wrecker girls edge defending champion Darien by four points for the title. The Staples boys won with 128 points, followed by Danbury with 97 and Ridgefield with 90. The Staples girls won with 100.5 points, followed by Darien with 96.5 and Ridgefield with 91. Jack Scott, Tucker Rizzi and Walker Marsh ran the other three legs on that relay, which finished in 3:22.91. [...] for the Staples boys, Rizzi won the javelin with a throw of 163-1. Wynne is looking forward to running Saturday in the Dream Mile, an elite race on Randall's Island in New York City. There are going to be so many great guys there. Darien's Nicholas Lombardo swept the jumping events, winning the high jump by clearing 6-2, the long jump with a jump of 22-3.25 and the triple jump with a jump of 45-1.75. Danbury's Micaiah Hill won the 100 meters in 11.05 seconds and finished a close second to McMahon's Shnyden Pierre in the 200. Devan Bovell of New Canaan won the 110 hurdles in 15.01, Norwalk's Hopeton Chambers won the 300 hurdles in 38.89, Norwalk's Evan Adams won the shot put with a throw of 49-5 and Stamford's Drevaun Bailey won the discus, under the lights after the sun had long since set, with a throw of 131-3. Westhill's Billy Thibault tied the FCIAC pole vault record by clearing 15-0 to win the event. Danbury's Leland Roberts set his school's record by clearing 14-6 to take second. Danbury won the 4x100, with the quartet of Tyrice O'Conner, Tyler Challenger, Cyrus Brown and Mathew Andrew finishing in 43.49, and the 4x800, with the team of C.J. Cunningham, Michael Leone, Corey Mullins and Steven Farkas, finishing in 8:14.65. On the girls side, Debalsi ruled the distance events, winning the 1,600 in an FCIAC meet-record time of 4:54.59 and the 3,200 in another FCIAC meet-record time of 10:25.18. Westhill's Claire Howlett placed second in both events. Debalsi was fairly humble about her own performances as well, although everyone who watched her run was certainly impressed. If that's what my best is, then I'll keep trying. [...] for Staples, Elizabeth Knoll cleared 5-4 to win the high jump. Ridgefield's Ellie Gravitte won the javelin and the shot put and took third in the discus. By way of comparison, that would've been good for fourth place in the boys championships. McMahon's Sarah Boyd swept the hurdles events, winning the 100 in 15.42 and the 300 in 45.92. Darien's Catherine Lacy won the 200 in 25.93 and the long jump with a jump of 17-9.5. Crystle Hill of Norwalk won the 100 in 12.47, Anna Sulger of Darien won the 400 in 56.49, Cate Allen of Fairfield Warde won the 800 in 2:15.07, Sarah Cicchetti of Greenwich won the discus with a throw of 100-7, St. Joseph freshman Jada Harris won the triple jump with a jump of 34-6 and Maddie Schneider of Darien cleared 11-0 to win the pole vault. FCIAC TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS May 21, Danbury High School BOYS Greenwich 53; 6. Norwalk 50; 7. (tie) McMahon and New Canaan 34; 9. St. Joseph 32; 10. (tie) Westhill and Wilton 28; 12. Fairfield Ludlowe 16; 14. (tie) Fairfield Warde and Stamford 11; 16. Austin Longi, Greenwich, 11.12; 3. Hopeton Chambers, Norwalk, 11.43; 5. Shnyden Pierre, McMahon, 22.56; 2. Tim Johnson, Trumbull, 22.98; 4. Louis Ambrogio, Greenwich, 23.37. Shnyden Pierre, McMahon, 48.67; 2. Aidan Fiol, Fairfield Warde, 10:05.54. Hopeton Chambers, Norwalk, 15.95; 4. Ryan Arrigo, Fairfield Ludlowe, 16.25. Hopeton Chambers, Norwalk, 39.89; 2. Ryan Arrigo, Fairfield Ludlowe, 42.02; 5. Fairfield Warde 3:37.21. Norwalk 8:28.80; 6. Javelin: 1. Josh Archer, Fairfield Ludlowe, 146-10; 6. Evan Adams, Norwalk, 49-5; 2. Corey Barrett, Norwalk, 46-3; 6. Robert Ficarra, Fairfield Ludlowe, 46-0. Discus: 1. Evan Adams, Norwalk, 123-1; 5. Allan Lenard, McMahon, 20-10.75; 4. Yvens Borno, McMahon, 20-5; 6. Triple jump: 1. Pole vault: 1. Danbury 53; 6. (tie) Fairfield Ludlowe and Westhill 40; 8. Fairfield Warde 39.5; 9. McMahon 31; 12. Norwalk 29.5; 13. Crystle Hill, Norwalk, 12.47; Niema Riley, Danbury, 12.59; 3. Tamia Taylor, Norwalk, 12.86; 4. Emma Koether, Fairfield Ludlowe, 13.01; 5. Sarah Boyd, McMahon, 26.12; 3. Emma Koether, Fairfield Ludlowe, 26.45; 6. Lia Joham, Fairfield Warde, 59.42; 5. Cate Allen, Fairfield Warde, 2:15.07; 2. Claire Turner, Norwalk, 2:20.03; 5. Paige Hanley, Fairfield Warde, 2:20.22. Caroline Keough, Fairfield Warde, 11:45.74; 6. Sarah Boyd, McMahon, 15.42; 2. Olivia Auray, Fairfield Ludlowe, 16.18; 3. Alex Wykoff, Fairfield Ludlowe, 16.41; 4. Sarah Boyd, McMahon, 45.92; 2. Alex Wykoff, Fairfield Ludlowe, 47.91; 6. Fairfield Ludlowe 50.25; 4. Fairfield Warde 52.16. Fairfield Warde 4:10.38; 4. McKayla Foster, McMahon, 31-11. Leah Hotchkiss, Darien 5-2; 3. (tie) Katie Ward, Wilton; Ellen Hebrand, Greenwich; and Catherine Lacy, Darien, 4-9; 6. (tie) Lily Twomey, Fairfield Warde; Blossom Jean Jocques, Fairfield Warde; Emily O'Keefe, Fairfield Ludlowe; and Bridget Van Dorsten, Staples, 4-9. Catherine Lacy, Darien, 17-9.5; 2. (tie) Naomi Lowry, Danbury; and Crystle Hill, Norwalk, 16-2; 4. Triple jump: 1. Pole vault: 1. Colleen Gruendel, Ridgefield, 8-6; 5. (tie) Beth Kelley, New Canaan; and Erica Leppla, Fairfield Warde, 7-9. (*) denotes FCIAC meet record. ($) denotes state record.

"The seniors have been part of a state title, and we have been to the FCIAC semifinals twice before, but never got to the final game or won the championship," said Vazquez, the star catcher for St. Joseph. The top-seeded Cadets (19-3) will face New Canaan, a 1-0 winner over Fairfield Ludlowe in the first semifinal, in Thursday's championship game at 5 at Sacred Heart. St. Joseph's offensive dominance overshadowed an outstanding effort by freshman pitcher Nicole Williams, who scattered four singles. Erika Osherow, the Darien pitcher who had been dominating the league during the second half of the regular season, retired the first six batters she faced, striking out the side in the second inning. [...] a leadoff walk, a sacrifice bunt and an error following a single by Gardella opened the way for a five-run third inning that broke the game open. Mallozzi had an RBI single and Amy Chacho a two-run base hit. The Cadets added four runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, providing for one of the most anticlimactic semifinal finishes in league history. Fourth-seeded Darien, the two-time defending champion, will take a 17-5 record into next week's state tournament.

PItched a five-inning, one-hitter with eight strikeouts and also had four hits, including three doubles, in a 16-0 win over Pomperaug. Pitched a complete game, one-hit shutout with nine strikeouts in a 1-0 win over Hand in the SCC quarterfinals. Pitched 5.1 scoreless innings with strikeouts and also had three hits, including a two-out, two-strike three-run triple in the bottom of the sixth inning, in a 3-0 win over ND-Fairfield in the SWC semifinals. Was the game's winning pitcher and also had two hits and one RBI in a 5-4 win over St. Paul Catholic in the NVL semifinals.

Wednesday's high school schedule schedule Baseball FCIAC semifinals at Harbor Yard No. 6 Fairfield Ludlowe, 5 Boys golf Fairfield Ludlowe at Smtih Richardson GC, 3:30 Fairfield Prep, New Canaan vs. Fairfield Warde at Brooklawn CC, 3:15 Platt Tech vs. Trumbull at Tashua Knolls GC, 3:15 Softball NVL championship at Wolcott SCC Division II championship at Yale Boys tennis NVL tournament finals at Woodland, noon SCC Division I and Division II finals at Yale, 3:30 SWC individual tournament at Barlow, 3:30 SCC Division I championship at Yale SCC Division II championship at Yale SWC individual tournament at Barlow, 3:30 SCC Division I championship at Yale SCC Division II championship at Yale FCIAC team championship at Wilton No. 2 Fairfield Ludlowe Boys volleyball FCIAC semifinals at Fairfield Ludlowe No. 3 Fairfield vs. SWC championship at Bethel SCC semifinals at Quigley Stadium No. 3 Fairfield Prep vs. Boys golf Goodwin Tech vs. O'Brien Tech at Orange Hills, 2 Vinal Tech vs. Guimares Tournament at Lyman Orchards GC, 1:30 SWC Division II championship at Weston, 5 SCC championship at West Haven SWC Division I championship at Brookfield No. 2 New Fairfield vs. SWC Division I championship at Brookfield, 7 SWC Division II championship at Weston, 7 SCC championship at West Haven Softball CSC championship at Eastern Connecticut Goodwin Tech vs. Platt Tech, 4 FCIAC championship at Sacred Heart SWC semifinals at DeLuca Field, Stratford FCIAC team championship at Wilton SCC championship SWC championship at Oxford Softball SCC championship at West Haven, 3 Softball SCC championship at West Haven, 6

Woodland sweeps NVL track championships Regional finishers among top six Damir Poric (Derby) 10:56.48; 300 hurdles: 2. Greg Chase-Patrick (Seymour) 44.18; 4x100 relay: 4. Seymour 45.31; 4x400 relay: 3. Preston Batson (Derby) 19-7.5; triple jump: 6. Jose Santamaria (Derby) 113-5; javelin: 4. Watertown 136.5, 3. (tie) Holy Cross and Naugatuck 77, 5. Sacred Heart 30, 10. Megan Acquavella (Seymour) 8-0; triple jump: 5.

Weston, Derby baseball teams advance to league title games Both the Weston and Derby baseball teams advanced to their respective league championship games with semifinal-round victories Tuesday. Weston defeated ND-Fairfield 3-0 in the SWC as Greg Kaeser had a three-run triple in the sixth, while Derby bested St. Paul Catholic 5-2 in the NVL as winning pitcher Michael Kreiger had two hits and an RBI. Weston will play Pomperaug Thursday night at 7 at Bethel for the SWC title, while Derby faces Wolcott in the NVL final Thursday night at 6:30 at Fussenich Park in Torrington. In softball, Seymour and Platt Tech advanced to their leagues' championship games. Seymour beat Woodland 11-2 in the NVL semifinals and will face Torrington tonight at 6 at Wolcott in the title game, while Platt Tech defeated Vinal Tech 17-0 in five innings and will meet Goodwin Tech on Thursday at 4 at Eastern Connecticut in Willimantic in the CSC championship. W--Kaeser had three hits, including a three-run, two-out, two-strike triple in the bottom of the sixth. The top-seeded Trojans will play sixth-seeded Pomperaug for the league championship on Thursday at Bethel at 7. Highlights: D--Kreiger had two hits and one RBI. The sixth-seeded Red Raiders will play No. 1 seed Wolcott for the league championship on Thursday at Fussenich Park at 6:30. Highlights: W--Brandon Lanzara had two hits, including a double, and scored a run. Batteries: VT--Hannah Bibisi (L) and Angela Sidorski; PT--Brooke Pawlak (W) and Autumn Lewandowski. Highlights: PT--Pawlak struck out 12 and also went 4-for-4, including a double and a triple, with eight RBIs. The Panthers will play Goodwin Tech for the league championship on Thursday at Eastern Connecticut at 4. Batteries: W--Sammy Lee (L) and Rachel Starkey; S--Raeanne Geffert (W) and Amanda Harkins. Katie Petroski and Makayla O'Hara each had two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored. The second-seeded Wildcats will play top-seeded Torrington for the league championship tonight at 6 at Wolcott. Highlights: NC--Rachel Kortman had an RBI single in the fifth. The sixth-seeded Lions will play second-seeded East Haven in the league semifinals on Thursday at West Haven at 7. Highlights: C--Lauren Fountain doubled and had one RBI. The fourth-seeded Spartans will play top-seeded Mercy in the semifinals on Thursday at West Haven at 5. Batteries: NM--Bri Ciello (L) and Kelsey Fuchs; LH--Haley Congdon (W), Kaitlyn Mingione (7) and Alex Moleski. The second-seeded Crusaders will play sixth-seeded Bunnell in the semifinals on Thursday at DeLuca Field in Stratford at 5. Alyssa Anderson scored on a squeeze bunt by Michaela Roman (two hits). The sixth-seeded Bulldogs will play second-seeded Lauralton Hall in the semifinals on Thursday at DeLuca Field at 5. M--Tatum Buckley struck out eight and also had four hits, including three doubles. Melissa Peet singled, doubled and hit a solo home run. The top-seeded Panthers will play fourth-seeded Brookfield in the semifinals on Thursday at DeLuca Field in Stratford at 7. DeMarco had two hits and one RBI. NH--Oestreicher had three hits, including a solo home run, and scored twice. New Canaan 152, Norwalk 193 (at CC of New Canaan, par 35): NC--Will Essigs 35, Justin Clark 37, Michael Swift 39, Michael Slattery 41; N--James Henderson 42, Rob Essig 48, Kevin Solemene 49, Billy Passero 53. Platt Tech 159, Wolcott Tech 222 (at Torrington CC, par 36): PT--Donald Scott 38, Matt Tucker 40, Jesse Pena 40, Bradley Moore 41; WT--Alex Jamison 50, Zach Huxley 52, Cody Rickievicious 56, Hunter Goslee 64. Trumbull 170, St. Joseph 187 (at Tashua Knolls, par 36): T--Brian Bach 39, Zac Parente 43, Mitchell French 43, Tyler Hiznay 46; SJ--John DoCarmo 43, Mike Derbyshire 47, Nick Salvatore 48, Lenny Lee 49. Highlights: FP--The top-seeded Jesuits will play second-seeded Guilford for the league championship on Thursday at West Haven at 7. Ba--The Falcons will play New Fairfield for the league championship on Thursday at 5 at Brookfield. Highlights: S--The second-seeded Wreckers will play top-seeded Greenwich for the league championship on Thursday at 4 at Wilton. The Wolverines will play Masuk for the league championship Thursday at 7 at Oxford.

New Canaan softball edges Ludlowe to reach FCIAC final for first time The road started eight years ago, when six highly touted softball players became teammates for the first time on the New Canaan Storm 10-and-under squad. On Tuesday afternoon, with a little help -- some of it unexpected -- from their friends, the group carried their high school program to a new level. Ironically, it was a pair of juniors who assumed the headlining roles as New Canaan reached the FCIAC championship game for the first time following a 1-0 win over Fairfield Ludlowe at Sacred Heart University. Ali Reilly, who has shared the pitching duties this season with Cydney Ventura, threw a brilliant five-hit shutout, while Rachel Kortman, in her first start of the year, drove in the winning run with a fifth-inning single, one of just three hits by the No. 6 Rams. The seventh-seeded Falcons (15-7) were limited to five singles. "The No. 9 batter had four at-bats all season, which showed this was a team effort," said Simoneau, who altered her lineup for the postseason. The Rams (16-6) were flawless on defense, led by the seniors who have brought a sport that has taken a back seat to lacrosse, tennis, golf and baseball prominent in their town.

With both goaltenders putting on nothing short of a keeping clinic, scoring plays were at premium when long-time rivals New Canaan and Darien met in the semifinals of the FCIAC tournament at Brien McMahon High School on Tuesday. [...] the No. 2 Rams turned away the third-seeded Blue Wave for the second time this season, this time by a 5-3 margin in a game featuring just a pair of second half goals, one by each team. With the victory, the Rams advanced to Friday's FCIAC title game, also at McMahon High School at 7 p.m., against No. 4 Greenwich, a 6-5 upset winner over top-ranked Ridgefield Tuesday night. The Rams, the defending conference champions, now stand one victory away from back-to-back titles for the fist time since 1987-88. After being robbed by Darien goalie Phil Huffard on his bid to get the lead back, Stanton scored on a wraparound goal with 2:53 remaining in the first quarter to give the Rams a 2-1 lead heading into the second. Two minutes into the second quarter, New Canaan doubled its lead when Michael Kraus found Pete Johnson, but Darien countered with a goal of its own just a minute-and-a-half later when Reed scored unassisted, cutting the Rams lead to 3-2. With 1:51 remaining in the first half, New Canaan extended its lead back to two on an assisted marker by Bossidy, making the scored 4-2 in favor of the Rams at the break. After more than 14 minutes of scoreless play, Stanton notched the hat trick for an all-important insurance goal with the Rams operating on man-up advantage.

St. Luke's retiring softball coach Camile DeMarco-Havens stood near home plate about 20 minutes after her team's dramatic 7-5 victory over Greenwich Academy in the Fairchester Athletic Association championship game, and glanced at her jubilant players who were slowly leaving the field. The Storm (13-2) rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning on Marissa Ruschil's three-run homer to send their coach out in style. Ruschil and Liz Kremer had RBI singles, and the Storm (13-2) made it 4-0 in the second on Schlim's two-run single. St. Luke's committed four errors in the inning but the big blow was Staab's two-run double that tied it, and she scored the go-ahead run on an error. Highlights: GA--Staab had two hits and two-run double, Tyla Taylor had an RBI single. SL--Marissa Ruschil had three hits, including a three-run homer, and three RBI, Schlim struck out eight and walked seven and had a two-run single.