Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Shepaug Valley walked away with it. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the North Branford Thunderbirds on Monday, sneaking past 3-1.

James Kersten
| 06/01/26 @ North Branford | 7 |
| 05/18/26 vs Nonnewaug | 5 |
| 05/04/26 vs Lakeview | 5 |
James Kersten spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on nine hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jon Croft, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Frank Mariano, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Shepaug Valley's victory bumped their record up to 12-10. As for North Branford, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-12.
Looking ahead, Shepaug Valley will venture away from home to face off against St. Paul Catholic at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Falcons will roll in looking for their eighth straight win, something the Spartans surely won't give up without a fight. North Branford does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps