Norwalk — Gavin Polcaro and Joshua Bergstrom each had three hits for Waterford in a 13-0 victory Friday over Shepaug in the opening game of the Babe Ruth 13-15-year-old Babe Ruth Tournament.

Lucas Saunders, Zaydin Martinez, Nick Ingraham and Eric Richmond had two hits each for Waterford, which finished with 16 hits in all, and Lucas Saunders pitched three perfect innings, striking out four.

Waterford will play a winners’ bracket game in the double-elimination tournament against Shelton at 10 a.m. Saturday at Nathan Hale Middle School in Norwalk.

NECBL

• Sam Kirkpatrick (Belmont) was 4-for-5, Landon Moran (Stetson) doubled twice and Matthew Brinker (Northeastern) homered in a four-run fourth inning as the Mystic Schooners defeated the North Shore Navigators 10-3 Thursday night in a New England Collegiate Baseball League game at Dodd Stadium.

Waterford’s Connor Podeszwa (Tufts) pitched 2.1 innings in relief to earn the victory, allowing one run on one hit, striking out two and walking one.

Gil named cheerleading coach at NFA

• Missy Gil has been named the new cheerleading coach at Norwich Free Academy, a position she held from 2017-21.

“Missy knows our school, knows our program and knows what it takes to succeed,” NFA athletic director Roy Wentworth said in a release. “I’m confident in her ability to re-establish our program as one of the strongest in not only the conference, but the state.”

Gil, who has coached cheerleading for more than 25 years at the middle and high school level, explained her reasoning to return.

“I made the right move to step away in 2021,” she said, citing pandemic challenges and family responsibilities. “But I soon began to realize how much I missed it. Cheerleading has been part of my life for so long and it truly is part of who I am. Some of my favorite coaching memories are from here.”

Gil is a 1996 NFA graduate.