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05/26/2018 12:00 AMFor the first time, the North Haven softball team can call itself the champion of the Southern Connecticut Conference. The Indians achieved that feat by posting a 12-8 victory versus Amity in the SCC Tournament final at West Haven High School on May 26.
North Haven had made history the previous day by shutting out East Haven 5-0 to reach its first SCC title game. The Indians made the most of their opportunity—and even bigger history—when they defeated Amity to bring the first conference crown back to North Haven.
“All of us are so excited. It’s one of the best feelings. It’s so surreal for everyone,” said junior Caitlin Ranciato. “It’s just great. Everyone is so happy right now.”
Amity had defeated North Haven twice during the regular season. While this was the Indians’ debut in the SCC final, Amity was making its 13th appearance and came into the contest with seven conference titles to its credit. However, none of that mattered in this year’s edition of the SCC championship game.
The 3rd-seeded Indians got going quickly against No. 4 Amity by scoring a run in the first inning and four more in the second to take a 5-0 lead. The Spartans scored three runs in the top of the third, but then North Haven responded with five runs in bottom half to make it 10-3. The teams traded off a few more runs through the rest of the game, and the Indians ultimately came away with a monumental victory.
Interim Head Coach Karen Castagnola said the Indians have been trending upward these past few weeks and are now playing their best when it matters most.
“As the season has gone along, we’ve gotten better and better and better, and we are peaking at the right time. The last couple of weeks, we’ve come a long way and have really jelled as a team. We never give up. This team never gives up,” said Castagnola, whose squad is 19-4 and opens play in the Class L State Tournament this week. “I’m proud of them. We have great ballplayers. We have a good group of young kids on the bench. I’m extremely proud of this group.”
Castagnola and her fellow coaches had North Haven focus on hitting throughout its entire practice the day before facing East Haven in the SCC semifinals. The practice paid off as the Indians had a nice day at the plate in the semis and then broke loose for 12 hits, including four doubles and a homer, while forcing Amity to use three pitchers in the final.
Junior Sarah Lombardi was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player after going 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, and three RBI for North Haven. Junior captain Olivia Petersen was 2-for-2, including a solo home run, to go with two runs scored and three RBI. Ranciato went 3-for-3 and scored a pair of runs in the win.
Coach Castagnola was glad to see the Indians receive production from throughout their lineup, especially after spending so much time swinging the bats at practice.
“Everyone was hitting. That’s what we talked about on the bus. We needed to have our hitting shoes on today, and we came out hitting. They were up. They were ready to play this game,” Castagnola said. “The day before East Haven, all we wanted to do was hit and we concentrated on hitting all afternoon. And today, everybody hit, everyone contributed. We just hit the ball really well. No matter which pitcher they threw at us, we hit the ball well.”
North Haven’s junior pitcher, Lauren Card, scattered 11 singles in a complete-game effort, allowing six earned runs and striking out six en route to her 17th win of the year. Castagnola felt that Card, who tossed a four-hitter against East Haven, did a good job of dealing with Amity’s best batters during the championship slugfest. And when the Spartans did put a couple of runs on the board, the Indians answered right back.
North Haven got a spark from junior captain leadoff hitter Peyton Davis, who had a double with two runs scored and an RBI; as well as senior captain Caroline Gabrielle, who was 2-for-4, including a double, with a run scored and an RBI. Junior Carly Brown hit a double, scored two runs, and drove home a run to contribute to North Haven’s offensive outburst.
We just went up with the mentality that we had to it. I think all of us knew we had to hit, and we were all pumped up,” Ranciato said. “We knew we had to play really well against them because they beat us twice, but we all came ready to play. And everyone was cheering for everyone in the dugout.”
One person who everyone was happy to see in the North Haven dugout was Sally Maher. Maher has been the Indians’ head coach since 1991, although she is on sabbatical from the team after having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease last fall. Maher, a physical education teacher at North Haven High School, has attended several of the team’s games this season. Maher said it meant the world that she was able to be in attendance at the SCC final. It brought a smile to her face to see the Indians flourishing on the field.
“I’m so happy for the kids and Karen and happy I was able to witness it. It feels great. It feels like you’re a part of the team,” said Maher. “North Haven hit the ball really well today and, against Amity, that’s a lot of hits. I’m glad to a part of it, even though it’s a small part, cheering the kids on. It’s been fun to watch how far they’ve come. To win SCCs is awesome.”
Maher and Castagnola both played softball for North Haven. Castagnola had spent the past 22 years as the Indians’ JV head coach and a varsity assistant. Together, they won a Class L state title in 2008. Castagnola said it was a pleasure to experience the thrill of this historic victory alongside her longtime friend and colleague.
“I loved having her there. It was like old times. She knows how much I miss her. She’s a huge support system to me,” Castagnola said. “I’m ecstatic that she was there to celebrate with us, and the kids are, too. I’m happy she was there to see it.”
Ranciato said the Indians have dedicated their 2018 season to Coach Maher.
“She’s a great coach, and we all love her, and it’s great to win it for her,” she said.
Petersen felt that having Maher in the dugout made an amazing afternoon all the more special for the Indians.
“It definitely meant a lot more because of Coach Maher,” said Petersen. “Whenever we would do good things this year, we had her mind. We had her mind with everything we were going through. Even though she can’t be our coach this year, we want to make her proud of us.”
Maher and everyone else in the North Haven dugout had plenty of things to feel proud about on this particular afternoon—even if the day did get off to a bit of an unusual start. In the bottom of first inning, Lombardi crushed one to center field that went off the glove of the Spartans’ center fielder and over the fence. There was a mix-up on the base paths that saw Lombardi pass Gabrielle while running from first to second, resulting in Lombardi getting called out and awarded a single instead of a homer, with Gabrielle still scoring for a 1-0 lead.
In the second inning, North Haven took advantage of three Amity errors and got an RBI double from Gabrielle to score four runs and go up 5-0.
After Amity scored three in the top of the third, the Indians busted the game open by batting around and bringing five runners home in the bottom of the frame for a 10-3 command. Brown had an RBI double, Petersen hit a two-run single, and then Davis followed with an RBI double. Lombardi’s RBI single capped off the big inning.
The Spartans plated a couple of runs in the fifth to cut to 10-5, but North Haven promptly responded with a two-spot in its next turn at bat. Petersen led off by socking a home run to left field, and Lombardi later delivered an RBI double to make it 12-5 through five.
Amity scored three runs in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough, as the Indians walked off the field with the SCC championship trophy in their grasp.
“I’m a little overwhelmed, but I’m happy,” said Castagnola. “I wanted to do it for Sally. I really wanted to make her proud of me and this team, and I think we did that.”
From the Sidelines
North Haven had advanced to the SCC final by posting a 5-0 home shutout versus No. 7 seed East Haven in the semifinals on May 25. Lauren Card pitched a four-hitter with five strikeouts for the Indians. Sarah Lombardi went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI, and Haylee Garthwait was 1-for-2 with two RBI.
North Haven finished with a record of 16-4 for the regular season, including a 7-1 record in the Oronoque Division to win the title for the second year in a row and eighth time overall. The Indians swept divisional opponents Lauralton Hall, Sheehan, and Cross, while splitting the season series with Lyman Hall. North Haven lost the first meeting between the teams, but defeated Lyman Hall 3-1 in the rematch to take the Oronoque title. One week later, the Indians notched a 10-6 victory against Lyman Hall in the SCC Tournament quarterfinals.
The Indians are seeded 4th in the Class L State Tournament and have a first-round bye. They will host the winner of No. 13 seed Law and No. 20 Pomperaug in the second round at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30. With a win, North Haven would host a quarterfinal game on Friday, June 1. The semis are on either Monday, June 4 or Tuesday, June 5. The final takes place on either Friday, June 8 or Saturday, June 9.
North Haven’s roster includes senior captain Caroline Gabrielle (designated player); junior captains Peyton Davis (center field) and Emily Petersen (left field); fellow juniors Madison Aiello (first base), Carly Brown (right field), Lauren Card (pitcher), Emily Casamento (second base), Haylee Garthwait (third base), Sarah Lombardi (second base), Caitlin Ranciato (shortstop), and Gigi Russo (catcher); sophomores Julia Lockery (utility), Payton Hebert (utility/pitcher), Juliana Jones (utility), and Eryn Sheeley (first base/pitcher); and freshmen Alexandra Ferriouolo (shortstop), Jordan Maenza (catcher), and Sydney Maenza (pitcher).
Interim Head Coach Karen Castagnola is assisted by JV Head Coach and varsity assistant Jen Kruver, along with volunteer assistants Roy Castagnola, Vin Cretella, Joel Kaletsky, and scorekeeper Frank Maher. North Haven’s head coach is Sally Maher.