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07/01/2018 12:00 AMThe East Haven softball team put together another solid season this spring that featured an overall record of 14-10, including victories in both the SCC and Class M State tournaments. Although his squad came up shy of reaching its preseason goals, Head Coach Ed Crisafi still felt proud about how the young Yellowjackets performed on the field in 2018.
“We want to win the [Quinnipiac Division], qualify for the SCC Tournament and State Tournament, try to win the SCC Tournament, and win the State Tournament. Did we accomplish any of those goals? No, but I was happy with the way we played,” said Crisafi. “We started a lot of young kids, so we were happy. I was satisfied with the way the year went.”
Offense proved the biggest strength for the Easties as plenty of hitters found ways to get on base and create scoring opportunities. East Haven plated 188 runs as a team and was spurred by plenty of production from the top of its order.
Senior captain left fielder/pitcher Selena Mauro recorded her 100th hit with the Yellowjackets during the season, finishing with 102 total hits for her high-school career. Mauro had 43 hits this year for the second-most in a season in program history, only behind Allison Luzzi, who holds the record with 44. Mauro posted a .430 batting average and led the team with 29 runs scored and 25 RBI. She made the All-Quinnipiac Division First Team, the All-SCC Second Team, and won East Haven’s Coaches’ Award.
The Yellowjackets’ powerful duo of senior captains Julia SanGiovanni and Jessica Stettinger shared the club’s Most Valuable Player Award as both athletes had fantastic seasons. SanGiovanni, a shortstop, hit .416 for East Haven. Stettinger, who was the Easties’ catcher, batted .457 to go with four home runs and 24 RBI. Stettinger and SanGiovanni both earned All-Quinnipiac First Team, All-SCC First Team, and Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-State Class M distinction, in addition to being selected to play in the state’s Senior Select All-Star Game. SanGiovanni also competed in the Senior Scholar Athlete All-Star Game, while Stettinger was named to New Haven Register All-Area Team.
East Haven’s two other senior captains, first baseman Brianna Carrano and designated hitter Mariah DeCarlo, were co-recipients of the team’s Sportsmanship Award. Carrano had a .300 batting average, and DeCarlo hit at a .347 clip for the season.
On the hill, freshman Tori Heapy, junior Taylor Myers, and Mauro formed a nice trio for East Haven. Heapy established herself as one of the SCC’s top pitchers by posting a 3.40 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 10 starts. Myers went 6-3 with a 3.30 ERA with 47 K’s, and Mauro picked up four wins for the season. Myers also tossed a perfect game in East Haven’s victory over Hillhouse on May 8 en route to earning herself a spot in the Junior Select All-Star Game.
Unfortunately, the Yellowjackets allowed a few too many unearned runs throughout the campaign, leading to defeats against some of the better teams they faced.
“Every time we made an error, it just seemed to bit us. The team would either get a big hit or we’d walk somebody,” Crisafi said. “If you look at it, Taylor gave up 38 runs and 28 of them were earned, Tori allowed 50 runs and 36 were earned, and Selena gave up 28 runs and 19 were earned. We probably made too many errors, but besides Selena, Jules, and Stet, nobody had a lot of varsity experience.”
Despite that fact, the Easties still hung tough with every opponent on their formidable schedule. Many of East Haven’s defeats came against some of the top teams in the area. Coach Crisafi felt that the Yellowjackets won every game that they were supposed to win, with the exception of a 5-4 loss to West Haven on May 10.
“We were in every game. We lost to perennial power Cheshire twice, Class LL champion Amity twice, and Class M semifinalist North Branford twice. That’s six losses right there,” Crisafi said. “The only game we were disappointed with was West Haven. We got upset, and that cost us a tie for the division.”
Hand wound up winning the SCC Quinnipiac Division this year, although East Haven notched a 7-1 victory Hand on Senior Night, followed by a 9-4 triumph against the Tigers in the quarterfinals of the SCC Tournament.
East Haven then took a 5-0 loss to North Haven in the SCC semis on May 25, which an emotional day for Coach Crisafi and his squad. That day marked the funeral of Crisafi’s father and East Haven coaching legend, Frank Crisafi, who had passed away at age 95 on May 19.
Following the SCC Tournament, East Haven opened up the Class M State Tournament as the No. 19 seed and defeated No. 14 Berlin by a 7-0 score in the first round. The Yellowjackets then took a 3-1 defeat against No. 3 seed and eventual Class M runner-up Griswold in the second round.
“The last two weeks of the season were tough,” Coach Crisafi said. “Thank God I had [assistant coach and son Jeff Crisafi] to pick up the slack. But everybody knew what was going on and was sympathetic and nice, but I’ve never gone through something like this before.”
Looking ahead to next year, Crisafi feels optimistic about the return of all the underclass athletes who made an impact for East Haven this season. Heapy batted .368, freshman Kayla Rosario hit. 300 with 15 runs scored and 20 RBI, sophomore Rebecca Flynn hit .339 with 13 runs scored and 12 RBI, freshman Brooke Clancy batted .300 with 13 runs scored, sophomore Jill Hay hit .346, and junior Megan Roberts finished the year with a .438 batting average. Roberts, Myers, and Jenna Esposito will be the Yellowjackets’ senior captains next season.
“We have a lot of young kids coming back, so next year is going to be interesting,” Crisafi said. “There will be a lot of fighting for spots.”
From the Sidelines
East Haven softball Head Coach Ed Crisafi’s coaching staff consisted of assistant coaches Jeff Crisafi, Kristina Serio, and Alyssa Apuzzo.
The Yellowjackets’ regular-season victories came against Foran (10-5 and 11-1), Stamford (18-10 and 14-10), Branford (9-1 and 16-2), West Haven (2-0), Lauralton Hall (5-4 and 13-6), Hillhouse (17-0 and 16-0), and Hand (7-1).
The team also took regular-season defeats versus North Branford (8-0 and 9-0), Cheshire (8-6 and 6-5), Amity (14-9 and 7-6), Hand (7-3), and West Haven (5-4).
The SCC is updating its divisional alignment for next year. East Haven will play in the Housatonic Division with North Haven, Sheehan, Sacred Heart, and Branford.