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North Haven Shakes Off SCC Final Loss by Advancing to Class L Semis

After taking a loss to Cheshire in the championship game of the Southern Connecticut Conference Tournament, the North Haven softball team bounced back with authority by winning its first two games in the Class L State Tournament last week. The Indians lost a 3-2, eight-inning decision against Cheshire in the SCC final, but then started off states with victories versus Rockville (11-2) and Maloney (8-0) to advance to the semifinal round, while improving to 22-3 overall on the season.

Senior Lauren Card pitched her third perfect game of the year for North Haven in its quarterfinal win over Maloney. The Indians, who are the No. 3 seed in the Class L State Tournament, will face No. 2 Masuk (21-1) in a semifinal game on Tuesday, June 4. The Class L state final takes place on either Friday, June 7 or Saturday, June 8.

Defending champion North Haven came into the SCC Tournament as the top seed after finishing with a record of 18-2 during the regular season. Along the way, the Indians notched a mark of 7-1 in the SCC Housatonic Division to claim their third-straight division title. North Haven started off SCCs by earning an 8-0 home win versus No. 8 seed Sacred Heart Academy in a quarterfinal game on May 20. The next day, the Indians defeated No. 4 seed Law 11-3 in the semifinals at Biondi Field at West Haven High School.

After the SCC final was pushed back a day due to rain, North Haven took on 2nd-seeded Cheshire with the conference title on the line at Biondi Field on May 24. Cheshire had made the final by rallying for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to get a 4-3 win versus Amity in the semis. The Rams pulled off another comeback in the title game by scoring the tying run in the top of the seventh and then bringing home the go-ahead run in the eighth to edge out North Haven by a 3-2 score.

North Haven went up 1-0 in the second inning when senior Caitlin Ranciato drew a walk, took second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Eryn Sheeley, and scored on a close play at the plate on a ground ball by senior Gigi Russo.

In the second inning, Card hit a single, moved up on Ranciato’s base hit, and then scored on senior Haylee Garthwait’s single for a 2-0 lead. Cheshire cut the deficit to 2-1 on an RBI single in the fourth inning.

In the top of the seventh, Cheshire’s leadoff batter got aboard via a walk and took second on a sacrifice bunt. The Rams’ next batter got a hit, but senior left fielder Olivia Petersen threw out the runner trying to score the tying run from second base. After Cheshire’s next hitter walked, the Rams tied the game at 2-2 when the following batter reached on an error.

The game stayed tied entering the top of the eighth. In that inning, Cheshire saw one of its hitters reach first on error, take second on a fielder’s choice, move to third on a fly out, and then score on a single to give the Rams a 3-2 advantage.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Indians got something going when Garthwait and Sheeley both reached on singles. However, Cheshire’s pitcher struck out the last two batters of the game to solidify both the victory and the conference title for the Rams.

Card pitched all eight innings and allowed six hits for North Haven. Garthwait went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

A few days after the SCC Tournament, the Indians opened up the Class L State Tournament as the No. 3 seed. Following a first-round bye, North Haven hosted No. 14 seed Rockville for a second-round contest on May 29. The Indians jumped out to an early lead and cruised to an 11-2 victory at North Haven Athletic Complex. North Haven scored six runs in the third inning, two more in the fifth inning, and three in the sixth to take an 11-0 lead, before Rockville scored its two runs in the seventh.

Card pitched a complete game and allowed five hits for the Indians. Senior Sarah Lombardi hit a home run and had five RBI, while fellow senior Peyton Davis had a pair of hits, including a homer. Seniors Carly Brown and Ranciato both had two hits with two RBI, plus Russo had a single and a double in the victory.

On May 31, North Haven squared off against No. 6 seed Maloney in a quarterfinal home game and claimed an 8-0 victory that was highlighted by Card’s third perfect game of the season. Card set down all 21 batters that she faced and struck out 14 during her latest perfect performance. Card, who has a record of 21-3 on the year, threw a five-inning perfect game when the Indians defeated Sheehan 19-0 on May 7 and then tossed her second one in North Haven’s 8-0 win versus Sacred Heart Academy in the SCC quarterfinals.

In this one, North Haven scored a run in the first and another in the third to take a 2-0 lead over Maloney. The game stayed that way until the Indians plated six runs in the sixth to bust the game open. Sheeley hit a double and also clubbed a grand slam to give her four RBI on the day. Brown had two hits and two RBI, Davis got a single with a double and an RBI, Card helped her cause with a pair of hits, and Ranciato added a pair of hits for Head Coach Karen Castagnola’s squad.