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07/18/2021 12:00 AMAfter losing to Middletown in last year’s title game, the Madison 8-10 All-Star softball team earned an opportunity at a rematch in the championship final of the 2021 District 9 Tournament. This time around, Madison won two of its three games against Middletown to take home the District 9 crown.
As the No. 1 seed, Madison won its first six games of the tournament to advance to the final and face No. 2 seed Middletown, which had won four of its six games. Madison earned a 15-7 victory in the opener, but Middletown won the second game by scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to prevail by a 12-11 score. In the rubber match, Madison came out on top with a 16-8 victory to win the District 9 championship and advance to the state’s Section 3 Tournament.
Madison’s roster features Eden Anderson, Bella Fahy, Lexi Fulton, Delaney Hammel, Grace Henry, Maeve Henry, Campbell Leckey, Ella Lyall, Riley Marchese, Allison Maynard, Ava Mirante, Annabella Nicoletti, Madison Shia, and Rory Ulstad. The team’s head coach is Tom Fahy, who is assisted by Sue Leckey and Mike Nicoletti.
Coach Fahy was proud of his squad for bouncing back from its loss to Middletown by notching a big-time victory with the district title on the line.
“We lost that second game in the bottom of the sixth. It was a tough loss to take. It was their first loss. But we came out the next day and really started out strong,” Coach Fahy said. “It showed the girls that they were able to experience defeat, have some things they didn’t want to happen, take that opportunity, and turn it into something good. It says a lot about these girls. It was fun to watch.”
Coach Fahy said that his athletes had a number of goals that they wanted to accomplish as they started playing ball this summer. Madison’s players wanted to get better every day, support each other, and have fun on the field. Of course, Coach Fahy’s squad also wanted another shot to win the District 9 title.
“Last year, we had a pretty young team. It was a lot of the kids’ first go-round with All-Stars. They were nervous and didn’t know what to expect. The coaches felt the same way,” said Fahy. “To make the championship round last year was really nice. The goal was to get back into the championship round. We had a lot of the same players and were hoping they improve. We just wanted one more chance.”
Madison was 6-0 in the tournament heading into to the championship round, having previously earned wins versus East Hampton (21-7), Haddam-Killingworth/Clinton (9-6), Coginchaug (24-8), Middletown (12-10), Guilford (24-10), and East Haddam/Portland (7-0). After defeating Middletown two more times in the final, Madison finished the District 9 Tournament with an overall record of 8-1.
Coach Fahy said that Madison learned some valuable lessons during pool play that paid major dividends when it came time to face Middletown for the title.
“We were able to get ahead early at times, but that wasn’t true for every win. We were down a few runs in a couple games. We learned that we can battle back. It was an important lesson,” Fahy said. “We could score runs in bunches even when we’re down. We can hold another team. It was a nice life lesson. When things aren’t going the way you expect them to go, you can change them.”
Fahy felt that one of the biggest keys to this year’s success was the willingness of Madison’s athletes to play anywhere on the field. Each player patrolled a different spot depending on the situation. Fahy said that the versatility and selflessness of all 14 athletes on his roster proved crucial during Madison’s championship run.
“There were 14 kids on this team. All of them played different positions They all substituted for each other. It was a 14-person effort,” said Fahy. “We don’t have a pitcher, we don’t have a catcher. We have kids that pitch, kids that catch, and kids that play every position. That was true in practice and definitely in games. We had multiple people get us through it. They weren’t locked into one thing.”
After winning the District 9 title, Madison competed in the Section 3 Tournament at Elmridge Park in Rocky Hill last weekend. Madison took a 12-11 loss to Glastonbury in first game of the tournament on July 17 and was then eliminated with a 15-14 defeat against Waterford in its second contest the following day.
Despite those losses, Madison still went on a magical journey this summer. Coach Fahy is hoping that his team’s success will encourage more girls to play softball in town. Fahy feels ecstatic about what Madison achieved, and he wants as many people as possible to get a chance to experience that feeling.
“The nice thing about Madison softball is that there are a lot of kids interested in playing. With some success in the tournament, I hope more girls will be interested in the sport. It really is a great sport,” Fahy said. “If we can continue to grow the sport and have more kids play at younger ages, it will be great for Madison softball. It should be a sport that we grow. The winning is nice, but it’s great having all these kids participate.”