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05/26/2022 12:00 AMFor the first time in school history, the East Haven softball team has won the Southern Connecticut Conference Tournament. When they enter the Class L State Tournament this week, the Yellowjackets will have another opportunity to make history as this year’s team is just one win away from breaking the program record for victories in a season.
Top-seeded East Haven took on No. 2 seed Jonathan Law in the championship game of the SCC Tournament at West Haven High School on May 25. The game marked the first time that either team had reached the SCC final. The Easties trailed 1-0 after the top of the fourth inning before scoring 6 unanswered runs to claim a 6-1 victory that secured the conference crown, improved their overall record to 21-2, and increased the team’s winning streak to 13-straight games heading into states.
Head Coach Ed Crisafi knew that the Yellowjackets would be in a for a battle versus Jonathan Law. However, with senior captain Emilee Bishop on the mound, Crisafi felt confident that East Haven could get the job done. Bishop delivered a gem by a pitching a 3-hitter with 7 strikeouts to help the Easties defeat the Eagles for the SCC title.
“Both teams were 20-2. Both teams were in the SCC final for the first time. We knew they were going to be just as hungry as we were,” Coach Crisafi said. “But if Emilee was Emilee, I knew we would be OK. Nothing fazes this team. We knew we were going to be ready. They were pumped.”
The Yellowjackets had earned wins versus Shelton (2-0) and West Haven (9-4) in their first two games of SCCs to advance to their matchup with Law in the final. East Haven and Law were scoreless through the first three innings before the Eagles got on the board with a run in the top of the fourth.
The Yellowjackets came back with two runs in the bottom half of the frame. Senior captain Jilien Ayala led off with a double before being bunted over to third by freshman Lexi Heaphy. Junior Lily Gagnon then dropped down a bunt that scored Ayala with the tying run. Later in the inning, with runners on first and second, junior Adrianna Franceshi laid down a bunt that brought home fellow junior Arielle Dupree to give East Haven a 2-1 lead after four.
The Yellowjackets broke the game open by scoring four runs during the fifth inning. Senior captain Lena Barthel led off with a single, after which Bishop was hit by a pitch and Ayala walked to load the bases. Heaphy hit a sacrifice fly to bring home the Easties’ third run, followed by a Gagnon squeeze bunt that brought in Bishop to make it 4-1. Dupree followed that up with a bunt that scored a run for a 5-1 lead. Gagnon later crossed the plate on a passed ball for a 6-1 advantage through five innings.
From there, the Yellowjackets relied on their excellent pitching and defense to finish out the victory, winning the contest by a 6-1 score to bring the conference title back to East Haven. The Easties had won the Class L state title back in 2015, but this marks their first SCC championship in program history, including the team’s 28 seasons with Crisafi as the skipper.
Coach Crisafi noted that East Haven has won 72 percent of its games over the past 10 years, posting a record of 171-68 in that span. As he watched this year’s team celebrate its victory while receiving a flood of congratulatory texts and calls, Crisafi felt proud that the Yellowjackets have earned the right to be recognized as one of Connecticut’s elite teams.
“The superintendent and the principal were there supporting us. I got so many texts and calls congratulating us,” said Crisafi, whose career record is 343-247. “We feel that we’re up there with some of the best in the state. We’re a tough out. We’re tough to play against. It’s a nice feeling knowing that the program is like that now.”
Putting their trust in Bishop paid off in a major way for the Yellowjackets in the conference final. After allowing just 3 hits and 1 walk to go with 7 K’s in the game, Bishop was presented with the Danni Kemp Most Outstanding Player Award for the SCC Tournament. The senior captain was also named the SCC Player of the Year after earning All-SCC First Team honors alongside Barthel. Ayala made the All-SCC Second Team for East Haven. Crisafi was selected as the SCC Coach of the Year.
With Bishop, Coach Crisafi knows that the Yellowjackets have a pitcher they can count on every time she takes the mound. Thus far this season, Bishop has a record of 18-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 125 innings. She’s allowed just 90 hits and limited opponents to a .203 batting average. After watching right-hander get better and better with each passing season, Crisafi said that Bishop has all the potential to continue being a standout pitcher at the collegiate level.
“We know with her on the mound, if we score two or three runs, we’re going to have a great chance to win,” Crisafi said. “She has the perfect composition to be a big-time pitcher. It has been a joy watching her pitch and an even bigger joy coaching her.”
East Haven had to go through Shelton and West Haven in the first two rounds of the SCC bracket in order to make it to the final. The Yellowjackets started off the tournament by posting a 2-0 home victory over No. 8 Shelton in a quarterfinal game on May 23.
Bishop hit a home run in the third inning to give the Yellowjackets an early lead. Ayala followed with a double and then scored on a base bit by Heaphy to make it 2-0. Those two runs were all that East Haven needed as Bishop tossed a complete-game shutout in which she gave up just 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6.
The very next day, the Easties hosted No. 4 seed West Haven in the semifinals and defeated the Blue Devils by a 9-1 score. The Yellowjackets got off to a hot start by plating 6 runs in the first inning. They added 1 run the fourth and 2 more runs in the fifth to win the game convincingly and advance to the final.
Ayala had 3 hits including a double with 2 RBI to pace the Easties’ offense. Barthel and Bishop both had 2 hits and 2 runs scored, while Bishop had a pair of stolen bases. Sophomore Gianna Fowler hit a double, and freshman Gianna Santoro had two RBI as part of a 12-hit performance from the Yellowjackets. Bishop allowed just 5 hits on the mound, walking 3 and striking out 11 in a complete-game effort.
Coach Crisafi said that East Haven has prided itself on strong pitching, solid fielding, and clutch hitting throughout this season. While playing three games in three days, the Yellowjackets excelled in every area on their way to capturing the SCC championship.
“We did the three things you have to do to be a great team—great pitching, great defense, and timely hitting. We did all three,” said Crisafi said. “We’re making great plays, we’re getting great pitching, and we have had timely hitting. It’s going to make us a tough out in the states.”
With its record of 21-2, East Haven needs just one more victory to break the school record for wins in a season—a mark held by both the 1984 Class LL state champion team and the 2013 team. The Yellowjackets will have a chance to break that record when they begin play in the Class L State Tournament this week.
After winning the SCC title, the Easties went to John & Maria’s to celebrate their victory with some pizza at a team dinner. Coach Crisafi said that moments like those are what set his team apart. Along with their efforts on the field, the 2022 Yellowjackets are a tight-knit bunch whose bonds go far beyond the diamond. Crisafi feels elated that the East Haven softball team has made history this year, but said that this would be one of his favorite clubs to coach no matter what the team’s record is.
“This team is a little bit more savvy, a little bit more together. The dugout is always loud, always cheering each other on. It’s just a close-knit group,” Crisafi said. “They all get along. They all like each other. They do all the little things. They practice hard. They’re a joy to coach. It has given me the most pleasure to coach this team. Take away the 21-2, and it would still be the same.”
The East Haven softball team’s roster features senior captains Emilee Bishop, Lena Barthel, and Jilien Ayala; juniors Lily Gagnon, Arielle Dupree, Callie Capotorto, Adriana Franceschi, Gianna Bernovich, and Autumn Clancy; sophomores Miranda Consiglio and Gianna Fowler; and freshmen Gianna Santoro, Bella Jackowicz, Lexi Heaphy, and Hailey Cooper.
Head Coach Ed Crisafi’s coaching staff includes Associate Head Coach Jeff Crisafi, along with assistant coaches Jenna Gaudioso-Crisafi, Erika D’Amore, and Talia Loda.