North Haven Softball Loses to Masuk in Class L Semifinals
The North Haven softball team saw its remarkable 2019 run come to a close when the Indians took an 8-4 loss against Masuk in the semifinals of the Class L State Tournament last week. North Haven, which was the No. 3 seed in the tournament, finished its season with an overall record of 22-4 after losing to No. 2 seed Masuk at DeLuca Field in Stratford on June 4.
Masuk broke open a scoreless game by scoring eight runs in the fourth inning against the Indians. North Haven scored two runs in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh to make 8-4, but the Panthers held on for the win to advance to the final. Masuk (25-1) went on to win its second-consecutive Class L state title by posting 2-0 victory over East Haven in the championship game.
North Haven and Masuk were locked in a scoreless tie through three innings when the teams met up in the Class L semis. As usual, the Indians sent senior Lauren Card to the mound, while Masuk had senior Samantha Schiebe in the circle. After Scheibe pitched a scoreless top of the fourth, the Panthers put together a huge inning in the bottom half of the frame by plating eight runs to take an 8-0 advantage.
Masuk sent 13 batters to the plate to score eight runs during the decisive fourth inning. The Panthers scored three-straight runs by beating out grounders on fielder’s choices. Later in the inning, Masuk used a two-run double to extend its lead to 6-0. The Panthers added two more runs later in the inning to make it 8-0.
North Haven began its bid for a comeback by scoring a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning to cut the deficit to 8-2. The Indians kept plugging away and made it an 8-4 game by plating two more runs in the top of the seventh. With two on and two out, Schiebe retired the last batter of the game to secure the win for Masuk and send the Panthers to the Class L final.
North Haven had earned the No. 3 seed in the Class L State Tournament by notching a record of 18-2 during regular-season play this spring. The Indians won their third division title in a row by claiming the SCC Housatonic Division crown with a record of 7-1. As the top seed in the Southern Connecticut Conference Tournament, North Haven earned victories over No. 8 Sacred Heart Academy (8-0) and No. 4 Law (11-3) to advance to the final, where the Indians dropped a 3-2 decision in eight innings against No. 2 seed Cheshire at West Haven High School.
In the Class L bracket, 3rd-seeded North Haven had a bye through the first round and then won two games on its home turf in order to each the semis. The Indians started off the tournament by claiming an 11-2 victory versus No. 14 seed Rockville in a second-round matchup. After that, North Haven posted an 8-0 shutout over No. 6 seed Maloney in the quarterfinal round.