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07/25/2022 10:39 AMThe North Haven softball team’s season wasn’t defined by wins and losses, but rather, by the Nighthawks’ will to compete and stay in every single contest no matter the score. Most of North Haven’s games ended in a close victory or a narrow defeat, but the team continually took away positives from each game as the season went along. By building their confidence, the Nighthawks finished the year with an overall record of 12-10, including an impressive victory over Rockville in the Class L State Tournament.
As her team headed into states, Head Coach Karen Castagnola knew that North Haven would have to travel a difficult road as the No. 17 seed in the tournament. In the end, the Nighthawks put up a great fight against both of their opponents, ultimately losing to Masuk in the second round. Coach Castagnola viewed both of North Haven’s states games as positives from the 2022 campaign.
“I think they gained more and more confidence as they went along. Making it into the State Tournament, I think we went into the tournament with a lot of confidence,”
Coach Castagnola said. “That first win in the State Tournament gave them much more confidence, and then the way we played against the No. 1 team in the state was just fantastic. It was great making the second round of the tournament, because that’s great experience for them.”
Coach Castagnola’s squad was matched up against No. 16 seed Rockville in the first round of the Class L State Tournament. There weren’t too many scoring opportunities in the game, but the Nighthawks cashed in on a couple of their chances and came away with a 3-1 victory in 8 innings.
Senior captain Caroline Toni and freshman Alyssa Ferriouolo both scored runs on wild pitches in the eighth inning after bunting to get on base. Junior Kayla Balisciano hit a single and a double in the win. Sophomore Gabby Blanchard pitched a complete game and kept Rockville’s batters in check for all 8 innings.
“That was a tough game. We were back-and-forth with them. Both teams played really tough defense. The hits came, and we took advantage of some of the mistakes they made,” said Castagnola. “We managed to pull it out in extra innings. We never gave up. This team doesn’t give up.”
The win launched the Nighthawks into a second-round matchup with top-seeded Masuk. Although North Haven lost the contest by a 4-0 score, Coach Castagnola still took away several positives from her club’s performance while facing an elite team in the state.
“I’m so proud of them. [Masuk’s] pitcher is going Division I, and we managed to get three hits off of her. We had one error. It’s true we didn’t score, but that was a tough team, and I thought they held their own,” Castagnola said. “I think that was a great last game. They have nothing to be upset about at all.”
The Nighthawks’ fight in the playoffs came on the heels of a solid regular season that featured two victories over one of the best teams in the SCC. North Haven handed Jonathan Law its only two regular-season losses this spring, the first of which was a 4-1 win against the Eagles on April 8. Blanchard pitched 5 scoreless innings and drove home 2 runs in the seventh inning to help North Haven get the win. Junior Maria Lockery had 2 hits with an RBI for the Nighthawks.
Just ahead of the postseason, the Nighthawks dealt Jonathan Law its second loss of the season by winning a 2-1 decision on May 22. Toni blasted a home run in the fifth inning to put the Nighthawks up for good in a big-time victory.
Coach Castagnola praised North Haven’s effort for sweeping its season series against a Law squad that reached the SCC final this year.
“I think the two highlights were beating Law. It gave them a ton of confidence and good experience, because we were a little on the inexperienced side coming in this year and being young,” said Castagnola. “We played right with them, and we played right with a lot of the teams this season. We were right up there with everybody.”
The Nighthawks found themselves battling in many tight contests during the season. Of the team’s 20 regular-season games, 9 were decided by 2 or less runs with North Haven coming out victorious in 4 of those contests.
After getting out to a strong start, North Haven hit a little speed bump by taking three-straight losses to East Haven, Hamden, and West Haven in early May. However, Coach Castagnola was pleased with how her team responded as North Haven won 3 of its last 4 games of the regular season, earning victories over Mercy (10-0), Lauralton Hall (13-12), and Law (2-1) to take some momentum into the playoffs.
“Our defense has always been pretty good, but we went into a little bit of a hitting slump,” Castagnola said. “We lost a couple games to people that we beat the first round. We came out of that and managed to make it into the State Tournament and play well.”
Leading the way for the Nighthawks as senior captains this year were Toni, Megan Cross, Anna Schepisi, and Jamie Swiatek. Toni posted a .333 batting average with 26 hits, including 3 home runs, to go with 25 runs scored and 14 RBI on the season. Toni earned a spot on the All-SCC First Team for her performance, marking her second-straight All-Conference selection.
Coach Castagnola appreciates everything that North Haven’s seniors did to assist the next wave of Nighthawks’ leaders. Castagnola said that the leadership of the captains helped North Haven compete at a high level throughout the season.
“They were good at giving confidence to the younger guys and getting them pumped up for the game. Not really were they ever negative towards anything. They were always upbeat and ready to go,” said Castagnola. “All four of them are a great group of kids, and they did anything I needed to be done on and off of the field. I relied on them heavily, and they did an unbelievable job.”
The Nighthawks received steady contributions from several of the team’s younger players, including sophomore pitchers Blanchard, Ninamarie DeMennato, and Reece Herbert. The trio provided a steady presence for the Nighthawks on the mound, and Coach Castagnola is looking forward to continue working with them.
Castagnola was highly impressed with the contributions of freshman Alyssa DiGiovanna this season. DiGiovanna recorded a .359 batting average with 23 hits, 18 runs scored, and 12 RBI on her way to making the All-SCC Second Team in her first year with the Nighthawks.
Following a season of intense matchups and close outcomes, Coach Castagnola feels confident that the North Haven softball program is continuing to travel in the right direction. With many people returning next year, Castagnola wants those players to use the 2022 season as a valuable experience and a stepping stone for even better success in 2023.
“We’re looking to hopefully win the league again. We didn’t win it this year, but I’m looking forward to trying to win next year,” Castagnola said. “We’ll be that much older with more experience, and they all play in the summer, which is great. Hopefully, we can improve on going further in the State Tournament.”
The athletes on the North Haven softball team for the 2022 season were senior captains Megan Cross, Anna Schepisi, Jamie Swiatek, and Caroline Toni; juniors Kayla Balisciano, Ava Ferriouolo, Juliana Galasso, Maria Lockery, and Mia O’Brien; sophomores Grace Battipaglia, Avery Berney, Gabby Blanchard, Izzy Blanchard, Ava Carlson, Ninamarie DeMennato, Reanna Fagan, and Reece Hebert; and freshmen Liliana Anderson, Alexandra Anquillare, Alexis Butler, Lana Cervero, Isabella Crouch, Alyssa DiGiovanna, Alyssa Ferriouolo, Makayla Mongillo, and Ava Shamett.