The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
East Haven softball team holds on to beat Stamford
Yellowjackets down Knights in slugfest with familiar feel
EAST HAVEN — In their first meeting, Stamford and East Haven combined for 28 runs in an East Haven victory. Fast forward two weeks and the hits and results were just about the same.
Led by three hits apiece from Julia SanGiovanni and Kayla Rosario, East Haven held on for a 14-10 victory over Stamford in a FCIAC-SCC contest at East Haven High on Saturday.
The Yellowjackets held a 12-2 lead heading into the fifth inning before Stamford strung together 10 straight hits to get within two runs. East Haven coach Ed Crisafi relieved starting pitcher Selena Mauro with junior Taylor Myers and Myers used a strikeout and pop out to end the threat.
“We are not playing clean defense,” Crisafi said. “It was a replica of the first game we played against them. I think we were up 15-3 and we held on to beat them, 18-10. Today, they had the tying run at the plate with one of their best hitters up. Taylor (Myers) did a nice job in relief.”
East Haven restored order by scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth for a four-run advantage.
Rebecca Flynn started the sixth inning rally by reaching on an error and moved to second on a sacrifice. After a walk to Brianna Carrano and a stolen base put two in scoring position, Rosario hit a two-out single to score Flynn. A wild pitch by Stamford’s Jordan Rossi plated another run for the final margin of victory.
“We have been hitting the ball a lot,” Crisafi said. “We have a lot of young kids out there with three freshmen and two sophomores.”
The game, which appeared to be a runaway through four innings, turned interesting in the fifth as Stamford’s first out came on the bases after 10 straight hits.
Gloria Mattioli singled in the first run of the frame and when Dana Serrichio had her second hit of the inning to knock in Rossi and Brycelin Stalteri, Stamford was within two at 12-10.
“The girls did not give up,” Stamford coach Melissa Giordano said. “If you came to the game late, you would not even have known what the score was. They kept playing hard and stepped up to the challenge.”
East Haven (5-3) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Mauro led off with a double and SanGiovanni singled. A sacrifice fly to right by Jessica Stettinger scored Mauro, before Flynn drove in SanGiovanni with a sacrifice fly to left.
SanGiovanni’s single to right in the second scored Jillian Hay for a 3-0 lead, before Stamford got two back in the third.
“For us, it has been one of two things this year,” SanGiovanni said. “We either start too strong and then we relax, or we do not start strong enough and we have to build up to it. We have to work on our defense more. We have to make the plays.”
Kate Hogan led off Stamford’s third inning with a walk and scored two outs later on Amy Covino’s homer to left.
The hitting continued as East Haven answered in the bottom half with three more runs for a 6-2 lead.
Flynn led off with a homer, before Carrano, Victoria Heapy, and Rosario singled with one out to load the bases. Hay walked to force in a run, and SanGiovanni reached on an error with two outs to score Rosario.
“I am just going up there thinking see it and drive it,” SanGiovanni said. “I started the season in a little bit of a slump, but I am a little more relaxed up there.”
The Yellowjackets seemingly put the game away with six runs in the fourth inning as they loaded the bases without the benefit of a hit on two walks and a hit batter.
Rosario’s single scored Flynn, Mauro’s two-out single plated Brooke Clancy and Heapy, SanGiovanni’s single scored Rosario, and both Stettinger and Flynn walked with the bases loaded to plate two more runs.
Serrichio led Stamford with three hits and two RBIs, while Mattioli, Covino, Alissa Lauture, Morgan Yacavone, Stalteri, and Hogan all added two hits apiece in a 17-hit attack.