The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Seymour continues to enjoy stellar season, offense remains hot
Not only did Seymour keep its place as the top team in the GameTimeCT/ Register Top 10 Softball Poll with a 4-0 week, but its latest win was the biggest of the season by far.
The Wildcats won the rematch of last year’s NVL final with an exclamation point, using their scorching bats in a 15-9 win over rival Holy Cross on Saturday. It was a test Seymour passed despite yielding eight runs in one inning.
A rare hiccup that included six walks in the second by ace Jenna Geffert allowed the Crusaders to plate four runs, and another four tied the game at 8-8. But the Wildcats turned to junior Molly Adamo, who settled the game down as the hits just kept coming for her offense.
“I feel pretty good,” coach Ken Pereiras said. “Adamo came in and did the job for us, and Jenna usually does a good job; I’m happy with our hitting, we hit the ball pretty well.”
A strong leadoff hitter is the best catalyst to a strong lineup, something the Wildcats possess in the understatement of the century with senior Becca Johnson. After her perfect day at the plate against Holy Cross (4-for-4 with a walk and two doubles), the Colgate-bound Johnson is batting .889 so far this season.
“It’s a lot of responsibility, obviously, but it’s a nice responsibility to have,” Johnson said. “I try my best to get on and do what the team needs me to do.”
Freshman Morgan Teodosio is also off to an equally absurd start at the plate, hitting .739 with 20 runs batted in. She smacked two home runs and drove in six in the win over the Crusaders.
A predominantly juniorladen lineup has the Wildcats in position to claim a third straight conference crown.
“Next week we go to Oxford and Wolcott comes to our place, and they’re both quality teams,” Pereiras said. “I expect those to be good games; we play our schedule, but I’d love to play in these kind of battles every game.”
Also in the NVL, Naugatuck pulled off a rare feat of sweeping a doubleheader against two different schools, both on the road. First, the Greyhound bus boarded to Kennedy, where Alyssa Roberts and Julia Pellicia each had three hits in a 16-0, five-inning win. Then Naugatuck claimed a 9-2 win at Watertown; Roberts pitched complete games in both, allowing a combined nine hits.
The sweep improved Naugatuck’s record to 6-2.
TITLE HOPEFULS
Sitting just outside of the top five is Griswold, a team that’s won 35 straight regular-season games dating back to the end of the 2016 season. A 9-0 start — that included wins over NFA and ND-Fairfield — with a young roster has coach Rick Arremony excited about the direction his team is heading.
“We’re relatively young,” Arremony said of his team that has just two seniors. “From my upperclassmen I’m getting what I expect, but with my underclassmen I’m getting way more than I expected. There are players who didn’t see a lot of time as freshmen but have come along quite nicely.”
Maya Waldron is the team’s primary pitcher, a job she’s had since the start of last season. Sophomores Julia Janca and Sarah Aviles are thriving with increased roles. Junior outfielder Kaitlyn Davis — who is committed to Quinnipiac — is also off to a good start, Arremony said.
Griswold reached the Class M quarterfinal the last two seasons, where it fell to North Branford (2017) and St. Joseph (2016). The Wolverines are out for their first state championship since 2003.