Ludlowe knocks off Masuk, ends Panthers’ win streak

FAIRFIELD — On opening day of the CIAC softball season took place on Saturday, and one team pulled off something that hadn’t been done since 2019.

No. 5 Fairfield Ludlowe defeated No. 1 Masuk 2-0, dealing the Panthers their first loss since 2019 and ending their 36game winning streak.

The alst time Ludlowe took the field, it lost on the final pitch of the Class LL state tournament. But with only three players gone from that team, the Falcons look set up for another run.

“The mindset was that (Masuk has) literally been the best team in the state since I started coaching around 10 years ago,” Ludlowe coach Lou Bunosso said. “We thought somebody had to end our 36-game winning streak, why not let it be us?”

Sophomore Alex Lewey earned the win on the mound, pitching 42⁄3 innings. She allowed five hits and two walks, and struck out three.

Junior Anna Gedacht earned the save, allowing one hit and striking out one in the final 21⁄3 innings.

“Anna has been battling back from a back injury for over a year now,” Bunosso said. “We are confident in both of them, and we have a recipe that has worked for the last year-and-a-half, and we will continue doing that.”

Ludlowe made a name for itself with a potent offense a year ago, and while two runs may seem not seem like much, only twice last season did a team score two runs off Masuk ace Kat Gallant.

“We knew that we were going to face one of the best pitchers in league and we had nothing to lose,” Ludlowe junior first baseman Ellie Gallagi said. “We played hard, we were aggressive at the plate and we backed each other up. We played together and that’s what we do.”

Gallagi went 2-for-3, driving in the Ludlowe’s first run on a single in the second inning.

“I was just going with the flow, I wasn’t thinking about getting a hit,” Gallagi said. “I was just thinking what I can do to get my teammates to score, I was feeling it.”

In the third, Ludlowe scored its second added its lone insurance run on an RBI double by junior third baseman Katie Tournas.

The outlook seemed bleak for Ludlowe at the beginning of the game, when All-State honorable mention and Yale committed shortstop Elena Ohe was hit by a pitch on the wrist and forced out of the game.

“It is a big loss, I would say that also had a lot to do with our win here,” Bunosso said. “The girls basically played that whole game for her. In my estimation, she is a top five shortstop in the state, so losing her right off the bat was a big blow, but we recovered and are hoping for the best.”

Musuk, which has been the been the top-ranked team since 2018, has a losing record for the first season since 2015. That season, the Panthers also lost to Ludlowe on opening day.

“We are going to face adversity throughout the season, we have a lot of tough competition,” Masuk coach Leigh Barone said. “I think these kinds of situations are just going to make us better for when it matters.”

Gallant, last year’s GameTimeCT All-State MVP, suffered the first loss of her career.

Gallant threw six innings, allowing six hits, two earned runs, and one walk. She struck out 11 batters and had two of her team’s six hits at the plate.