CIAC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CAPSULES
All games at DeLuca Field, Stratford
Tickets: $10 / $5 students, senior citizens. Online purchase only.
WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m.
CLASS LL
WHO: No. 6 Bristol Central (22-4) vs No. 2 Southington (26-1)
ON THE AIR/WEB: NFHS Network (subscription)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Bristol Central: Def. Wilton 6-0, Cheshire 3-1, Trumbull 6-2, Danbury 4-1; Southington: Def. Wilbur Cross 22-0, Norwalk 10-0, Maloney 6-2, Ludlowe 7-3.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Bristol Central: 6th appearance, won 1985 Class L title over Windham. Southington: 25th appearance, has won back-to-back Class LL titles over NFA and Ludlowe.
KEY PLAYERS: Bristol Central: Sophia Torreso, Jr. (1.66 ERA, 138 Ks in 67.1 IP), Alex Sciarretto, Jr. (1.55 ERA), 94Ks in 67.2 IP), Leah Sklenka, So. (.448/.493/.612, 17 RBIs, 15 runs); Southington: Sam Rogers, Jr. (Has gone 6-for-11 with seven RBIs, four runs and a home run in the tournament), Ashlyn Desaulniers, Sr. (Has gone 6-for-9, scoring eight times with three RBIs and four walks), Sam Sullivan, Sr. (Has gone 3for-8 with seven RBIs in the tournament while pitching 13 innings allowing one earned run on eight with 17 strikeouts).
OUTLOOK: Southington returns to the Class LL championship for the third year in a row, looking for its third straight title and 20th in program history against a familiar opponent in Bristol Central. The teams have met twice this year. Southington won the first matchup 8-0 towards the end of the regular season and proceeded to defeat the Rams 13-1 in five innings during the CCC tournament. Southington has outscored opponents 45-5 in four tournament games and is the clear favorite in this one. Bristol Central will have to keep the Southington bats in check, as when they last played Southington’s Ashlyn Desaulniers homered twice and Sam Rogers also went deep. Sophia Torreso (who threw a complete game in the Class LL semifinal victory over Danbury) and Alex Sciarretto will need to be on top of their game to contain the Blue Knights.
THE PICK: Southington
WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m.
CLASS L
WHO: No. 7 Waterford (22-4) vs No. 1 Masuk (22-1)
ON THE AIR/WEB: NFHS Network (subscription)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Waterford: Def. Bullard Havens 20-0, Ledyard 6-2, Waterford 6-1, Avon 8-0; Masuk: Def. North Haven 4-0, St. Joseph 2-1, Bristol Eastern 3-0.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Waterford: 11th appearance, won 2019 Class M title over Seymour. Masuk: 10th appearance, has won back-to-back-to-back Class L titles over Brookfield, East Haven and St. Joseph.
KEY PLAYERS: Waterford: Maddie Burrows, Sr. (.544/.667/ 1.139 with 10 homeruns, 38 RBIs, 45 runs and 34 stolen bases and 1.68 ERA, 144Ks in 91.1 IP), Emma Marelli Sr. (.405/.485/ .667 with three homeruns, 23 RBIs and 36 runs), Anna Donahue Sr, (.405/.467/.734 with two home runs, 34 RBIs and 27 runs); Masuk: Kat Gallant, Sr. (0.69 ERA, 279Ks in 132.2 IP and slashing .488/.516/.756 with five home runs and 34 RBIs), Natalie Lieto, So. (.471/.536/1.011 with 12 home runs, 27 RBIs and 37 runs), Isabelle Viglione, Jr. (.390/.446/.731 with five homeruns, 24 RBIs and 26 runs).
OUTLOOK: In their last career high school game, Villanova commits Kat Gallant and Maddie Burrows will go head-tohead. Both have won a title on the mound before, with Burrows winning in 2019 and Gallant in 2021. Masuk is looking to win its fourth straight title and has not lost a game since opening day. Gallant has only allowed one run in three tournament games. She also hit a walk-off double in the quarterfinal to defeat St. Joseph. Burrows is coming off a no-hitter in an 8-0 semifinal win over Avon and has allowed just two runs in 15 tournament innings. This championship matchup between two of the strongest programs in recent history will also carry bragging rights into the next chapter of both All-State player’s college careers together.
THE PICK: Masuk
THE PICK: Woodland
CLASS M
WHO: No. 6 Oxford (23-4) vs No. 1 Woodland (26-0)
WHEN: Saturday, 12 p.m.
ON THE AIR/WEB: NFHS Network (subscription)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Oxford: Def. Ansonia 12-0, Lauralton Hall 7-0, Haddam-Killingworth 3-0, Seymour 8-2; Woodland: Def. Plainville 15-1, Wolcott 2-0, Watertown 5-2.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Oxford: 3rd appearance, won 2015 Class M title over St. Joseph. Woodland: 2nd appearance, has never won a state championship.
KEY PLAYERS: Oxford: Shay Webb, So. (Pitched Oxford to the final, has allowed just two runs in the tournament), Lindsey Buinauskas, So. (hit two home runs in the semifinal victory over Seymour); Woodland: Riley Kane, Sr. (0.33 ERA with 93Ks in 64.2 IP AND slashing .517/.542/.820), Sam Sosnovich, Jr. (1.32 ERA, 138Ks in 74 IP AND slashing .473/.510/.989 with eight homeruns), Kylie Bulinski, Sr. (.617/.660/1.272 with 12 homeruns), Cassidy Doiron, Sr. (.577/.630/.936 with seven homeruns).
OUTLOOK: The Class M championship will be a rematch of the NVL title game, which Woodland won 9-6 over Oxford. Woodland has only lost one game in the last two years and is the favorite to win its first title in program history. Oxford has been to a state championship twice and has won both times, but in three matchups this season Woodland has defeated the Wolverines 11-0, 8-3, and 9-6. The Hawks have only scored seven runs in the last two games, a surprisingly low number considering its prolific offense, but Riley Kane and Sam Sosnovich have only allowed three runs in the tournament. Oxford will look to retain its perfect championship record, but as Seymour coach Ken Pereiras said, “Woodland is just loaded. They have good pitching, they play defense well and they hit. My opinion is Woodland just has too much.”
CLASS S
WHO: No. 15 North Branford (20-7) vs No. 1 Cromwell (22-3)
WHEN: Saturday, 3 p.m.
ON THE AIR/WEB: NFHS Network (subscription)
HOW THEY GOT HERE: North Branford: Wolcott Tech 12-0, Civic Leadership 22-0, Shepaug 9-2, Coventry 4-2; Cromwell: Def. East Windsor 12-0, Hale Ray 10-0, Old Lyme 3-1.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: North Branford: 4th appearance, has not won a state title. Cromwell: 1st state title appearance.
KEY PLAYERS: North Branford: Lexi Falcioni, Fr. (.383/.474/ .617 with 34 runs), Lindsey Onofrio, So. (.360/.469/.640 with 24 RBIs and 30 runs), Natalia Lucibello, So. (.333/.433/.617 with four home runs, 32 RBIs and 29 runs), Kiley Mullins, So. (2.39 ERA, 175 Ks in 152.1 IP); Cromwell: Lily Kenney, Jr. (0.59 ERA with 217 Ks in 138.2 IP AND slashing .463/.538/.775 with five home runs, 40 RBIs and 31 runs), Jamie Anderson, Sr. (.565/.622/.659 with 15 RBIs and 41 runs), Malena Signorello, Jr. (.408/.448/.803 with 17 extra base hits and 29 RBIs),
OUTLOOK: Like the Class LL and M tournaments, the Class S final will be played between two teams from the same conference. North Branford won the Shoreline tournament while Cromwell finished the regular season with the best record in the conference. Cromwell won both meetings this season, winning 2-0 in game four of the season and 4-0 in the final regular season game. Cromwell junior ace Lily Kenney has shutout North Branford twice, allowing just six hits while striking out 25 over 14 innings. North Branford freshman Alexa Falcioni is 3-for-6 against Kenney this season while the rest of the lineup has struggled. Kiley Mullins pitched the first game for North Branford and allowed two runs while striking out 10. Sophomore Gabriella Senerchia pitched in the second game, allowing four runs while striking out nine. Either way, North Branford has seen Kenney more than Cromwell has seen either Mullins or Senerchia. All hints point to a low-scoring affair between Shoreline rivals.
THE PICK: Cromwell
— Will Aldam