New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
’Jackets sting Tigers
East Haven posts shutout victory behind Heaphy
EAST HAVEN — Over the first five innings, East Haven had plenty of chances to put runs on the board, but just couldn’t get a clutch hit off Mercy ace lefthander Alexa Boone.
After leaving eight runners on base, the Yellowjackets finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth inning with a pair of runs to defeat the Tigers 2-0 in a Southern Connecticut Conference softball game Monday afternoon.
“I’m really happy with the way we’ve been playing,” East Haven coach Ed Crisafi said. “We’ve been hitting the ball, playing great defense and pitching well.”
East Haven (15-2), ranked fifth in the latest GametimeCT.com state poll, got its rally started when Kayla Rosario walked and Adriana Franceschi laid down a perfect bunt to put runners on first and second. After a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, Jillen Ayala lined a hard ground ball that handcuffed Mercy shortstop Ashley DeLuca for an error as Rosario scored. Winning pitcher Tori Heaphy followed with an infield single that DeLuca couldn’t make a play on as Franceschi scored an insurance run.
“It’s definitely less pressure off my shoulders with that insurance run,” Heaphy said. “But I still went into the seventh inning with a 0-0 mindset.”
And she was nearly untouchable for East Haven. She retired 14 of the 21 batters via the strikeout variety. She also dodged a bullet in the top of the sixth inning, but was helped out by her defense. Heaphy hasn’t allowed an earned run in 27 consecutive innings.
After striking out the first two Mercy hitters in the sixth, Boone singled and Ashley followed with a line drive double down the left field line that went to the outfield fence. East Haven leftfielder Ayala hit third baseman Rosario with a perfect throw. Rosario turned and nailed the runner at the plate by six feet to keep things scoreless.
“The third baseman turned the wrong
way, but she has such a cannon of an arm,” Crisafi said. “That’s what good teams do — make the plays you’re supposed to.”
Mercy coach Tony Calcagni didn’t second guess himself after the game for sending the runner.
“It was the right call,” Calcagni said. “They are a tough team to score on and it was a bang bang play. If there was one out, maybe not, but with two outs, I had to send the runner.”
Other than that inning, Heaphy didn’t allow a runner past second base and she retired the side in order four times.
East Haven left runners in scoring position in the second and third inning and had the bases loaded in the fifth inning but didn’t score until the sixth inning.
Mercy fell to 11-5 with the loss.
“We have five kids who are playing their first high school season. We put this together with bailing wire and chewing gum, but the kids really work hard and they are a great bunch of kids. That’s what high school sports are really about.”