The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Cromwell to face Coventry in final
MERIDEN — It is never easy beating a team three times in a season. When the task becomes four, the odds start going against you.
Having lost to North Branford three time already this season, including the Shoreline Conference tournament, Cromwell had a different mindset. That mindset produced five runs in the first three innings as the 11thseeded Panthers rolled to a 9-0 victory over No. 2 North Branford in a Class S semifinal contest at Dunn Sports Complex in Meriden Monday afternoon.
Cromwell, which defeated North Branford in last year’s Class S final, will look to repeat as the Panthers will play topseeded Coventry, a 2-0 winner over fourth-seeded Shepaug Monday, in the championship game at the University of Connecticut Saturday at a time to be determined.
“We had nothing to lose,” Cromwell coach Angelo Morello said after his team improved to 18-8. “Over there is a team that won 24 games and is in our conference. I have all the respect for that program and what Nic (Delizio) has done, but our girls are not afraid of anybody even though our record was 17-8.
“Our schedule got us ready for today. From where we were in March to where we are now is a credit to the girls. They come to work every day.”
North Branford, the eighttime defending Shoreline Conference champion, was held to just four hits in the game by Cromwell pitcher Lily Kenney.
“It was tough,” North Branford coach Nicolas Delizio said after his team finished the year 24-2. “Lily Kenney is a phenomenal pitcher. She proved herself. To try and beat her four times in a season and playing a team four times in a season is very difficult, especially a team of that
caliber who has been here before with a pitcher like Lily putting them on her back. They made some great plays. They made the plays when they counted.”
The Panthers — who lost 2-0 twice in the regular season and then 7-4 in 13 innings in the Shoreline Conference semifinals — made it known things were going to be different right from the start with a 1-0 first inning lead as Victoria Wiatrak singled to left to score Kenney, who had led off with a double.
“Victoria has done that since her freshman year,” Morello said of Wiatrak. “No moment is ever too big for that young lady.
She delivered again today.”
After the Thunderbirds stranded a runner on second in the second, Cromwell broke the game open with four runs in the third for a 5-0 advantage.
Kenney again started the rally with a walk and Grace McFarlin reached on an error. Wiatrak doubled to score them both 3-0 advantage.
“It was extremely important,” Wiatrak said of building an early lead. “Starting it in the beginning was huge. The mistakes we made in the (last) North Branford game, we went back and we practiced them. We perfected them here.”
Cromwell made it 5-0 on Alyssa Brodeur’s two-run single, coring Wiatrak and Malena Signorello.
“When you get up early, especially in these games, you can build that momentum,” Delizio said. “You can definitely put more pressure on the team that needs to score. They got up early on us. We tried to battle back and get runners on, but we just couldn’t get runners on. You have to score runs to win.”
North Branford stranded Adriana Hills in scoring position in the third, before the Panthers took complete control of the game in the fourth.
With the bases loaded, Annika Peters, Brodeur, and Alyssa DeLucco all drew walks off North Branford starting pitcher Kiley Mullins, before a single by Sabrina Pereira scored the final Cromwell run of the inning for a 9-0 advantage.
Alexa Falcioni led off the sixth with a single, but Kenney retired the final six North Branford batters to help Cromwell return to the championship game.
“It feels amazing,” Wiatrak said of playing in the championship game. “Being in the state championship two years in a row is amazing. We want the second ring.”
Kenney finished with a fourhitter, striking out 10, and not walking a batter. McFarlin and Wiatrak each finished with two hits for Cromwell.
Player of the game Victoria Wiatrak
— The Cromwell catcher called a brilliant game behind the plate as North Branford finished with
just four hits. The junior also had two hits and drove in three runs to help Cromwell return to the state title game.
Quotable
“It is unbelievable. To get it with this group is special. We started this tournament, and I asked them if they had a fivegame winning streak in them. When you have a kid in the circle like (Lily) Kenney, you have a chance. We have a chance on Saturday.” — Cromwell coach Angelo Morello
Cromwell 9, North Branford 0
CROMWELL ....................... 104 400 0 — 9 7 0 NORTH BRANFORD ......... 000 000 0 — 0 4 2 C: Lily Kenney (W) and Victoria Wiatrak; N: Kiley Mullins (L), Lauren Vitarisi (5) and Adriana Hills; 2B: (C ) Lily Kenney (1), Victoria Wiatrak (1), Alyssa Brodeur (1). Records: C 18-8. NB 24-2