Softball, baseball bumped out
The West Haven baseball team traveled to Southington on Tuesday afternoon to take on the #9 seeded Blue Knights. After the Knights took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, the Westies were looking to get even in the top of the second and it looked like they would when, with a runner on Nick Flammia launched a long drive to left but it was hauled in at the base of the wall for a long out to end the inning.
The Blue Devils pulled within one run in the fourth inning when Sean Jefferson reached on an error, Ty Reeves singled and then John Cambino singled to score Jefferson to make it 2-1. The Knights reestablished their two-run lead in the bottom of the inning for a 3-1 lead.
The Westies stranded two runners in the top of the fifth inning but then came up with a huge rally in the sixth inning. Nick Flammia doubled with one out and then John Cambino singled to bring in Flammia to cut the lead to 3-2. Brett Gradoia and Mike Vitolo followed with singles to load the bases. Mario Kiaunis then singled to score Cambino and knot the game at 3-3 before an infield single by Dom Cambino gave the Westies a 4-3 lead.
The Knights responded quickly in the bottom of the sixth. Southington loaded the bases with no outs before the Westies were able to turn a double play but a run scored to even the game 4-4. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, the Knights were not done. Southington would score three, more runs to grab a 7-4 lead.
Heading to the last inning, the boys needed another rally to keep their season going. When Ty Reeves led off the inning slicing a drive past a diving Knights’ right-fielder, Reeves legged out a triple to give the Westies hope. Reeves would score when Nick Flammia grounded out to second but that would be as close as the Devils would get in a 7-5 loss, ending their season.
The softball team opened its CIAC playoffs with a trip to visit the Norwalk Bears on Tuesday afternoon. The Westies took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Kristal Rivas singled to score Veronica Lynn. The Blue Devils tacked on three, more runs in the third inning when Kailey Carrano doubled, Makenna White walked and Ivy Santos singled to load the bases. Rivas singled to score Carrano and Dianesse Rodriguez singled to score two runs for a 4-0 lead.
The Bears chipped away at the lead, scoring one in the bottom of the third and another in the fifth inning to make it 4-2. The Blue Devils got a run back in the top of the sixth with a Makenna White double to score Kailey Carrano, who reached on a singled. Then the Westies sealed the game with another run in the seventh when Ivy Santos doubled and Sadie Roberts tripled to score Santos and give the girls a 6-3 victory and send them to Norwich on Wednesday. Santos pitched a complete game, allowing three runs on eight hits to get the win.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Westies ran into the No.
1-seeded Norwich Free Academy Wildcats. After the Wildcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, Ivy Santos settled down to get through the next two innings. The fourth inning was a different story though as the Wildcats got seven runs to open up a 9-0 lead.
That was more than enough for the top-seeded Wildcats as their pitcher was tossing a perfect game into the fifth inning and finished just giving up three hits. Kristal Rivas broke up the perfect game with a single in the fifth and then Sadie Roberts singled but that is where the rally ended. Kailey Carrano would get the Westies’ other hit in the seventh inning. Santos pitched 5 1/3 innings taking the loss while Kasey Marron pitched the final 1 2/3 allowing one hit. The young Westies finished their season with a 15-8 record.