Connecticut: St. Joe's, Westhill capture softball championships

STRATFORD, Conn. – Leading by two runs with one out and the tying runs on base in the fifth inning of the state Class M softball final, St. Joseph (Trumbull, Conn.) coach Jeff Babineau did the unthinkable. He pulled ace senior pitcher Micki Keltos from the game and went to his younger, less-experienced backup, junior Nikki Cote.

The move propelled the Cadets to a championship.

Cote fanned Lauralton Hall's (Milford, Conn.) top hitter, the University of Connecticut-bound Courtney Collins, for the second out and then got Mariel Schlaefer on a soft liner to second baseman Jenn Vazquez.

Lauralton Hall scored one more run in the sixth and had two runners on in the seventh, but Cote worked out of both jams as St. Joseph won the title, 3-2, on June 11, at Stratford’s Deluca Field.
The Cadets, seeded seventh in the tournament, were 23-4 this spring.

Babineau’s pitching move was key, as Keltos had been battling an illness during the postseason. With Keltos’ endurance understandably limited, Cote had been called into action more often.

“Micki has been a real teammate during this stretch,” Babineau told the Trumbull Times. “She was smart enough to come to us and tell her she was run down and to keep an eye on her. When she began to struggle, she gave me a nod and I saw it.

“Nikki came in and threw some gas on the corners, although from the bench I was trying to push the ball another two-miles per hour. She throws a two-seam fastball and has a very good curve. Lauralton has a quality program and made both our pitchers work.”

The Cadets had taken a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when Vasquez and Bridgette Bassett started the frame with singles. An infield error on a bunt led to the first run, and Taryn Figmac then laced a two-run single.

When Lauralton Hall scored once in the fifth and had the tying runs on Cote was called in to take down Collins.

The first pitch was a ball, but Cote then fired three consecutive strikes to get Collins and quickly retired Schlaefer for the final out of the fifth.

“I was going in to throw my hardest,” Cote said. “Getting that first strike was a big relief.”

In the sixth inning, Lauralton Hall scored on a single, an error and a sac fly, but again Cote escaped with the lead.

In the seventh, Lauralton put two runners on with one out, but Cote K’d the next batter and then fielded Becca Napolitano’s hard grounder to the mound and threw to first baseman Melissa Russell to end the game.

The softball championship was the fifth for St. Joseph and the first since the Cadets repeated in 2006 and 2007. St. Joseph was the runner-up last spring, falling to Seymour 1-0 in the final.

Lauralton Hall, the No. 8 seed, finished the year with a record of 20-5 and was the runner-up in the SWC tournament.

Vikings capture second State championship
After losing to the Trumbull Golden Eagles in the FCIAC title tilt, the Westhill (Stamford) Vikings weren’t about to settle for anything less than a State championship.

On Saturday, June 12, they accomplished that mission.

Allison Macari hit a two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the fifth to break a tie and send the Vikings on to the State Class LL title with a 4-2 victory over the Newtown Nighthawks at Stratford’s Deluca Field.

It was Westhill softball’s second State championship, the last coming in 1992. Westhill was also runner-up in 1977, 1991 and 1993.

Ace starting pitcher Jennifer Joseph, a senior right-hander, allowed just one earned run on four hits, walked none and struck out four en route to the win. She also retired 18 of the final 20 Nighthawks she faced.

Both teams scored twice in the first inning and the score remained tied through four frames.

In the decisive fifth inning, Westhill’s Elizabeth Joseph reached base on an error and went to second on a sac bunt by Tami Wise

An infield second put Julianne Vincent on base and she advanced to second on another error.

With two runners on and two outs, the sophomore Macari fouled off several pitches with two strikes before lining a base hit to centerfield, plating both runners for a 4-2 lead.

In the seventh, Newtown got its leadoff hitter on, but Joseph retired the next three batters to end the game. The final out was a fly ball to centerfielder Ali Souza.

Westhill finished the season with a record of 26-1, which included a 20-0 regular season.

Seeded second in the State tournament, the Vikings rolled to four straight wins, outscoring their opponents 26-6 along the way. After a first round bye, Westhill beat FCIAC rival Norwalk, 8-2, in the second round and shut out Bristol Central, 11-0, to reach the semifinals.

In the semis, Westhill defeated No. 3 Southington, 3-2, while No. 1 Newton beat No. 5 Simsbury, 1-0.

Newtown, the SWC champions, also finished the year with a 26-1 record.

Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com