By Michael Letendre

BRISTOL – Pitching and defense has led the Bristol Central softball team on the doorstep of a Class LL championship game.

And when the Rams turn to its small-ball attack, opponents are quickly overwhelmed.

That’s exactly what happened on Saturday afternoon as No. 5 Central advanced to the semifinals of the Class LL bracket with a 6-2 triumph over No. 13 Trumbull from the softball field at BCHS.

The win sets up a showdown between the Rams and the topped ranked Danbury (23-2) in a semifinal round extravaganza on Monday afternoon from Deluca Field in Stratford at 4 p.m.

The winner of that contest squares off against the winner of No. 2 Southington versus No. 3 Fairfield Ludlowe for the Class LL championship.

“It feels amazing,” said pitcher Alex Sciarretto of the win. “Our team, they’ve really come together. My coach was just saying how the strikeouts have been less and less and the defense has really picked up its game. I feel really confident in my defense this year.”

Sciarretto was sensational, allowing just two runs off four hits, striking out six while allowing just one free pass.

Central’s defense was stellar, playing error free ball while offensively, the locals bunted when needed, ran the bases well, and cashed in when runners were on base.

The Rams ended up notching five runs over the second and third frames to seize ultimate control of the game.

With one away in the bottom of the first, Sam Sklenka laid down a picture-perfect bunt that no one could field while Lorelei Stancavage bunted the runner into scoring position.

It was the start of small ball that the Rams rode throughout the game.

“I’m really proud because that was what we’ve tried to do all season long,” said Central coach Monica Hayes of the small ball. “We’ve improved so much and it showed today. The payoff was today. We got a lot of small ball efficiency and execution. And we got a couple timely hits that were huge. It was difference in the game. I’m just so proud of them for having what we practice work out in the end for them.”

But Trumbull pitcher Becca Sexton struck out Leah Sklena as the showdown quickly moved into the second stanza of the scoreless stalemate.

It was six up and six down for Sciarretto as the chucker ended the second with Julia Telep looking at strike three.

The Rams jumped the Eagles in the bottom of the second to snare the lead for good.

Sophia Torreso earned a full-count leadoff walk and took second on a passed ball.

Mya Porrini then absolutely put down a perfect sacrifice bunt as Torreso easily made it to third.

And then Sciarretto, batting seventh in Central’s line-up, drained a deep infield hit behind second base – scoring Torreso in the process – as the RBI tally made it a 1-0 contest through two.

“After moving down [in the batting order], it kind of sucked but being able to pick myself back up and get hits when they’re needed has been very helpful,” said Sciarretto. 

Speaking of Sciarretto, she fanned the side in the third – generating four straight Ks – as Central’s 1-0 push was holding.

Then in Central’s portion of the third, the Rams scored four times to make it a 5-0 contest.

“[Former Central coach] Phil Pirog always said ‘go for the jugular’ and that’s essentially what we did today,” said Hayes. “We just made play, after play, after play defensively. Kids diving all over the place. I’m just so proud of them.”

To open the stanza, Kaley Laird hustled out a grounder to third base and Sam Sklenka drew four balls as Central had first and second without the benefit of an out.

And then with two gone, Torreso staged a little two-out rally.

She belted a single to centerfield and Laird tumbled over, under, and through home plate to score as it became a 2-0 game.

With Sierra Messier pinch running at first base, Mya Porrini unleashed a bomb to centerfield.

The ball just grazed the bottom of the fence in center, easily scoring Sam Sklenka and Messier later slid home safely – making it a 4-0 game.

Sarah Romano added to the Eagles’ misery as she out-ran an infield tally, scoring Porrini, and quickly, the scoreboard read 5-0 through three.

Trumbull’s Caroline Hall doubled to left for the program’s first hit in the fourth frame and after moving over to third on a groundout by Caroline Cummings, Maura Carbone launched a high fly to center.

Sam Sklenka made the catch and the throw-in to Stancavage at the plate just missed tagging out Hall as the Eagles were on the board but trailing 5-1.

And then Melanie DiFabio absolutely sliced a ball to left that Leah Sklenka made a spectacular diving catch on – scooping the ball as she tumbled to the grass for the final out, ending the half-inning.

“It was huge,” said Hayes of Sklenka’s diving catch. “Laying out [to get it] and this field is not easy with the wind and the sun, and she has to deal with the brunt of most of it in left field. And that was the validation of her making an excellent, excellent play after everything she’s battled through in left field this season and I was even more proud of her for that.”

Central got the run back off some crafty base running in the bottom of the fourth.

Laird started the frame with a single to left, was sacrificed to second by Sam Sklenka, and on a Stancavage groundout, the lead runner attempted to sprint towards third.

But Laird appeared to be interfered with on her way to the bag and was awarded the base.

From there, Leah Sklenka struck out but the ball was dropped.

Sklenka was never tagged on the passed ball K, arriving at first base safely and Laird snuck home – getting the run back – as Central’s cushion reached 6-1 through four.

To start the fifth, Sexton ran out an infield hit as Trumbull tried to put a crooked number on the scoreboard.

But three quick outs later, the Eagles still trailed by five as Sciarretto tossed a two-hitter to the point of the showdown.

Sexton settled down going into the fifth, scooping up four straight strikeouts, and even as Central was retired in order, the Eagles had some serious catching up to do – trailing by five as the sixth inning commenced.

Trumbull’s Olivia DiCocco opened things with a one-hopper to right as the visitors attempted to rally.

But two pop-ups later and a slick catch by Central’s Ryleigh Hall in right field, that 6-1 deficit loomed big.

Adrianna Lubrico stared Central’ssixth with an infield hit to short and two outs later, Sam Sklenka ran out another bunt to get on base.

She advanced to second and then third on a wild pitches but nothing came of it as the Eagles had to score five times to continue the showdown in the top of the seventh.

DiFabio walked to begin the final frame and pinch runner Ava Mullen eventually scored on a Telep single towards left centerfield as the Eagles trimmed the deficit to 6-2.

Sciarretto then struck out Jenna Duffy for the third time and after one final K, Central advanced to the semifinals off the four-run victory over the Eagles with No. 1 Danbury on tap.

“As our coach said, just go out there and give it our best shot,” said Sciarretto about Danbury. “We play as a team, we fight as a team, and we just need to stay together and not let [Danbury] and their record get in our heads.”

CIAC Softball, Class LL – Quarterfinal Round Showdown  

No. 5 BRISTOL CENTRAL 6, No. 13 TRUMBULL 2

from Casey Field, Bristol

Trumbull 000 100 0 – 2 4 1

Bristol Central 014 100 x – 6 8 0

WP – Alex Sciarretto (Bristol Central); LP – Becca Sexton (Trumbull)

Trumbull Batting 

2B – Caroline Hall

3B – None

HR – None

Bristol Central Batting 

2B – Mya Porrini

3B – None 

HR – None

Records: Bristol Central 21-4; Trumbull 18-6