By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – The Bristol Central softball program will take centerstage for last time in 2022 in the CIAC Class LL championship game against Southington on Friday from DeLuca Field in Stratford.
And you better believe that fifth ranked Central ready for its collision course against the second rated Knights.
The first two games the Rams played against Southington this season did not go in favor of the locals but it will be a brand-new day come Friday night in Stratford.
This contest, pitting the Central Connecticut Conference foes against one another, is going to be epic and here’s a little sampling of the 2022 Class LL title clash:
Class LL Finals – No. 2 Southington (26-1) versus No. 5 Bristol Central (22-4)
Location: DeLuca Field, Stratford
When: Friday, June 10
Time: 7 p.m.
The Series: The Knights defeated the Rams twice this season, etching up an 8-0 victory against the Central on May 18. One week later, in a CCC Tournament showdown, Southington nabbed a 13-1 triumph over the Rams.
Championship history – Southington: The Knights, remarkably, always seem to be in the Class LL title hunt. Southington has garnered 19 Class LL championships as the Knights have won five of the last eight Class LL titles. Southington took the last two championship games and in 2021, the Knights defeated Fairfield Ludlowe (4-3) for its 19th title. A win against Central gives the Southington program its 20th state title.
Championship history – Bristol Central: The Rams are playing in their sixth title game, winning its one and only championship back in 1985 behind the stellar pitching of Kim Corbin. Central finished the season at 20-2 and were crowned Class L champs.
Road to the Finals (Southington): The Knights played a schedule few scholastic softball teams in the state could rival.
Southington always puts together a very tough non-conference slate, falling to just Masuk this season (6-0). Masuk defeated Bristol Eastern (3-0) to get to Class L’s final round.
The Knights later won the CCC Tournament championship and opened Class LL play as the No. 2 seed.
Southington spun No. 31 Wilbur Cross (22-0) in first round action and then blanked No. 18 Norwalk (10-0) in second round play on June 1.
Then on June 3, No. 10 Maloney hung in against Southington but still lost, 6-2.
And in the huge challenge against No. 3 Fairfield Ludlowe, the Knights had a big fourth inning to eventually seize a 7-3 victory – setting up the confrontation against the Rams.
Road to the Finals (Bristol Central): Do you think the Rams are ready for this challenge?
It’s been a clean sweep to this point of the postseason for Central.
After a stellar 17-3 regular season, the Rams went 1-1 in CCC Tournament play (losing to Southington in the semifinal round) and then went undefeated all the way to the final game of the Class LL bracket.
Starting with a 6-0 pounding of No. 28 Wilton in first round play, the Rams then endured a three-day marathon against No. 12 Cheshire (3-1) which was completed last Friday to advance in the Class LL bracket.
From there, the Rams flipped No. 13 Trumbull (6-2) in the quarterfinals on Saturday and then from DeLuca Field on Monday, No. 5 Central upended top-seeded Danbury (4-1) to earn a title tilt against Southington.
Head Coaches
Southington – Davina Hernandez (a former Bristol Central shortstop, multiple titles as the coach of the Knights’ outstanding program).
Bristol Central – Monica Hayes (in her first ever championship game as head coach of the Central squad. She has over 90 career victories as coach of the BCHS softball program).
Division
It’s an All CCC Final – a rematch of the programs from the Class LL title game back on June 12, 2004. Southington hung on to win that game, 2-0.
The GameTimeCT Top 10 Softball Poll Rankings
Danbury – In the last poll from May 31, Southington was ranked fourth at 22-1 – before the CIAC Class LL Tournament commenced. Defeating Ludlowe (7-3) in the semifinals might see the Knights nab the No. 1 slot at the end of the season. Of course, Central stands in the way of that lofty endeavor.
Bristol Central – Central is going to be ranked in the top-10 by the time things are said and done, win or lose. The Rams have earned that respect and never got their due all season long in that shoreline publication.
