By Michael Letendre

STRATFORD – The Bristol Central softball program certainly had a banner year despite being stopped by powerful Southington in the Class LL finals on June 10 from Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field in Stratford.

The Rams dropped a tough 13-1 decision but that ultimate ending couldn’t dampen a tremendous campaign as Central finished the season as one of the best programs in the state.

Going 22-5 overall was a testament to all the hard work those talented athletes put into their craft and nearly turned the 2022 campaign into a championship season.

But a runner-up trophy was a great addition to the bounty of awards that are displayed in the hallways at BCHS.

“We lost a game but we had a positive attitude coming into this game,” said Central head coach Monica Hayes after the Southington showdown. “We were playing well coming into this game, clicking on all cylinders. We just didn’t have it.”

“It was more of what Southington did as opposed to what we didn’t do in the first four innings.”

The tournament had its ups and downs but led by its trio of CCC South All-Conference players, pitcher Alex Sciarretto, catcher Lorelei Stancavage, and pitcher – and CHSCA All-Stater – Sophia Torreso, Central became the talk of the town.

Torreso and Sciarretto had amazing postseason runs from the circle.

The duo combined to fend off Cheshire over a three-day marathon while Torreso had 12 strikeouts in the Class LL semifinal bout against top-ranked Danbury.

And there was Stancavage, making all the tough catches for her battery mates and was just phenomenal behind the plate all season long.

At the top of the batting order for the Rams, spunky Kaley Laird, Sam Sklenka, Stancavage, and Leah Sklenka were batters that opponents simply couldn’t ignore.

That group was adept at small ball and could generate hits all around the park.

Torreso found more success in the five-spot of the batting order, Mya Porrini was never an easy out and Sciarretto – moving down the line-up later in the season – made gains towards the bottom of the order.

Sarah Romano and Adrianna Lubrico were good eighth and ninth batters, respectively, while Ryleigh Hall (right field) and Gabby Buonafede (third base) helped the program defensely.

On the mound, Torreso tallied over 140 strikeouts and Sciarretto’s K count was right around triple figures.

Their combined ERA’s – if turned into cash – couldn’t buy a decent fast food cheeseburger.  

“I’m really proud of these girls and couldn’t ask them to give any more than they did,” said Hayes of the season. “I think they represented Bristol Central well throughout this tournament run.”

The squad made the finals for the first time since 2005 and it was a long time coming.

Central ended the postseason at 4-2 with losses to the Blue Knights in both the CCC and Class Tournaments.

Frankly, every team besides Masuk of Monroe lost to Southington this year but a 22-win campaign was nothing to sneeze at and with most of the team coming back in 2023, another run to the finals could be in order.

At the completion of the postseason, Central said goodbye to its senior class of Morgyn Perkins, Sarah Romano, Ryleigh Hall, and Gabby Buonafede – a grouping that helped support the team and provided experience and leadership over what turned into a rollercoaster of a four-year ride – going from a cancelled season as sophomores to a state tournament championship game to finish out their senior campaign.

“That group, they’ve been through a lot,” said Hayes of her outgoing seniors. “Their freshman year, some of those kids started. Sophomore year, [there was] no season.”

The pandemic wiped out the 2020 campaign – doing no one any good – as springtime scholastic sports were wiped out.

However, that core finally got back on the field as juniors in 2021 but were missing a season’s worth of games and experience.

“Junior year, some of those juniors didn’t play,” said Hayes. “So our class of juniors now played over them and they came back this year. I thought they set a good example and they knew exactly how this program is run. I think that they set good examples of what Bristol Central softball means and what we represent.”

“It’s always tough to say goodbye to the seniors. There’s some really good kids and I’m going to miss them for sure. They’re excellent people.”

Bristol Central’s 2022 Class LL State Tournament Run

Round 1: Defeated Wilton 6-0 on May 31

Round 2: Spun Cheshire, 3-1, over three days of fun

Quarterfinals: Beat Trumbull 6-2

Semifinals: Dropped Danbury 4-1

Class LL Finals: Lost to Southington 13-1 (6)