WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Freshman right fielder Hailey Laforte (Milford, Conn./Foran) drove in three runs to lead the New Haven softball team in a Sunday afternoon sweep of the Pace Setters as the Chargers close out the regular season with a 25-5 overall record and a 20-4 mark in the Northeast-10 Southwest Division.
Laforte drove in both of the Chargers runs in the second game on Sunday as the Blue and Gold earned a 2-1 victory after securing a 6-1 decision in the opening game. The rookie right fielder closed out the day with two hits, the second of which was an RBI single to right field that drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning in game two. She also reached base twice on a walk.
Leading New Haven at the plate overall was junior pitcher Ava Fitzmaurice (Greenville, N.Y./Greenville) who combined for four total hits, one of which went for extra bases. He four hits were part of 13 total for New Haven across the two games as she was joined by Ellie Frederick (Sunapee, N.H./Sunapee) in helping lead the Chargers as the leftfielder added three hits in five at bats and drove in one run.
In addition to the three RBI from Laforte, junior Mya Case (Syracuse, N.Y/West Genessee) drove in two runs, while five different players accounted for the eight RBI on the day. Four of New Haven 13 hits went for extra bases, all doubles with Fitzmaurice, Frederick, Case and junior Nahtali Simpson (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) all notching an extra base hit.
In the circle, Fitzmaurice earned the victory in both games, throwing a complete game in the opener and pitching the final three innings in game two. Overall for the day, she threw nine innings and allowed a single earned run on eight hits. She also struck out five batters. Junior Mia Iodice (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional) opened game two for New Haven, surrendering a single run on three hits in five innings of work.
GAME 1: New Haven 6, Pace 1
All of New Haven's scoring in the opening game came in the first inning as the sent 11 batters to the plate and closed out the frame with six runs on two hits and left a pair of runners in scoring position. In addition to the two hits, the Chargers had the advantage of five six passes, five walks and a hit batter that all accounted for the first four runs in the inning. On those free passes, Jovanna Hillman (Seymour, Conn./Saint Joseph), Frederick and Ashley Veisz (Robbinsville,N.J./Robbinsville) all earned RBIs.
With the bases loaded and a new pitcher in the game, Case came back to the plate as the order turned over to the top as she drilled a single to left field that drove in the final two runs in the inning. On the flip side, the Setters plated their lone run in the third inning using a trio of hits in that frame. With two outs in the books, the number two and three hitters for Pace went back-to-back with singles, the first of which drove in the lone run with Isabelle Boudreau registering the RBI.
Fitzmaurice would surrender hits in all but two innings, the second and the most important being the seventh when she earned her 17th victory by retiring the Setters in order.
GAME 2: New Haven 2, Pace 1
After three-and-a-half scoreless innings, New Haven broke the scoring drought for either team by plating an unearned run in the fourth inning. The rally started with Hillman reaching on a one-out error at third base. Hillman would advance two bases on a double by Frederick that found its way to the base of the fence in left center. A groundout by Laforte on the next at bat allowed Hillman to score from third without a play at the plate.
After stranding a runner in scoring position in the top of the fifth, the Setters broke through in the top fo the sixth when the third baseman Kaylani Miller led off the frame with a single to right but was able to advance to third when the ball got past the right fielder. After a pitching change and a strikeout, Miller scored on a dropped infield pop-up, knotting the score at one.
New Haven wasn't going to let this stalemate last long, putting together a series of three-straight singles in the bottom of the sixth to take the slim 2-1 lead. With one out recorded in the inning, Hillman started the rally with a single to right center. With the speedy pinch runner Stephanie Smith (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Catholic) entering for Hillman, Frederick drilled a line drive single back at the pitcher that hit off her shin, putting Smith in scoring position. She was then able to score from second on a single to right field that hit off the tip of the glove of the right fielder's outstretched arm.
The Chargers would end up stranding the bases loaded in that inning but it wouldn't matter as Laforte came through on defense in the top of the seventh. With a leadoff single for the Setters starting things off, the visiting team used a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt to put the runner in scoring position. The next batter, a pinch hitter by way of Alexandra Monteleone drilled a high fly ball to shallow right field a few feet inside of the right field line. After corralling the catch, Laforte fired to third on the run with her strike to Veisz catching the runner trying to advance with time to spare on the tag out.
NEXT UP
New Haven will await the bracket announcement by the Northeast-10 Conference which is scheduled for later this evening. The 2021 NE10 Softball Championship is scheduled to begin on Tuesday with first round divisional match-ups taking place. The single elimination games will be hosted by the second, third and fourth seeded teams with the winners advancing to a single elimination divisional semifinal on Thursday.
