By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – The Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern softball teams played a spirited third inning on Friday afternoon as the two programs met for the first time this season.
But the rest of the showdown was a tit-for-tat stalemate before that third tilt came and went.
The Lancers grabbed a 1-0 push midway through the frame but the Rams countered, notching three straight runs, as Central held off pesky Eastern by a 3-1 final from the softball field at BCHS.
The Rams (9-2) needed just one hit during that fateful third stanza because walks and errors did-in the Lancers (5-7) as Central made its run to seize ultimate control of the CCC South confrontation.
And those two gaffes ended up costing Eastern in the end.
“In our two losses, I think that the teams capitalized on our mistakes and we didn’t capitalize on the opponents enough,” said Central coach Monica Hayes. “And this time, we flipped the script. We made one error, they capitalized. But then we came back and obviously took advantage of their miscues and came out on top.”
Those miscues didn’t derail Eastern pitcher Ali Tellier as she allowed just a couple hits, struck out 10, and walked just three over six full innings of work.
“I think the errors just did it,” said Tellier of the loss. “Central’s a good team for sure. They know how to move on the bases. But for us, just a couple missed throws really just gave them a couple runs.”
Central started Sophia Torreso (one run, eight Ks, one walk) in the circle and she gave the Lancers fits through three-plus innings.
And when Eastern got to Torreso a bit to open the fourth, Alex Sciarretto took over, scattering two hits while fanning a half-dozen batters to ice the game.
“I felt good today,” said Sciarretto. “I threw yesterday [against Windsor]. I didn’t feel as good but coming in today, knowing that I can help my team, just made me feel a lot better.”
Eastern’s Jazmyn Browne opened the game with a single up the middle and when Sam Policki attempted to bunt the runner over, everyone ended up safe off an error.
But Torreso struck out the side from there to get out of the jam.
It was still scoreless in the second when Central’s Leah Sklenka dropped in a loud double that nearly escaped the fence in centerfield.
“Leah Sklenka was huge. Leah in the first two innings, whenever she was on base, she got a couple hits,” said Hayes. “She got on base. She worked a great at-bat. Sophia had a couple good at-bats. Sam [Sklenka] got some bunts down. I thought we were really effective on the basepaths today.”
Tellier then walked Sciarretto to put two on with no one out but those runners never advanced home as two bunts were fielded to third base for big putouts to end the second stanza.
“Eastern made a bunch of plays,” said Hayes. “It could have been a 4-1, 5-1 game but they threw a bunch of people out at third base with some forces and I thought they executed very well defensively.”
With one gone in the third, Browne beat out an infield hit to shortstop but the ball was thrown out of bounds – giving the runner second base.
And Policki brought Browne home on her single to right at the Kingstreeters built up a 1-0 edge.
“I think once we started getting going, it was honestly really good and we started working as a team,” said Eastern’s Janessa Gonzalez. “But we should have just repped it up a little bit more offensively and hit more people in and I think that’s where we kind of went wrong…just [getting] the one scoring run.”
On the flip side, Central scooped up the lead for good in the bottom of the third.
With one out, Sam Sklenka bunted on safely while Lorelei Stancavage and Torreso each drew base-on-balls to load the bases up.
Then Leah Sklenka dropped a grounder to shortstop, allowing Sam Sklenka to score from third, to tie things up at 1-1.
The ball was thrown to second as Eastern was looking for a fielder’s choice but it bounced into the outfield as Stancavage came home to give Central a 2-1 lead.
Finally, Sciarretto struck out but on the throw over to second, the ball got away again, scoring Torreso, as the Rams’ edge reached 3-1.
To open the fourth, Serafin singled to left and Alex Shorette’s fly to right was dropped as Eastern had two on without the benefit of an out.
Hayes then made a change in the circle, sending out Sciarretto to pitch, and she struck out two and got Emily Valentine to bounce out as the Rams were holding firm at 3-1.
“As far as the team aspect is concerned, it’s really beneficial to have ace in the hole anytime we’re in trouble or threatened or whatever,” said Hayes of her two star pitchers. “It was a short leash with Sophia today but I didn’t want to take any chances. I thought she pitched well. But I thought at times, she was struggling getting ahead of batters. I had to pull the plug.”
“I think Alex came in and complimented her very well today, especially the second and third time through the line-up. I didn’t think [Eastern] would be able to catch-up with her.”
Tellier retired the final 11 batters she faced, getting a huge diving put out by Gonzalez at the dish, to hold Central to just the three runs.
Eastern had late chances to score as Gonzalez nabbed a two-out single in the fifth, Shorette reached on an error in the sixth, and Tellier added a late hit in the seventh.
But in the end, none of those players scored, Sciarretto came through with the victory as the Rams won it from home, 3-1.
Eastern is still looking for its first road win of the season and will have to wait until next week to earn it.
“It’s coming,” said Tellier of Eastern’s first road win. “Next week…”
NOTES…And, in what could be a first for the Bristol Central softball program, the team will be playing six times this coming week – with games starting on Monday going all the way to Saturday, all from home. On Monday at 3:45 p.m., CCC Interdivisional challenger Edwin O. Smith comes to town and will probably spend all its remaining gas/bus money to get from Storrs to Bristol…If the Rams can run the table, winning all six games, Central would be 15-2 to end the week. There are certainly big possibilities with tournament time looming for the locals.
Bristol City Series Softball – CCC South Showdown
BRISTOL CENTRAL 3, BRISTOL EASTERN 1
from the softball field at Bristol Central High School
Bristol Eastern (5-7) 001 000 0 – 1 6 2
Bristol Central (9-2) 003 000 x – 3 2 4
WP: Alex Sciarretto (Bristol Central); LP: Ali Tellier (Bristol Eastern).
Bristol Eastern Batting
2B – None
3B – None
HR – None
Bristol Central Batting
2B – Leah Sklenka
3B – None
HR – None
Records: Bristol Central 9-2; Bristol Eastern 5-7
