By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – Can an already crazy campaign by the Bristol Eastern softball team get any zanier in 2022?
It certainly could if the No. 21 ranked Lancers – the lowest remaining seed in the CIAC tournament this year – knocks off No. 1 Masuk of Monroe on Monday in a Class L semifinal showdown.
Eastern has already silenced its doubters with wins over Brookfield, Jonathan Law, and East Haven – all on the road – and can do the same by taking out the Panthers from a neutral site in West Haven.
And whether it was a strikeout by ace chucker Ali Tellier or a game-winning hit from Alex Shorette, the Lancers have the tools to give Masuk a real run.
The Panthers are looking for its fourth straight Class L title but will have to do so against a nothing-to-lose Eastern program.
The Kingstreeters could be on the cusp of returning to the Class L state tournament championship game for the first time since 2010 and here’s a quick look at Eastern’s showdown against No. 1 seeded Masuk:
Class L Semifinal – No. 1 Masuk (24-1) versus No. 21 Bristol Eastern (13-10)
Location: West Haven High School
When: Monday, June 6
Time: 4 p.m.
Road to the semis (Masuk): The top-ranked Panthers played just twice in the postseason after buzzing all the competition in regular season play and the SWC Tournament.
Masuk blanked No. 17 North Haven by a 4-0 final on June 1 and two days later, the Panthers held off No, 9 St. Joseph (2-1) to make back to the semifinal round.
Road to the semis (Bristol Eastern): The Lancers have been the surprise of state tournament play, taking out several superior challengers – in least in the seeding sense.
After taking out No. 12 Brookfield to open the Class Ls, Eastern upset No. 5 Law (5-4) on June 1 and two days later, late game heroics from the Lancers spun the bracket upside down again with a 9-7 win over No. 4 East Haven.
Let the upsets continue.
Head Coaches
Masuk – Leigh Barone
Bristol Eastern – Tyler Catlin (first season as Eastern’s head coach)
Division
Masuk – The Panthers compete in the SWC
Bristol Eastern – The Lancers are a proud member of the CCC
The GameTimeCT Top 10 Softball Poll Rankings
Masuk – In the last poll from May 31, Masuk was ranked second with a then record of 22-1.
Bristol Eastern – The Kingstreeters weren’t even in the ‘happy to get a vote’ category in the GameTimeCT poll but Eastern has proven to be a giant killer none-the-less without all the fanfare, accolades, and rankings.
What’s the Deal for the Lancers? Catlin told everyone that Eastern was going to be one of those the mid-level seeded programs that opponents did not want to play against in the Class L bracket.
That assessment was not only correct but a loud proclamation few teams heeded and when you don’t notice what’s in front of you, that’s when all sorts of tomfoolery takes place.
The wars of the CCC battle-tested the Lancers over a 20-game slate, and the rollercoaster of a regular season ride, has produced a 3-0 postseason ledger.
But it wasn’t any easy road.
At one point of the campaign, the Lancers were 5-7 off a winnable 3-1 setback at Bristol Central on May 6.
From there, the Kingstreeters have won eight of its last 11 games – outscoring opponents 19-13 in postseason play.
Eastern’s senior core of six players strong – Sarah Sneaker, Alex Shorette, Sam Policki, Grace D’Amato and the outstanding battery of catcher Janessa Gonzalez and pitcher All Tellier – have been the driving force behind this postseason run.
Tellier is not only pitching the Lancers to wins but also hitting well at the plate.
Several of the runs she given up during postseason play have been of the unearned variety and Tellier is simply throwing strikes.
And how many more game-winning hits is Shorette going to serve up in postseason action?
Her play in centerfield has been noteworthy as well.
Every Eastern player has contributed to this amazing run as Ashely Serafin, Tellier, and Shorette have been smashing out home runs in the postseason.
Round-trippers have been in large supply at Eastern this year and that’s the danger opposing pitchers must deal with daily against Eastern.
D’Amato, Emily Valentine, Grace and Jazmyn Brown, and even Hailey Beebe have contributed to this season’s amazing run.
Frankly, this Eastern program has been nothing less than resilient over this three-game stretch of postseason games.
Don’t forget, Eastern led 4-0 over East Haven, eventually saw the showdown tied up at 7-7 before Shorette’s game-winning hit and Tellier’s eighth inning heroics sealed the deal.
What’s the Deal for the Panthers? Eastern has not played a team like Masuk in either regular or postseason play.
The Panthers have won four straight Class L championships for a reason.
The team just recently wrapped up the SWC title by defeating Brookfield 12-0 (beating Brookfield is something both Class L semifinalists have in common).
Masuk, since opening the season with a loss to Fairfield Ludlowe, has won 24 straight games coming into Monday’s showdown.
The Panthers have done just enough to advance in postseason play in terms of scoring, netting only six runs, but allowing just one on the flip side.
That defense is partially due to pitcher Kat Gallant whose has been simply tremendous this year.
Helping Masuk to its fifth straight conference title this season, Gallant allowed just four hits over 21 innings of work in SWC Tourney play – going 3-0 overall while fanning 40 batters and allowing just one unearned run over that stretch.
She’s tallied over 500 strikeouts and the Villanova bound senior is going to give Eastern batters fits at the dish.
Gallant’s partner on the other side of the battery, Izzy Viglione, has home run power from the plate while Natalie Lieto can also hit the ball all over the park.
Final Thoughts
Yes, it’s acknowledged that Masuk is one of the premier programs in the state of Connecticut – hands down.
But the Lancers have been playing with house money and have already taken out two opponents in the top-10 poll – collecting all the rewards that have come with it.
It’s going to be an epic challenge to top Masuk but underestimating what the Kingstreeters have accomplished this year could be costly.
The scholastic sport of softball is alive and well in the city of Bristol in the year 2022 and Eastern is a big part of that success.
