By Michael Letendre

BRISTOL – After a stellar regular season campaign by Bristol Central softball junior pitcher Alex Sciarretto, which included the Rams taking a trip to the Class LL championship against Southington, her journey was not yet complete.

In fact, the tremendous student-athlete hit the road to decide her collegiate future.

That trek brought Sciarretto to a school in Easton, Massachusetts and she quickly fell in love with Stonehill College.

And recently via Twitter, she made her collegiate decision official.

“I am proud to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Stonehill College playing Division 1 softball,” said Sciarretto via Twitter. “I can’t thank my coach’s, family, and friends enough for everything!”

It was an exciting announcement and her scholastic coach, Monica Hayes, couldn’t have been happier with Sciarretto’s decision.

“Fantastic news,” said the Bristol Central softball account on Twitter. “Congratulations, Alex! You’ve put in many hours to create this opportunity for yourself, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for you!”

It’s an exciting time for Stonehill as well as the institution – a mainstay in NCAA Division II Athletics and the Northeast-10 – is about to move up to D-I level.

The Skyhawks will be linking up with the Northeast Conference which includes programs from Central Connecticut State University and Sacred Heart – meaning local trips to see Sciarretto strut her stuff on the field.

The righty is a force in the circle and is a quality third baseman as well.

Along with teammate Sophia Torreso, the duo gave Central an outstanding 1-2 punch that rivaled any pitching staff in the state – leading the Rams to a 22-5 record.

Sciarretto impressed throughout the campaign, whether starting or coming out of the bullpen to help Central out of a jam. 

Change-ups and rise balls are pitches she likes to throw as the back-to-back CCC South All-Conference pick pitched 82 innings in 2022.

Sciarretto scooped up a half-dozen shoutouts and pitched a perfect game against Lewis Mills back on May 11.

She completely shut down Mills over a 17-0 romp as the chucker did not allow a hit or walk over five whirlwind frames.

Sciarretto struck out eight over the no-no while carrying an ERA of 0.85 in regular season action.

She fanned 114 batters but also performed well from the dish.

Sciarretto belted out two home runs and settled in nicely towards the middle of the batting order over the second half of the regular season.

Stonehill went 15-23 in 2022 under first year head coach Ali Maloof, a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University.

And by the time Sciarretto brings her talents up to Stonehill, she’ll be ready to help the program take another step deeper into Division I play.

It’s time to Stop & Shop…

By a chance meeting, TBE was able to catch up with Sciarretto at the Forestville Stop & Shop and chatted about her outstanding collegiate decision:

Michael Letendre, TBE: “You’ve made your collegiate plans by choosing Stonehill College. How exciting is it that you’ve finally made your ultimate decision?”

Alex Sciarretto: “Well, it’s really cool for me and it’s nice to be able to enjoy my senior year without the stress of being recruited. I really like the school. It’s really a good fit for me. I like the coach. I love the atmosphere there. I think it’s going to be a really fun four years for me.”

Letendre: “How cool is it that you’re going to be able to get a degree and also play a little softball along the way?”

Sciarretto: “It’s great that I’m going to be able to play the sport that I love and also learn at the same time. I’m looking to study nursing and it’s really a good fit as well.”

Letendre: “It Stonehill far enough away from home for you?”

Sciarretto: “I was looking for a little farther, but I love the school. I just fell I love with the school, and I fell in love with the coach so two hours is not that bad.”

Letendre: “Off Central’s Class LL finals appearance, should we be expecting some big things out of the softball program this coming season?”

Sciarretto: “Yes, definitely. I think we’ll definitely make it as far [as last season] if not all the way.”

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