By Michael Letendre 

BRISTOL – After soundly defeating Plainville 13-1 on Wednesday afternoon, what would the encore be for the Bristol Central softball team on the road against Pomperaug to end the week? 

How about another no-hitter by senior standout Sophia Torreso? 

Well, that’s exactly what happened when the Rams showed up at Pomperaug on Friday as Torreso slammed the door shut on the non-conference opponent. 

Another no-no by Torreso led Central to a slick 8-0 shutout of Pomperaug as the Rams are now a perfect 5-0 on the campaign. 

Torreso tallied 19 strikeouts over another amazing performance, collecting 37 Ks over her past two games. 

Over those two contests, she hasn’t allowed a single hit. 

That’s 37 strikeouts and zero hits against Middletown and Pomperaug. 

Offensively, Sam Sklenka, Desiree Nickerson and Kaley Laird led the charge against the Panthers. 

Total Team Effort 

On both sides of the ball, no matter who is on the field or at the plate, everyone has a hand in the fast start for Central. 

“That’s what we’ve been focusing on, the team softball and that aspect and trying to get a lot of people involved,” said Central coach Monica Hayes. “We have a lot of versatility and that’s a good problem to have as coaches would say.” 

Throw in the likes of right fielder Leah Sklenka batting third in the order, the two future Division I pitchers slotted in around the clean-up position, along with Stancavage batting sixth, and it’s a potent line-up that opens with Laird and Sam Sklenka at the 1-2. 

Nickerson is a talented sophomore who supports the bottom third of the line-up along with freshman Lilly VanNostrand and sophomore Mya Porrini. 

There’s plenty of talent on the Central bench which Hayes could easily slot into the batting order. 

“It’s challenging to make a line-up but it’s also fun to see what they can do,” said Hayes.  

Learning Tree 

This team is stacked with talent from top to bottom between freshman and senior classes. 

And that senior leadership is off the charts. 

The first year and sophomore class, also featuring the likes of Tori Hogan and Emma Kulak, are learning, and gaining experience from some of the best local talent. 

Think about being able to watch the likes of Torreso (George Washington) and Alex Sciarretto (Stonehill) and learn from those tremendous student athletes. 

Those are two role models Hayes hopes the rest of her squad can emulate. 

But also taking something from Lorelei Stancavage, Laird at second base, or one of the Sklenka’s in the outfield would do any young athlete an invaluable service. 

Pitching and defense 

To date, behind the arms of Torreso and fellow senior Alex Sciarretto who is just as proficient in the circle as anyone in the state, Central has allowed just four runs all season for an average of 0.8 runs allowed per game. 

And after Newington notched two runs in Central’s 14-2 opening day onslaught, the locals have yielded only two runs over its last four games. 

Give plenty of credit to Stancavage behind the plate, helping to lead that senior pitching duo. 

Laird has a glove at second base, and we’ve seen the defense of Adrianna Lubrico at shortstop. 

Don’t forget the leader in centerfield Sam Sklenka, who is an expert at small ball from the plate, getting the job done on both sides of the dish. 

What about the offense?  

The defense is a given but offensively, Central has proven why it’s a top-five program in the state. 

Over the first five games, the Rams have piled up 55 runs (to just four on the flip side), leading to an average of 11.0 runs-per-game. 

Central ‘only’ scored seven runs in its 7-1 win at Rocky Hill on April 6 but with Sciarretto firing rockets from the circle, that seven-run tally looked more like 20. 

This week 

Central’s competition is in for a long week of action as April 17 rolls around. 

On Monday, the Rams travel to winless Hall and then host Enfield on Wednesday – both in CCC Interdivisional encounters. 

And then on Friday, Central battles Platt’s pitching stud Emily Hart on the road in Meriden. 

All games take place at 3:45 p.m. 

Down the road 

The schedule in May will challenge Central over the entire month. 

For instance, May 1 sees the Rams square off against Bristol Eastern and two days later, Central travels to Berlin (May 3). 

On Monday, May 8, Central tangles against Southington from the softball field at BCHS. 

Game time is set for 4:45 p.m. and could turn into the best regular season battle of the year. 

“We have a lot of big games coming up,” said Hayes. “Obviously, it’s going to get more and more challenging. I think our schedule is a little backloaded. We’re just building up to May and we’re going to play and focus on one day at a time.”