By Michael Letendre
It’s here, the final four teams left in the Class L softball bracket in 2023.
And the challenge for No. 2 ranked Bristol Central is No. 3 Jonathan Law while No. 4 Masuk – last season’s champs – takes a crack against No. 9 Ellington, a 1-0 upset winner over No. 1 North Haven.
It’s a doubleheader on Monday with the Masuk/Ellington tilt scheduled for 4 p.m. with Central/Law commencing at 7 p.m.
Let’s look at the second matchup on Monday, pitting the Rams against the lawless team from Law:
No. 2 Bristol Central vs. No. 3 Jonathan Law
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: West Haven High School
What’s on the line: A slot in the Class L championship showdown on Saturday in Storrs.
Records: Central is a slick 23-3 while Law checks in at 21-3.
What to Know about Jonathan Law: Law is legit, defeating No. 6 Rockville 12-0 last Friday and absolutely dropping the hammer on Alexis Real (11 hits, six earned runs) as the squad is a tremendous hitting program.
Mady Bull pitched a no-hitter against Rockville, completely shutting down the offense.
The mercy rule came into play and the sophomore chucker is as talented as they come.
Bull is truly a bull on the mound as Law of Milford is in the semifinal round for the first time in five years.
She fanned nine batters over that huge effort.
Bull can also belt the ball over the field as well as Hailey Oliver, Nicolina Salanto, Talia Salanto and Elizabeth Roos.
This team can flat out hit the ball, can and will steal bases and take advantage of every error.
Since losing to Amity in conference tournament play, the Lawmen have not yielded a run in the postseason.
After a first round bye, Law spun Brookfield 3-0 on May 31 and two days later, Rockville fell by 12 runs.
The Lawmen are coached by Melaine Blue.
What to Know about Bristol Central: This will be a tough test but since Central is the higher seed, the locals will enjoy home field over the remainder of its postseason journey.
Very bluntly, is there a better pitcher in Class L than Sophia Torreso?
The All-Stater has been there and done that over a brilliant three-year career, helping the squad over its first two state tournament games with 14 strikeouts against Pomperaug and another seven in the 4-3 come-from-behind win over tough St. Joseph on Friday.
Those 21 Ks are an amazing ledger and even as the competition gets better, the crafty Torreso – and the five pitches she can dish out – makes an outing at the plate a tough endeavor, strikeout or not.
Locals continue to marvel at the way Central head Coach Monica Hayes has been able to mix and match Central’s youth along with its veteran core of four seniors strong (Kaley Laird, Lorelei Stancavage, Adriana Lubrico and Torreso).
A freshman group that includes Tori Hogan, Emma Kulak and Lillian VanNostrand played major chucks of the season for the program over second half play and those contributions have not gone unnoticed.
And give Hayes credit for making the right moves in terms of the lineup between the contests against Pomperaug and St. Joseph.
VanNostrand moved from fifth to second in the batting order against St. Josephs, producing two hits and a walk.
Sierra Messier was inserted into the eighth spot and had a critical RBI single and both those moves paid off handsomely.
And against the Cadets, Central batters two through four roped up four hits, scored a couple runs, and drew two walks.
That group combined to bat .400 against St. Josephs and its wheelhouse most opponents would like to avoid throwing to.
Who will win: Why take my word for it?
West Haven isn’t that far away from the Mum City.
If you enjoy scholastic competition, if you want to see a couple All-Staters from Bristol strut their stuff, there’s only one place to be on Monday night.
Come out and cheer on the Rams.
