Pennyweights New Canaan White 10, TOGS New Canaan Red 10
Both the New Canaan Majors White and Red softball teams earned championship trophies this season. Contributed
On Saturday evening June 13, at Waveny Orchard Field, the New Canaan Majors White and Red softball teams faced each other in the winner-take-all championship game of our tri-town Little League playoffs.
The White team sponsored by Pennyweights and Red team sponsored by TOGS had competed throughout the spring against each other and teams from Darien and Rowayton, and had finished first and second after a two-week, five-game round robin playoff series.
Now it was time for the girls to temporarily put their friendships aside and battle it out for a few hours to win one final game.
The Red team got off to a great start, scoring five runs in the top half of the first inning and immediately had the No. 1 seed White needing to play catch up. The White team managed a five run inning of their own in the bottom of the third inning and after five full innings of play the score was tied at 9-9.
The sixth inning provided both teams and their fans with plenty of excitement and tense moments. In the top of the sixth inning, the Red team was threatening as Emily Knight led off with a base hit, but was doubled off first base trying to steal second when the next batter hit a line drive back to pitcher Carolina Welch.
With two outs, Julia Bazata battled to a full count and ultimately reached base on a walk. The Red team’s next batter, Emma Shullman, roped a line drive to center bringing in the speedy Bazata as the go ahead run just ahead of center fielder Eleanor Lapin’s nice throw to second base for out number three as Shullman tried to stretch her hit into a double.
Down one run in the bottom of the sixth inning, the White team’s clean-up hitter, Sofia Delicata, led off with a double to center field.
After two walks and a strikeout, the White team loaded the bases with only one out. On an infield ground ball the Red team attempted to cut down the tying run at the plate, but base runner Delicata appeared to make contact with catcher Shullman causing the ball to get dislodged from her glove.
The runner was initially called safe, which would have tied the score, but after a protest was lodged the call was reversed and Delicata was ruled out. With bases still loaded and the White team still down by one run but now down to their last out, savvy base runner Hannah Moore managed to steal home on a passed ball to tie the game.
With the game tied 10-10 and Mary Haney on third base threatening to repeat Moore’s heroics by stealing home to win the game, the Red team’s pitching ace Haley Strom gathered her wits and struck out the next batter to retire the side.
Tied at the end of regulation time and with the field lights due to turn off at any moment, the Red and White teams’ coaches huddled for a conference and decided that in recognition of the tremendous effort put forth by both teams during the game and throughout the season, the only fitting ending to the game would be to crown these teams co-champions.
Congratulations to both teams for a terrific season and for finishing as co-champions of our New Canaan, Darien, and Rowayton softball league.