Ludlowe Repeats After 'Incredible, Incredible' Softball Game: UPDATE

STORRS, CT — Fairfield-Ludlowe High School softball coach Adam Laliberte put it bluntly when his Falcons walked off the field champions after an epic, extra-inning victory over Cheshire for the CIAC Class LL title.

The contest at the University of Connecticut Saturday afternoon was the most tense, exciting game of his 20-year coaching career, he said.

The marathon 10-inning affair was heavy on pitching and drama and it ended with a nailbiting, 3-2 win by the Falcons over the Cheshire High School Rams.

"I definitely sweated off about 43 pounds off my frame," an emotionally spent Laliberte said after the game, a game he called the most hotly fought softball game he'd ever seen, let alone coached in. "It was just an incredible, incredible game."

Powerhouse and top-seed Cheshire, led by coach Kristine Drust, entered the contest with a 22-1 record, while seventh-seed Fairfield-Ludlowe came in at a solid, 19-5, looking to repeat as champions with a new coach this year.

The matchup was played under partly cloudy skies at UConn's Burrill Family Field softball complex in Storrs, but the tense battle had many wondering if it would end under the lights.

The game pitted fireballing Cheshire sophomore pitcher Jenica Matos against Ludlowe senior hurler Alex Lewey, with both exchanging zeros.

Though born long after the 1991 World Series, Matos and Lewey channeled their inner Jack Morris/John Smoltz and engaged in an epic duel with a title on the line.

Lewey finished the game, pitching all 10 innings, and despite allowing two runs with a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 10th, Laliberte never planned on taking her out.

He credited her stamina and heart for getting that difficult third out.

"You could tell she was running out of gas in the end," Laliberte said. "She was amazing. She is amazing."

While Lewey was the winning pitcher, the game's most valuable player was Ludlowe junior catcher Allie Tournas, who seemingly was involved in every key moment offensively and defensively.

Missed opportunities

After both pitchers dealt goose eggs (and no hits) for the first three innings, Matos got into trouble in the top of the fourth when she walked the first two Falcon batters.

With runners on first and second, Matos struck out the next two, but walked her pitching counterpart, Lewey, to load the bases with two outs.

Matos escaped the jam by striking out Fairfield-Ludlowe sophomore Lauren Santa Barbara.

With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Cheshire junior Erin Hersh advanced to second when Lewey threw the ball over the first baseman's head on a bunt attempt for an error.

Lewey, however, picked herself up and struck out the next two batters, leaving the score 0-0 at the end of four.

In the top of the fifth, Matos' no-hitter was broken up by Ludlowe junior shortstop Gina Solow, who singled down the third base line with two outs, the first hit for either squad.

Matos then walked Ludlowe's Tournas with two outs to put runners on first and second. Freshman Ella Grense ran for Tournas.

But as she had prior, Matos worked out of trouble again, getting the Falcons out on a fielder's choice at second for the third out, keeping the game scoreless.

In the bottom of the fifth, Cheshire got its first hit on an infield single by sophomore Jordan McCue with two outs.

McCue stole second and advanced to third on a catcher's throwing error, putting Cheshire in a good position to take the lead.

But Falcon catcher Tournas saved Ludlowe with a diving catch in the infield of Cheshire sophomore Ava Pearson's bunt.

Had it hit the ground, it likely would have been an RBI single.

The tense affair, however, remained scoreless after five innings, each side with only one hit.

Continued chances, no runs

With one out in the bottom of the fifth, senior Karla Carangelo lined a sharp single to left and a courtesy runner was put on base for her.

Cheshire's Hersh then dribbled an infield single, putting runners on first and second.

Tournas, however, gunned down the runner at third base for the second out and, after another groundout, Lewey escaped damage, the title game still scoreless.

With two outs Falcon sophomore Angie Tavella singled in the bottom of the seventh, but was thrown out trying to steal second. Still scoreless.

This gave the Rams a chance to walk off a state championship with a single, solitary run.

Cheshire sophomore Lyla Blair led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to left, the leadoff runner.

Sophomore Molly Fleming of Cheshire was hit by a pitch, going to first and Blair advanced to second.

Senior Emma Ballschmieder bunted the ball up and Tournas caught it for the first out, neither runner advancing.

A popup by McCue to second base and a subsequent step on the bag ended the inning on a double play. It was extra innings.

Bonus softball

Scoreless after seven, it was bonus softball as both teams desperately fought for the title.

Ludlowe's Solow led off the top of the eighth with a line single to left, her second hit of the game and Tournas bunted Solow to second, giving the Falcons a scoring chance with one out.

But senior Rosanna Merturi flied out to center and Solow left the bag too early to advance to third, resulting in the third out on the appeal play.

Like her counterpart, Ludlowe's Lewey took the center circle in the bottom of the eighth having given up no runs.

Aided by Ludlowe senior Izzy Mulhall's diving catch of a desperate popup in right field for the second out in the eighth, Lewey pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth.

The game now extended into the ninth inning, Ludlowe senior Lauren Foley drew a leadoff walk to get things started for the Falcons. After a wild pitch, Foley advanced to second.

Matos struck out the next two batters, and sophomore Lauren Santa Barbara lined out to shortstop, ending the Falcon threat.

After Lewey easily set down the Rams in the bottom of the ninth, the game went into the 10th, 0-0 with neither pitcher blinking.

Breakthroughs

Then, the title game's anxiety-inducing drama went from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Falcon junior Alexa Mills, as had been the case multiple times, led off the top of the 10th with a walk on four pitches. Freshman Ella Gremse ran for Mills as a courtesy runner.

Sophomore Angie Tavella then worked a walk, putting runners on first and second with none out in the top of the 10th.

In trouble for seemingly the umpteenth time, Matos had to try and avert disaster — again.

Ludlowe's Solow bunted the runners to second and third with one out, setting the stage for the game's most crucial moment.

That moment happened as Gremse scored on a wild pitch by Matos as Tournas batted, giving Ludlowe a 1-0 lead. Injured on the play, Gremse was helped off the field.

Tournas reached first on a fielder's choice as Tavella was thrown out at the plate on a bunt attempt.

A walk by senior Rosanna Merturi put runners on first and second again for the Falcons as Fairfield-Ludlowe threatened to extend their lead.

That happened when senior Lauren Foley had the biggest at-bat of the game, hitting a long fly to left that was dropped for an error, resulting in two more runners to score for a 3-0 Ludlowe lead and Foley ending up on second.

Following the third out, all Ludlowe needed was three outs for a second-straight state title.

It didn't come easy.

Cheshire's furious rally

Cheshire's Molly Fleming started things off in the bottom of the 10th when she was grazed by a pitch, taking first base with no outs.

McCue of Cheshire then doubled down the left field line, scoring Fleming with one out, Cheshire trailing 3-1 with a runner on second.

Cheshire's Ava Pearson drew a walk to put runners on first and second with one out, and the winning run was at the plate for Cheshire in the form of powerful junior Tai Byrd.

Byrd walked to load the bases and a tense struggle turned unbearable as Lewey desperately sought to close out the Rams.

This brought up Matos with a chance to help herself.

A long sacrifice fly by Matos made the score 3-2 Ludlowe and the game came down to its last out.

With runners on first and second and two out Cheshire's Hersh popped out to Tournas, the game ending in delirium for Ludlowe, who escaped with a title.

Ludlowe's Foley, whose 10th-inning at-bat led to the deciding runs, said it was her last-ever softball game and it was special to go out as champions.

For now, though, she was just happy the marathon game was over.

"It was a long game physically and emotionally," Foley said.