CCSU Softball hosted its senior day for the four seniors on the team on Sunday, April 21. Paige Stringer, Brooke Fedison, Kaylee Whittaker, and Meg Gorman were honored before the game.
They took on Merrimack College for the weekend series, starting with a doubleheader on Saturday.
Merrimack took the early lead in game one after blasting a two-run homer in the first.
The second inning was controversial as the third base umpire called a ruled out. Merrimack’s coach stormed out, calling for an obstruction call. After minutes of the umpires meeting, the call was reversed to safe. Central coach Breanne Gleason then had her turn with the umpire, but the call stood.
“I lost track of the play because the on-deck hitter was in my way,” Gleason said. “They said there was contact, which then inhibited the girl to be able to get back to the bag.”
This play set up Merrimack with runners on second and third. A routine groundout resulted in an error on a throw home, leading to a run scoring. Another error allowed two more runs.
KC Machado scored on a passed ball in the third inning, and Meg Gorman scored on a wild pitch in the fifth. These would be the only runs of the game for Central. Merrimack would take game one, 5-2.
Kaylee Whittaker only allowed two earned runs and threw seven strikeouts.
In game two, Central came back with a vengeance.
Machado opened the hitting barrage with a two-run homer in the first. Reagan Vunak added an RBI, followed by a two-RBI double from Grace Lawton.
Ava Cino added an RBI double in the second inning to extend the lead to six.
The game was capped off in the fourth inning, as Machado and Stringer hit back-to-back home runs. This was Machado’s second home run of the game.
“I felt more relaxed,” Machado said. “I enjoy the game. Wipe away the first game because the first game wasn’t my best. So, I was like, wipe the page, new game.”
On the other side of the game, Liz Hamilton pitched great. Not only shutting out Merrimack’s offense, she threw seven strikeouts and only gave up two hits in the mercy rule five innings.
As of Saturday, Central was the No. 5 seed, looking in on Merrimack as the No. 4 seed in the NEC. Gleason said she didn’t talk about standings during the week leading up to the game.
“The girls know what’s on the line,” Gleason said. “I think in the first game, we played a little stressed. Then, in the second game, we kind of just let ourselves play our game.”
After celebrating the senior class, the final game of the series took place. Central picked up right where it left off the previous game.
Stringer would start the scoring early with an RBI single in the first, followed by Cino bringing her home with an RBI single. Lawton got in on the action, hitting a sacrifice fly to score Machado. In the next inning, Machado and Cino hit an RBI single each.
Merrimack would answer back with two runs in the third inning to make the score 5-2.
Central found itself with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, and Jazmine Lasane was at bat. She blasted one to center field to clear the bases and earn herself a bases-clearing triple.
Central won the game, 8-2. Whittaker finished the game with four strikeouts and six hits.
“This class is really special,” Gleason said. “Obviously, they are really good softball players, but they are just great people. I think our culture the last two years is just a product of them being just kind and good to people and treating people the right way. That is something that is hard to teach, but they bring that character themselves. It’s going to be hard to see them go, but hopefully, we don’t have to let them go for a few more weeks.”
Even after winning the series, the team still finds itself in fifth place. Central next takes on second-place Sacred Heart University for a three-game series midweek on Tuesday and Wednesday at SHU.
