The East Haven softball team played the role of underdog just about as well as any club could have by advancing to the championship game of the Class L State Tournament this spring. Unfortunately for the Yellowjackets, their magical run came to an end with a 2-0 loss against Masuk in the Class L state final at DeLuca Field in Stratford on June 7. East Haven, the No. 16 seed in the tournament, finished its season with an overall record of 15-10 after losing to 2nd-seeded Masuk, which scored the only two runs of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Head Coach Ed Crisafi was proud to see his team shake off a slow start on its way to making the state final. Crisafi believes that the young Yellowjackets are way ahead of schedule.

“With a bunch of freshmen and sophomores, we honestly thought in two years, that was going to be our big year, and next year we’d be very good,” Coach Crisafi said. “This year, we started 0-3, but at the end of the year, we went with a set lineup, all these young girls got their feet wet, and got comfortable.”

East Haven had reached the Class L final by posting an 11-0 shutout against No. 4 seed Brookfield in the semis at DeLuca Field on June 4. One of the biggest factors in the Yellowjackets’ run through the bracket was the emergence of sophomore Tori Heaphy. On the mound, Heaphy made her presence known by tossing a pair of one-hitters during the state tourney. She also tied the school record for hits in a season by getting 44 this year, matching Allison Luzzi’s record.

“Tori was fantastic,” said Crisafi. “She struggled at the beginning of the year, but once the warm weather came in, it seemed like she had more zip on her fastball. Then, her change kept teams off-balance.”

Heaphy and senior Samantha Schiebe locked horns for a pitcher’s duel when East Haven and Masuk squared off with the state title on the line. Heaphy had two hits for the Yellowjackets, but those were the only two they were able to muster against Schiebe, who struck out 16 batters to lead Masuk (25-1) to the win.

“We ran into a buzzsaw. She pitched unbelievable,” Crisafi said of Schiebe. “We knew we had to stay off her rise-ball, but we didn’t.”

East Haven got something going in the top of the first inning, when Heaphy hit a single to left and then freshman Magdalena Barthel followed with a single. The Yellowjackets advanced their runners to second and third, but Schiebe struck out three-straight batters to escape the jam. After Sammie Franceschi drew a walk in the third inning, East Haven was unable to get anyone on base in either the fourth or the fifth.

The Yellowjackets had a chance to break the ice in the sixth inning. Heaphy started off with a single, stole second, and took third on a wild pitch. Following a walk by Barthel, senior Jenna Esposito, who came in as a courtesy runner, stole second base to put two runners in scoring position with two outs. Sophomore Brooke Clancy drilled a ball into center field, although it was caught to end the threat.

“If Brooke’s ball goes anywhere but at the center fielder, we’re up 2-0, and it’s going to be different,” said Crisafi. “She hit a rocket. It happened to be right at her.”

Heaphy matched Schiebe on the hill throughout most of the game. She retired the first six batters of the night she faced and wiggled her way out of a few jams. In the end, Masuk pushed two runs across the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 2-0 advantage.

Leadoff hitter Megan McFarland roped a double down the left-field line and then Emily Lange got aboard on a bunt. After Heaphy issued an intentional walk to load the bases with nobody out, cleanup batter Madison Procyk hit a sacrifice fly to center to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. Following another walk, Heaphy hit Kaitlyn Welch with a pitch to bring in an insurance run and make it 2-0. Heaphy allowed just four hits and struck out six for the game.

Despite the defeat, Coach Crisafi applauded the members of his team’s senior class for providing East Haven with excellent guidance this season. The Yellowjackets’ seniors are Esposito, Erica Colacino, Christina Fowler, Megan Roberts, Selena DeFelice, and Jaime Gallo.

“We had great senior leadership. This is the most enjoyable team I’ve ever coached. These girls worked their butts off every single day, and the seniors came every day, even though a lot of them lost jobs to underclassmen,” Crisafi said. “They didn’t get down. They hung in, and I hope it shows the young kids what it’s all about. There is no reason for these seniors to hang their heads. They need to keep their heads held high, and we’re going to miss them.”

East Haven advanced to the Class L final by blanking Brookfield 11-0 in the semifinal round three days prior to the title bout. Heaphy took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and only allowed one hit for the entire game. The sophomore recorded 12 strikeouts and also helped her cause by cranking a home run at the dish.

Clancy, Barthel, and sophomore Kayla Rosario also hit homers for East Haven in the victory. Barthel finished with three hits and two RBI, while Rosario had two hits and knocked in a pair. Junior Becky Flynn hit a double, scored two runs, and had two RBI; freshman Emilee Bishop had two hits, including a double, to go with two RBI; while Roberts got a double and drove home two runs. Franceschi added two hits, and DeFelice scored a pair of runs to help Coach Crisafi’s club advance to the state championship for the third time in the last six years.

East Haven surprised some people and made plenty of headlines on its way to making the state final this spring. While the Yellowjackets weren’t able to bring home the crown, Coach Crisafi feels optimistic about what his up-and-coming team can achieve during the next few seasons.

“We started one junior, one senior in center, and one senior as our designated hitter. All the others were freshman and sophomores,” Crisafi said. “We’ll be back.”

From the Sidelines

The East Haven softball team's varsity roster for the Class L State Tournament included senior captains Taylor Myers, Jenna Esposito, and Megan Roberts; fellow seniors Jaime Gallo, Erica Colacino, Christina Fowler, and Selena DeFelice; juniors Stephanie Sorrentino, Becky Flynn, and Jillian Hay; sophomores Kayla Rosario, Carly Cardova, Tori Heaphy, Sammie Franceschi, Kayla Goodrich, and Brooke Clancy; plus freshmen Jilien Ayala, Magdalena Barthel, and Emilee Bishop. Head Coach Ed Crisafi is assisted by Jeff Crisafi, Jenna Gaudioso, and Ricky Narracci.

During the regular season, East Haven finished with a record of 11-9. The Yellowjackets won a pair of games against Sheehan (18-6 and 14-3) and Branford (7-2 and 16-2) to go with one win apiece versus Lyman Hall (11-10), Sacred Heart Academy (5-4), Norwich Free Academy (5-1), North Haven (6-3), Fitch (11-1), North Branford (15-3), and Amity (6-5). East Haven also took losses against Cheshire (8-5 and 3-0), West Haven (9-5 and 6-3), North Branford (15-10), Amity (13-6), Sacred Heart Academy (2-1), North Haven (2-0), and Lyman Hall (6-4).

In the Class L State Tournament, East Haven earned the No. 16 seed and defeated No. 17 seed Hand by a 4-3 score in the first round. The Yellowjackets followed that up with a 2-0 victory versus No. 1 seed St Joseph in a second-round game. In the quarterfinals, the Yellowjackets topped No. 9 Barlow by a 12-2 score. East Haven then defeated 4th-seeded Brookfield by an 11-0 final in the semis, before losing a 2-0 contest to Masuk in the championship.

This marked East Haven's sixth appearance in a state final. The Yellowjackets took a 6-5 loss to Shelton in the 1974 Class L final, dropped a 4-0 decision versus Southington in 1983 Class LL final, and claimed then claimed the Class LL crown in 1984 by earning a 6-2 victory against Norwich Free Academy in the championship game. East Haven lost a 2-0 contest versus Seymour in the 2014 Class M final. In 2015, the Easties won the Class L title by defeating Fitch 4-2 in the final.