The Indians’ softball squad came up one victory shy of reaching the postseason last spring and no one in the program wanted to see a repeat of that in 2015. The team’s athletes spent three months in the offseason working with North Haven baseball alum Tim Binkoski at the Batter’s Box to ensure they’d be sharp when they hit the field this year. That dedication paid off immediately as Sally Maher’s club got a head start in the playoff chase by winning its first three games. The Indians then dropped three straight, but bounced back by taking five of their subsequent six. The last win of that stretch was an 18-3 home trouncing of Career on May 4 that gave North Haven the critical eighth win it needed to compete in the Class L State Tournament.

The Indians did drop their next two games of the week to Foran and Cheshire, yet they still have their heads above water at 8-6 with a record of 5-1 in the Oronoque Division. Maher and company can clinch a share of the division title with East Haven if they beat Cross on Monday, May 11 and the Yellowjackets on Wednesday, May 13. East Haven won the teams’ initial meeting by the score of 6-5 in eight innings on April 27.

“The senior class was motivated to get back to states and that was our first goal. Now, our next goal is to win a share of our division, but we’ll have to get through a tough East Haven team,” Coach Maher said. “It was a big goal [getting back to the state tourney]. I can’t remember the last time before last year that we weren’t in states. Last year was the first time in a long time.”

Prior to last season, the last time the Indians had missed the state tournament was in 2005. That year marked the first season of the Oronoque Division, which was won by Career. Ten years later, North Haven hosted those Panthers for a night game with the opportunity to seal their spot in the dance and cruised to an 18-3 win that was called after five innings due to the mercy rule.

Career struck first by scoring twice in the top of the first and then the Indians came right back with three in the bottom half. After North Haven made it 4-2 in the second, the squad’s offense really took off in the third as the Indians sent eight across the dish for a 12-2 advantage. Maher’s squad added six more in the fourth to cap the blowout with 18 runs on the scoreboard.

Senior first baseman Victoria Bouffard led the way at the plate by blasting two home runs out of the park down the left field line. Bouffard first went deep with a three-run homer in the third and then came right back with a grand slam in the fourth to finish the night with seven RBI.

“Victoria has at least five home runs this year and is always a threat to hit the long ball,” Maher said of Bouffard. “She was kind of greedy. She took them all home with her and that was awesome.”

Sophomore third baseman Arianna Delvecchio went 3-for-4 and drove home a run with senior captain shortstop Amanda Kenny collecting two singles, scoring two runs, and producing an RBI to aid in the 18-hit attack.

Then there was the performance put forth by Ava Mattei. The sophomore southpaw won her third game on the hill by allowing just four hits in five innings and additionally helped herself by going 3-for-4 with two RBI. Haley Arnaoutis has been North Haven’s primary pitcher this year and Coach Maher likes how the senior captain right-hander is complemented by the up-and-coming lefty, who also pitches the JV games.

“The two of them have been doing a nice job and it’s good to have both a right-hander and a left-hander,” she said. “Haley is doing better than last year. She has better command of her pitches. She struck out 10 in our first Branford game [a 9-1 victory on April 11] and then shut Foran down the first time we faced them [a 3-0 win on April 23]. We’ve also seen a big difference in Ava from last year to this year. She’s improved a lot. She has good movement on her ball and just needs to limit a few of the walks.”

Perhaps the only downside to the Career game was that North Haven committed five errors. That was something which surprised Coach Maher, who said her team has played pretty clean in the field throughout the campaign. Unfortunately, the miscues carried over into the squad’s next two games, which were a 10-3 loss at Foran in Milford on May 6 and then a 12-2 home defeat versus unbeaten Cheshire on May 8.

The Indians led Foran 2-0 in the first inning as Kenny’s two-run double plated senior captain second baseman Mia Martinez and Bouffard. It stayed that way until the fourth, when the Lions capitalized on some errors to score eight runs. North Haven scored its last run in the fifth on Arnaoutis’s sacrifice fly that brought home senior center fielder Aly Milone.

Against Cheshire, Kenny hit a two-run homer late to account for the Indians’ two runs.

“We’ve been playing good defense, but this was our sloppiest week all year,” said Coach Maher. “You can’t expect to do well against the good teams if you give them more than three outs an inning.”

In addition to everyone already mentioned, the Indians’ roster also features starting junior catcher Rachel Card, junior left fielders Jill Oestreicher and Jordyn Sheeley, and junior right field regular Toni Barbiero. Senior Lauren Landino sees time in the outfield and can also play the infield. Junior Rachel Giatrelis is on the squad, but is unfortunately out for the season with an injury. Other players who’ve occasionally been called up from the JV ranks include sophomores Anna Stowe, Carly Vandeusen, and Laurissa Amaker; along with freshmen Olivia Affinito, Caroline Gabrielle, and Ashleigh Zapanta.

From the Sidelines

North Haven has punched its ticket to the state tournament by winning eight games thus far this spring. Those eight victories came against Guilford (9-7 and 11-1), Branford (9-1 and 7-4), Career (14-0 and 18-3), Cross (20-5), and Foran (3-0).

Remaining on the regular season slate for the Indians are a home game versus Cross at 3:45 p.m. on Monday, May 11; a duel at East Haven at Deer Run School at 7 on Wednesday, May 13; a home game with Amity at 7 on Friday, May 15; a contest at home versus Lauralton Hall at 4 on Monday, May 18; a Senior Night home contest against Mercy at 7 on Wednesday, May 20; and then the finale in Cheshire at 3:45 on Friday, May 22.

Head Coach Sally Maher is joined on the coaching staff by JV coach Karen Castagnola and her husband Roy Castagnola, along with Maher’s father, Frank Maher; plus Vin Cretella and Joel Kaletsky.