The Bethel Blast 12-and-under softball team rode the two-hit pitching of Julia Garcia to a 2-1 win over the Ridgefield Rebels to win the A Division of the Fairfield County Fastpitch Softball League season-ending championship Sunday at Joy Kisling Field.
Bethel went 3-0 on championship Sunday, including a 6-5 win over Monroe in the quarterfinals and a 5-4 win over Stamford in the semifinals. It was the second straight tournament victory for the Blast, which won a tournament in Westford, Mass., one week earlier. Garcia earned the win over Monroe, while Kiley Banks got the victory over Stamford.
“I’m just so proud of these talented young girls,’’ manager Mike Garcia said. “Many of them have been working together since they were nine and 10 years old. They have a bright future ahead of them.” Many of the players were on the 12-and-under team that won the B Division championship of the FCFSL last year.
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Garcia was masterful in the championship, striking out three without issuing a walk. Bethel’s defense was flawless behind her. Bethel managed just two hits. Garcia drove in Bethel’s first run with an infield groundout in the second. Jordan Markward scored the eventual game-winning run in the sixth. Ridgefield entered the game as the No. 2 seed after going undefeated in five previous tournament games. It defeated Fairfield to reach the championship game.
After a 1-1-1 record in pool play, Bethel entered the elimination round as the fourth seed in the tournament. It began the final day by beating fifth-seeded Monroe. Garcia got the victory behind a Bethel attack that ripped nine hits. Consecutive doubles by Allison Renner and an RBI single by Guzzetti staked Bethel to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Stephanie Tito and Morgan Matthews also had RBIs for Bethel. Garcia allowed eight hits, but struck out 10 and walked two. Using an effective changeup, she consistently baffled fifth-seeded Monroe, which threatened with a run in the seventh inning before Garcia closed the door.
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Banks got the nod against top-seeded Stamford, which finished undefeated in pool play. She allowed four hits and struck out six. She walked two.
Stamford built a 4-1 lead after three innings before Bethel rallied with two in the fourth and two in the sixth. Matthews led the offense with two hits and two RBIs, with both two-out hits driving home runs. Megan Fuller had two hits and Tito slammed a double.
“Stamford’s a quality team, and to come from behind to beat them gave us a lot of momentum for the championship game,’’ manager Garcia said. “We talk to our girls about ‘chutzpah’ and fighting through adversity, and they did in that game. That felt like a championship game. We knew we’d have to get past Stamford to win this thing, and it was quite a battle.”
The comeback victory atoned for a 10-8 loss to Stamford in pool play on Saturday in a memorable game that went back and forth all afternoon. Stamford also tied the Trumbull Seahawks, 2-2, and beat the Fairfield Fury, 8-3, in pool play.
Bethel finishes its season 27-10-2. It is believed to be the first time a Bethel travel program has won the A Division of the FCFSL. Sixteen teams competed this weekend in Bethel, eight in A and B Divisions. Other teams in the A Division included Stamford, Ridgefield, Southbury, Monroe, Trumbull, Darien and Fairfield. Teams qualified for the A Division based on regular season play, in which Bethel finished 10-2.
The team members front row, left to right: McKenna Trohalis, Megan Fuller, Morgan Matthews, Bridget Kennedy and Allison Renner.
Second row, from left: Jordan Markward, Isabel Kent, Kayla Guzzetti, Stephanie Tito, Julia Garcia, Kiley Banks, Tatiana Cuneo and Sarah Cardillo.
Back row, from left: coach Kathleen Banks, coach Luis Cuneo, coach Tom Renner and manager Mike Garcia.
