FAIRFIELD – It was cold, raw and damp; not softball weather at all Saturday morning as the Cheshire High softball team took the field on opening day.
But the Rams had been through five scrimmages in this kind of weather during the preseason and were also motivated by the fact that they had lost to Fairfield Ludlowe, their first opponent of 2025, last June in extra innings in the Class LL championship game.
Cheshire senior first baseman Bailey Vitanza remembered that game very clearly.
“I’ve been carrying this since June 14,” she said.
Vitanza, the No. 8 hitter in the lineup, delivered redemption Saturday with a two-run single that broke the game open in the sixth inning and Cheshire got its revenge with a 4-2 victory over Fairfield Ludlowe Saturday morning.
“It was the best thing to play them the first game,” Vitanza said. “We’ve been playing together for a very long time and we knew we had to pick up where we left off last year and come through with the win.”
Cheshire junior pitcher Jenica Matos gave up four hits and struck out seven. She said it was not her best game but added, “My defense was there to back me up, keep me up and energetic and so did the offense, they really kept me in the game.”
Cheshire lost to Fairfield Ludlowe in an intense three-hour game in the state finals last year, 3-2, in 10 innings at UConn. Ludlowe was the defending champion. Cheshire, which had lost only once last season, was the top seed. Matos struck out 16 and gave up three hits that day.
“I knew they would be ready,” Cheshire coach Kristine Drust said. “We got all our scrimmages in in preseason and this is the weather we played in – rain and wind and 40 degrees – so I knew that was not going to be a factor.”
Fairfield Ludlowe graduated pitcher Alex Lewey, who won two state titles; Angie Tavella was on the mound Saturday and gave up five hits and had five strikeouts. Fairfield Ludlowe scored first on an RBI single from Lauren Santa Barbara in the third inning and Cheshire tied the score at 1-1 on an Addison Coffey RBI single in the fourth.
In the sixth inning, Lyla Blair drew a walk and moved to second on an error on a popup by Marina Gronbach. Vitanza drove both of them home with a single to right. Fairfield Ludlowe scored in the bottom of the sixth but Cheshire added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Jordan McCue doubled and scored on a fielders’ choice.
“We didn’t show up our best today but as the game went on, we got stronger and stronger and stronger and I think they truly fed off each other’s confidence,” Drust said. “If you’re a competitor, you love this and you love seeing this on your schedule Game 1.”
Drust said she found out about the game, which was part of an FCIAC-SCC challenge, in the early fall and her players have been excited since.
“We’ve been preparing, getting our mindset ready for this game, since last year,” Matos said. “We really wanted it. It’s a really good step in the right direction for us.”
Cheshire 4, Fairfield Ludlowe 2
Cheshire 000 102 1 – 4
Fairfield Ludlowe 001 001 0 – 2
WP-Jenica Matos; LP-Angie Tavella.
