Girls Softball Seeks To Repeat As SCC Champs

The Daniel Hand High School softball team went 17-3 last season and won the Hammonasset Division and the SCC tournament but will be hard pressed to repeat the performance with the loss of five seniors.

The team got off to a great start this season with wins over North Haven, Cheshire and Branford, before dropping its last two games to Lyman Hall and Sacred Heart Academy.

Friday’s 8-4 loss to Sacred Heart at Shields Field resulted from a four run fourth inning that broke open a 2-2 tie. Tigers pitcher Annie Horton walked in two runs and the Pacers strung a few hits together to rally. Hand suffered from weak hitting until the sixth inning when Horton led off with a triple and the team rallied for two more solid hits and two runs to cut the deficit to 7-4. But Pacers pitcher Molly Flowers tossed a complete game and held the Tigers in check.

Still, Tigers assistant coach Lindsay Wasserman said the team is poised for success, despite the two losses. “We have some solid senior leadership and some young kids who are working hard and making contributions and the kids are working well together. Young kids are playing different positions so it will take time for the team to really jell.”

This year’s co-captains are seniors Tori Maniero, Katelyn Wall and Lia Tosiello. Tori Maniero, an outfielder, said, “We lost a lot of seniors so it’s a rebuilding year, but we came right out with three wins. We have a great team with a lot of girls stepping up and coming together. We’re all working together and encouraging each other.”

Katelyn Wall and Lia Tosiello are a battery duo who work together to retire opposing batters. Katelyn, the pitcher, said her goal is “to see where the batter stands and where to throw the ball.” Lia, the catcher, says, “I call the pitches. It’s my job to look at the batter and where she’s standing and determine what her weaknesses will be. I call the type of pitch and the location where the batter will miss. We throw fastballs, changeups, rise balls and curve balls.”

Katelyn pitched only two innings against Sacred Heart before Annie Horton came in to finish the game. Katelyn said the two split pitching duties in each game.

The team plays 20 regular season games before the SCC tournament which is open to the top two teams in each division. The Tigers compete in the Hammonasset division with Branford, East Haven, Guilford, Hand, Hillhouse, and North Haven.

“We’d like to repeat last year’s SCC championship and make a run for the states as well,” Lia Tosiello said. The team advanced to the quarter finals of the states last year and lost to Fairfield Ward 2-0.

The Tigers have games this week against Hillhouse and Jonathan Law with home games against Hillhouse Wednesday at 10:30 and Jonathan Law Thursday at 4:00.