Seymour, Holy Cross, Torrington and St. Paul were the top four softball teams in the Naugatuck Valley League during the season.
All four of them have something major in common: Each is fighting for a state championship. That’s right, the mighty NVL claims four of the eight softball finalists.
In baseball, Holy Cross plays in the Class S title game.
Five teams from one league have a chance at glory on the diamond this weekend. Four can emerge as champions with Holy Cross and St. Paul softball having to do it against each other. The NVL, maligned by some, has every reason to beat its chest and be proud.
Let’s talk more about NVL softball.
“Beyond proud of NVL softball right now, show the state how we do it down in the valley!!” tweeted Seymour standout Jenna Geffert.
Seymour, led by legendary head coach Ken Pereiras, has been a standard-bearer for championship softball in Connecticut. Holy Cross joined the party under head coach Meg Dwyer with state titles in each of the past two seasons. Torrington and St. Paul are both newcomers. This will be the first state championship game for the Raiders and the Falcons.
“Funny how people like to say, ‘…but you play in the NVL’,” tweeted Noel Lawton, father of Holy Cross ace Sarah Lawton.
The NVL has showed how great teams from this league can be this season. Led by strong pitching from the likes of Geffert and Molly Adamo (Seymour), Lawton (Holy Cross), Torrington’s Ali DuBois and St. Paul’s Alessandra Milardo, the Wildcats, Crusaders, Raiders and Falcons are all playing for a title.
Holy Cross goes for a three-peat tonight at 7 p.m. at West Haven’s Frank Biondi Softball Field. The Crusaders have been there and done that, but you can bet they don’t want their season to end with a loss.
St. Paul is in its first championship game. The Falcons have been on the rise in the last couple seasons, but they really took off this year. St. Paul played Seymour tough twice, and did the same on the road at Holy Cross. Falcon head coach Gary Hovhanessian has believed in his team all season, and player confidence has been an important asset.
Strong competition breeds better teams. Seymour and Holy Cross have helped make others in the league better, with St. Paul being one of those teams. Torrington is no slouch, having made it to the Class L semifinals in 2016. Still, this is the first go at a final for the Raiders and well-deserving head coach Maryann Musselman.
Teams and fans have been rooting for the NVL teams to succeed, though that kinship fades when Holy Cross and St. Paul take the field tonight.
“Congrats Torrington!! #nvl #ctsb,” read a tweet from the Seymour Softball account after the Raiders won their semifinal game Thursday.
The competitive fires collectively lit by these four teams have allowed them to reach the biggest games of the season. Here are the games, their times and locations for all four teams:
TONIGHT
Class S: No. 2 Holy Cross vs. No. 9 St. Paul, 7 p.m., Frank Biondi Softball Field (West Haven High School)
SATURDAY
Class L: No. 4 Torrington vs. No. 10 Joel Barlow-Redding, 1 p.m., Biondi Field
Class M: No. 4 Seymour vs. No. 7 North Branford, 4 p.m., Biondi Field
