Fallon Bevino had three RBIs, including a home run on this swing, in Foran’s win over Law.
(Photo by Bill Bloxsom)
The Foran High softball team needed a lift when the Lions took on city rival Jonathan Law in Woodmont on Friday.
The Eagles had taken a 1-0 lead in their first at bat, and the Lions needed to counter.
Fallon Bevino answered the bell twice for Foran, first with an RBI double in the bottom of the first, and then the junior slammed her first over-the-fence scholastic home run to plate two in the third.
Marissa Bruno had set the table with bases hits and scored on both occasions, as Foran won a 4-1 decision.
Jess Harkness pitched a two-hitter and struck out eight batters, and with a win over Mercy High of Monday, the Lions took a 16-4 record into the SCC playoffs.
“She is getting better as the year goes on,” Lion coach said of Harkness. “Her location today was spot on, and that’s the key. She put the ball right on the button.”
Law’s Stephanie Peloso got Law going in the first inning with a leadoff walk.
On Jenna Bernard’s successful sacrifice bunt, Peloso saw third base open and kept going, drawing an errant throw and scoring for a 1-0 lead.
After that, Harkness and the left side of her infield defense were lights out.
Jenna Zacarelli had four assists and two putouts from her third base position, and Bruno had three assists and two putouts at shortstop.
“Jenna is batting .400 as a sophomore and really playing well,” coach Bevino said. “Marissa was batting .550 coming in and had two more big hits. Her defense is flawless.”
Danielle Gray had both hits for Law, a single to right field to start the fifth inning and a two-out single in the seventh.
“We played great defense, had great pitching (Bernard), we just didn’t hit the ball, which isn’t like us,” Law coach Melanie Paolini said.
“Jess did a great job pitching. That’s not going to make things easy for your hitters.”
Bruno singled with one out in the home first and Fallon Bevino followed with her RBI double inside the right-field foul line.
Bernard struck out the next two batters to keep the game tied.
Harkness retired 12 straight batters after the game-opening walk, with Zacarelli knocking down Gege Romero’s hot shot and throwing her out in the third.
Bernard set down seven straight, including a gymnastic-like twist to catch Suzie Anthony hit over the circle to start the third.
Bruno singled to center for the Lions’ third hit, before Fallon Bevino launched her home run into the trees in left field.
“Coming out in the first we were really hyped up, and all of a sudden they got a run,” she said. “We’re really, really good at picking each other up.”
After Gray singled to open the fifth, Harkness caught a pop up and struck out two batters.
Foran looked to add a run in the home fifth only to be denied.
Bryzy Gonski singled up the third-base line, on a ball that Peloso knocked down by the bag but had no play.
Anthony’s misplayed bunt put runners on the corners and Amanda Portoff came in to run and stole second base.
Dani Kemp drew the first walk off Bernard to load the bases, but Romero caught Bruno’s liner to short and tossed to Peloso at third for the double play.
Peloso then made a good scoop on Bevino’s shot to third and stepped on the bag to end the inning.
Peloso reached on a one-out error in the sixth, but Zacarelli juggled and caught a bunt attempt and threw to Sam Murphy at first for the double play.
Rebekah DeRosa walked and Ashley Mendillo doubled her home in the sixth to bolster Foran’s lead to 4-1.
Bruno had two assists before Gray singled to center in the seventh. Mendillo handled Justine Bannon’s grounder to end the game.
Sixth-seeded Foran will play at third-seeded Daniel Hand in the SCC playoffs, while seventh-seeded Law will take on second-seeded East Haven.
Foran and Hand shared the SCC Hammonasset Division title.
Fallon Bevino had a pair of doubles, including the 100th hit of her career, when Foran defeated West Haven 10-4, on May 15. Bruno had a home run among her three hits.
Jonathan Law won a 7-4 10-inning decision over Sacred Heart Academy in Hamden on May 15.
Stephanie Cameron, who had two hits, scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th on Gray’s second hit of the game.
Anthony hit a pair of home runs, including a three-run blast in the second inning, to help Foran defeat Mercy High of Middletown, 6-0, on Monday.
Harkness pitched a two-hitter, and Mendillo and Fallon Bevino had two hits each for the Lions.
Both teams will bring 16-4 records into the SCC playoffs.
Law finished its regular season at 13-7, after losing 3-2 to West Haven on Monday.
Gray, Bannon and Murphy had two hits each.