FAIRFIELD—After the 2023 dream season that saw Fairfield Ludlowe softball win its third straight FCIAC championship and first-ever state title, nobody knew what to expect out of the 2024 edition of the Falcons.
Yes, with Alex Lewey in the circle, Ludlowe was going to be competitive.
Beyond that? There were no guarantees—not with a new head coach, a new shortstop, a new center fielder, a new third baseman, a new season with a handful of question marks.
Well, the last game of the season is going to be played on Saturday at UConn’s Burrill Family Field and guess what? The Falcons are playing in it and defending their Class LL championship against top-seeded Cheshire Academy.
First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
“I know a lot of people didn’t give us much of a chance,” said first-year head coach Adam Laliberte, an assistant coach last season who took over the reins of the program when previous coach Lou Bunosso made the jump to the college ranks. “To be honest, after the first three weeks, I wouldn’t have had us in the Top 10. We didn’t look like a good softball team.”
A funny thing happened on the way to Burrill, however.
The Falcons remembered they are still good. Very good.
“We’re playing good softball now,” Laliberte said. “It’s rewarding to see the kids enjoying the success.”
A fourth straight FCIAC championship was won and the seventh-seeded Falcons thus far have run the table through the Class LL ranks, topping Manchester (9-0), Amity (4-0), Middletown (1-0) and Ridgefield (3-0) in the state tournament.
Now it’s one game against Cheshire for all the marbles—the state’s big school championship.
Everything starts with Lewey in the circle.
After splitting time with Anna Gedacht last season, Lewey has shined bright this season for the Falcons.
She is the equalizer that makes Ludlowe know it can beat anybody.
“Alex is a big reason why we have a puncher’s chance,” Laliberte said. “We’re not talking about seven games here. We’re not even talking about best-of-three. We just need to be better for one afternoon.”
Lewey throws the ball to junior catcher Allie Tournas, the kid sister to former Ludlowe third baseman Katie Tournas.
In the infield, Angie Tavella—who had the game-winning hits in Ludlowe’s quarterfinal and semifinal wins—is a vacuum while senior second baseman Lauren Foley, a three-year starter, junior shortstop Gina Solow, and sophomore third baseman Lauren Santa Barbara are brick walls who can field their positions.
In their outfielder, all-state center fielder Rosanna Merturi is flanked by senior Izzy Mulhall in right fielder and freshman Kaitlyn Scotto in left field.
Alexa Mills has been a key cog offensively as the DP while the fleet-footed Ella Gremse, a freshman, is often the first person off the bench to run in certain situations.
Laliberte and the Falcons know Cheshire is a tough opponent.
“It’s obviously very exciting that we get to play for a state championship, but Cheshire is like 25-1,” Laliberte said. “Look at the box scores. They’re a machine. They’re scoring a lot of runs and barely giving up any. We know we’re up against it.”
The Falcons are a team full of players who have been waiting for their chance.
After last season’s seniors graduated, this group of players have gotten the Falcons back to the title tilt.
“I think them finding that belief in themselves and knowing they can carry the torch is big,” Laliberte said. “I’m not sure they ever saw themselves in that light before, but they’ve decided they want to continue the legacy. It means a lot to get back here.”
For Ludlowe, the turning point of the season came on May 11th—with just three games remaining in the regular season.
The Falcons were 14-3 at that point of the season, but lost to Darien by a 2-1 score.
“We lost 2-1 on a Saturday, a rained-out game that was supposed to be our senior day,” Laliberte recalled. “We were distracted. We didn’t play well. We came back the day after and we did a lot of talking. We had to get our mental state right.”
The Falcons have lost just one game since.
“Ever since then we’ve understood the team we’re capable of being,” Laliberte said.
The Falcons have been good for a while now. Last year, they were great and won a state championship to prove it.
Now, this year’s squad has a chance to prove that the Ludlowe program runs a lot deeper than anybody expected.
After all, few people outside of those who wear Ludlowe blue expected the team to be back.
But here they are, with one more game to play on the final day of the season.
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