WEST HAVEN—The last time the Cheshire High School softball team lost a game, it was in the 2025 Southern Connecticut Conference championship.
Twenty-seven games and 27 wins later, the top-seeded Rams will be returning to the title contest, facing third-seeded Jonathan Law in the final on Wednesday.
Law dethroned defending champ and in-town rival Foran, 6-2, in the second game of Monday’s SCC semifinal doubleheader at Biondi Field here, shortly after the Rams bested fourth-seeded Mercy, 5-1, earlier in the day.
The Rams and Lawmen will get together again on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Biondi Field for the SCC championship.
CHESHIRE 5, MERCY 1
The Tigers struck first, plating a run in the top of the first inning, but the Rams, who hadn’t trailed all year, didn’t panic.
Instead, they simply responded.
Jordan McCue was 4-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and four stolen bases, while Jenica Matos fired a two-hitter with 16 strikeouts to lead the Rams to the come-from-behind win.
“I think this environment was actually really good for us,” Cheshire head coach Kristine Drust said. “This is the first time this year that we’ve been down, coming from behind. So for our team, I’m actually really grateful that something like this happened today, just to kind of get us ready moving forward. Prior to the game, I said to the team, ‘Guys, I need you to look to your right. I need you to look to your left. I need you to see the type of coaches that you have. No matter what happens, just play seven innings. Play seven innings.’”
By the bottom of the third inning, though, the Rams had the two runs they would need to advance to the championship game for the third straight season.
Trailing 1-0, Addy Coffey opened the bottom of the third with a walk. She moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third when Avery Miramant grounded out to second base.
Enter McCue, who stepped to the plate and, along with Coffey, executed a perfect suicide squeeze to tie the game. In fact, the squeeze was so well executed that it wound up being an RBI single for McCue, who still wasn’t done in the inning.
McCue stole second with one out and third with two outs.
After Molly Fleming walked, McCue then stole home when Mercy opted to throw to third base in an attempt to pick her off. McCue broke for home on the throw and scored easily, giving the Rams a 2-1 lead.
In the fifth, the Rams gave themselves some breathing room and, yes, McCue was in the middle of it all once again.
Miramant led off the inning with a single. McCue doubled, plating Miramant for a 3-1 lead, and later scored on Ava Pearson’s base hit to make it 4-1.
Lyla Blair later laid down another suicide squeeze, plating Pearson, who beat the throw home to make it 5-1.
The rest was Matos, who was once again brilliant in the circle.
She retired the final 11 batters she faced, including eight by strikeout. She went 1-2-3 in the seventh, all via strikeouts.
For Mercy, Carly Weisenberg led off the game with a double and scored on Gianna Lafleur’s single to center field off Matos.
“It was absolutely the start we wanted and what we practiced for,” Mercy coach Kathleen Hoag said. “I’m really proud of them. We came out of the gate swinging and I can’t ask for anything more than the aggression we got.”
Matos, however, wouldn’t allow another hit, and the Rams were headed to the finals.
Pip Karch scattered seven hits, striking out six and walking two for Mercy. She threw 96 pitches, 70 for strikes.
JONATHAN LAW 6, FORAN 2
In a battle of in-town rivals from Milford, Law won the season series, 2-1, while advancing to the SCC championship for the first time since 2022.
Pitcher Maddy Bonanno struck out six and didn’t walk a batter while scattering seven hits and keeping the Lions off balance all game long.
Julia Scibek doubled, singled and scored a run for the Lawmen, while Gabby Rodriguez added two singles and two runs scored.
Lily Stankevich returned to the top of the lineup and delivered two RBIs for the Lawmen as well.
For Foran, Maddie Deldin had a double and a home run, while Ariella Diorio had two singles and an RBI. Grace Weber also added a double and a single.
Law took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second.
Rodriguez led off the inning with a single. Chloe Capalbo looked to sacrifice Rodriguez over, but a Foran error allowed Rodriguez to score all the way from first base, giving the Lawmen a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, Foran tied the game when Deldin led off the inning with a solo home run to center field.
The next inning, however, Law retook the lead.
Sophia Scarpa had a one-out single and was replaced by pinch runner Kendall Upchurch. With two outs, Stankevich singled to left, plating Upchurch to put the Lawmen ahead, 2-1.
In the top of the sixth, Law put the game away with a four-run inning.
The Lions got one back in the bottom of the sixth, but simply couldn’t put a crooked number on the board against Bonanno, who stranded two runners in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the win and the berth in the SCC championship game.
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