Kenney Powers Panthers Softball

Cromwell senior pitcher Lily Kenney struck out 16 as the Panthers defeated East Hampton on May 3.

Following the program’s first state title last season, Cromwell High School’s softball team is preparing for another postseason push this spring.

The defending champs started the 2023 season by losing two of their first four games, including a 2-1 defeat in extra innings to East Hampton at CHS on April 5.

In the rematch in East Hampton last Wednesday, the Panthers emphatically avenged the previous loss to the Bellringers, winning 9-1.

It marked Cromwell sixth win in the last eight games.

Senior flamethrower Lily Kenney was again magnificent from the mound, striking out 16 in a complete game two-hitter.
Kenney noted that the earlier loss to the Bellringers was fresh in the player’s minds prior to the rematch. 

“We talked about it a lot because we knew we were a better team than how we played that day,” added Kenney. “We’ve worked really hard in practice and I think we showed how much we’ve grown as a team.”

Offensive consistency has been the team’s Achilles heel this spring, but against East Hampton they showed how powerful the lineup could be, scoring four runs in the first inning and five more in the sixth to break the game wide open. 

“It’s huge for a team that is not really scoring,” CHS head coach Angelo Morello said of the quick start. “We only scored one against them last time, so to jump on them right off the bat was really important.”

Kenney ignited the offensive fireworks in the opening frame, leading off the game with a triple. Senior Grace McFarlin then singled to bring home Kenney. 

Sophomore Emma Ribera reached first on a hit, driving home McFarlin and Victoria Wiatrak before Ribera scored following a hit from Alyssa Deluco to give the Panthers a four-point edge following the top of the first inning.

Cromwell managed only four hits in the April loss to the Bellringers, yet scattered 13 hits in the rematch. Kenney and McFarlin each had three hits, while Deluco and Alyssa Brodeur each connected on two.    

Morello added that the Panthers were battling injuries during the first month of the season and that healthy and putting players in the right positions have been the biggest difference between the team from early April to early May. 

Kenney added that it’s the “little things” — from ground ball drills, to positioning on the field, to fundamentals that the team is now doing. 

“We’ve been working on those things in practice to help some girls relearn the sport,” added Kenney. “I think we are getting there and we have good potential.”

A year ago, Cromwell won 18 of 20 regular season games before sweeping through the Class S state tournament by outscoring four tourney opponents 28-2 to put an exclamation point on a state title.

Following the historic championship, the team graduated four starters, including all-state standouts Madison Tessmer and Jaime Anderson. 

Morello said that the girls filling those gaps are coming along, but added that the mental part of the game still needs work, emphasizing a need for improved base running and cutting down on mistakes defensively. 

He added that the team will lean on Kenney, who has only surrendered six earned runs in 14 starts. Despite having an earned run average of 0.48, she has suffered five losses, including a 1-0 loss to Coventry and 3-2 loss to Haddam-Killingworth when errors ultimately cost the Panthers. 

Kenney isn’t worried about the losses and said that the team just needs to maintain a positive, encouraging outlook going forward. 

“The way we play mentally is what we need to work on. When we are down, we have to help each other get back up,” stated
Kenney, “We should always be positive and not let errors in the field determine how we play in the future.”

During a 1-0 win over Old Lyme on April 18, Kenney surpassed 500 career strikeouts and now has her sights set on 600. 

Kenney, who is headed to Adelphi University to pitch next year, added that she has enjoyed mentoring the younger players as she works on individual goals during her senior season.  

“Lily has been outstanding. She just makes everybody look good,” Morello said of his ace. “We’ll go as far as she can carry us, but we’ll need the others to be behind her.”

The Panthers closed the week with a 5-1 win over Coventry, improving to 9-5. 

Kenney added 14 more strikeouts to her career total and was one of two Panthers—along with McFarlin— to connect on multiple hits. 

Next up is the team’s regular season home finale, this Friday (May 12) against Bolton. First pitch will be 4:00 p.m.

They close the regular season with three straight road games before the conference and state tournaments start.   

Victoria Wiatrak prepares to round third base during the team’s five-run sixth inning at East Hampton High School.