Rocky Hill’s Cardiac Kids Do It Again

​No lead is safe at Elm Ridge Park in Rocky Hill.

Wethersfield softball found that out the hard way after the Eagles jumped out to a 6-0 lead before eventually falling to Rocky Hill, 9-6, last Monday night.

Just a few days prior the Terriers overcame an 8-1 deficit and defeated East Hartford 9-8 at the same venue, now known to opponents as ‘A Nightmare at Elm Ridge’.

“You feel a little pressure but you have to stay even-keeled because there’s a lot of game left,” head coach Tyler Catlin said of the comebacks, “The kids get the ball in play and chip away and if we keep zeros up on the board on defense, anything can happen.”

This is nothing new for Catlin and his team, who posted the largest rally in school history a season ago, overcoming a 12-run deficit to defeat Berlin 16-15 on April 18, 2017---also at the hollowed grounds of Elm Ridge.

“It comes down to where we put our energy, because we know that we can hit when we’re focused but not overthinking. We overthink a lot and dwell on our mistakes, but we can come above that and improve on what we did,” said senior catcher Maddi Santo, “It’s about making contact with the ball, that’s what we focus on. We don’t want to think about homeruns, just anything to get on base.”

Santo is a captain, along with pitcher Rachel Roncaioli and shortstop Sophie Kurdziel.

Roncaioli shook off a five-run first inning (only two earned) and found her rhythm, allowing only one run the rest of the way.

“When I’m pitching and we’re down I know I just need to throw a strike and get my head in the game,” said Roncaioli, who struck out three, “Even if there’s a runner on first I know we can get the double-play or we can get the lead runner out. I’m confident in who is backing me up.”

Roncaioli helped her own cause from the plate, making contact in the third inning, which drove in Kiana Lebron-Rivera and Kurdziel.

The next at-bat, freshman Nicole DesRoches tripled, driving in Roncaioli and cutting Wethersfield’s lead in half.

“When I’m up to bat I don’t think of the pitcher position, I just want to get a runs in,” added Roncaioli “I try my best and a lot of my hits are to the infield, but I know if I’m hustling to the bag I can make it.”

Catlin praised his senior ace for her development and maturity.

“She’s the most intense player on this field,” the third-year coach said of Roncaioli, “She’s passionate, she’s emotional, she’s intense, and she brings it every day. She holds her teammates accountable and can also hug them. She’s a really good kid. These qualities that she’s developed on the mound will take her far in life.”

The Terriers added three more runs in the fourth. Kurdziel drew a walk with the bases load, sending home Melanie Tejeda. Roncaioli then singled, which drove in Megan Khanna and Lauren Pattison, tying the game at six.

Despite the early six run deficit, the mood in Rocky Hill’s dugout never wavered.

“We can’t get ourselves down because we’ve done it before. We played East Hartford the other day and we were down (8-1) and we always talk about the Berlin game last year,” recalled Kurdziel, “In the first inning we had a few errors, but after that inning we were able to bounce back from that but we have to be able to do that quicker and sooner so the lead doesn’t get too big. When we have an error, we have to move on.”

Khanna tripled in the fifth, driving home Tejeda, and crossed the plate later in the inning.

In the sixth, Santo doubled which sent home Roncaioli for an insurance run. Kurdziel then preserved the victory by scooping up a grounder in the seventh before firing it over to first for the game’s final out.

It was only fitting that the three senior captains put the finishing touches on yet another incredible comeback.

“They’re independent, they’re self-starters,” Catlin said of his captains as he adjusted his now trademarked bucket hat, “They are full of positive energy, good vibes, and when things are going awry in the field we have Sophie to put a smile on somebodies face. Maddi has been a brick house behind home plate and Rachel has been a fighter the last two years.”

The three have a connection as friends off the field, and Santo and Roncaioli have an extra special relationship as pitcher and catcher on the field.

“It’s good being friends pretty much all of our life because it’s not awkward if we tell each other that we need to do something different or pick yourself up,” said Santo, who had to come out to the mound a couple of times during the team’s slow start.

“I don’t love mound visits, I just want to keep going and she knows that but she also knows that she has to put me in my place and tell me to take a breath and relax,” stated Roncaioli, “Even today when she came up to the mound she knows what I’m feeling before I even say anything and I know the same for her.”

Catlin added that the duo has a great rapport with assistant coach Erin Weber, who also rocks a fashionable bucket hat.

“We give Maddi some of that freedom and Coach Weber has been calling a lot of the pitches. They all have a good little dynamic and it’s a good system they’ve got going. They have a lot of trust with each other.”

Behind the seniors is a solid cast of younger players, who have shined this season.

DesRoches has become a consistent power hitter, connecting on a three-run shot to ignite the comeback over East Hartford, and is slated to be the team’s starting pitcher next spring.

Pattison made the play of the night in the field against Wethersfield when she made an acrobatic over-the-shoulder catch in foul territory in the sixth inning.

“Lauren has really been a staple for us these last couple of season, especially defensively. I’ve started to see her develop leadership qualities and she’s starting to swing the bat a lot better lately,” stated Catlin.

Catlin and his team closed last week with a 7-6 victory over Newington, earning their tenth win of the season. Next up is the wide-open Class M tourney, which starts Tuesday, May 29.

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