When the season began, not many people outside of their own dugout gave the Brookfield softball team much chance to have a great year. They were coming off an outstanding season where they were led by a tremendous core group of seniors. There were questions in abundance for this team that is filled with juniors and sophomores.
Those questions have all been answered now as the Lady Bobcats knocked off Pomperaug 4-1 to claim their first ever SWC championship in only their second trip to the title game.
“By God, we’re champions,” Brookfield head coach Frank Bonacci, who has been at the helm for nine seasons, said. “It’s a great feeling. In the last inning I sat there thinking about the years that I’ve had here and the players that have come and gone, only being to the championship once and it is a reality now.”
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With a boisterous crowd looking on at Frank Deluca Hall of Fame Field in Stratford, starting pitcher Brittany Fusek — who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player — fielded a ground ball hit back to the mound and flipped the ball to first basemen Wendi Westmark for the final out, triggering a jubilant celebration by the players and coaches who all came together to embrace each other by the first base bag.
“Amazing,” Fusek said. “Word’s can’t even describe how happy we all are to be able to win this title. We did it for our coaches, we did it for our parents, we did it for our fans, we did it for each and every one of us and it is just an incredible feeling.”
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“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Jessie Angelo said. “I worked as hard as I could and I know the team did too. It’s really a good feeling to know I have all these people behind me when I need them.”
Fusek, pitching for the third straight day, showed no signs of fatigue, as she was perfect through the first five innings. Staked to a 3-0 lead, Fusek finally surrendered a hit when Pomperaug inserted a pinch-hitter with one out in the sixth inning.
“She threw a heck of a game today,” Bonacci said of Fusek. “When she got through the fifth inning with a no-hitter going I thought this is unbelievable.”
With the perfect game gone, the Lady Panthers tried to breath new life into the game. Back-to-back hits following a ground out cut the deficit to 3-1. But with two-runners on and the game in the balance, Fusek did what she has done all post-season, she dug deep and came up with an inning-ending strikeout.
“I just kept thinking in my head, you got to keep fighting,” Fusek said of working through any potential rallies by the opposition through the playoff run. “I have the defense behind me, if I get the ball in play I know they’ll make the plays, they are all such incredible players.”
Brookfield did what it was able to do in the semi-final, jumping out to an early lead by scoring two runs in the first inning. Danielle DeMarco led off with a single and Felicia Lennon drove her home with a double in the left field gap. Lennon would later score on a wild pitch for the 2-0 lead.
“She stepped up,” Bonacci said of Lennon’s performance after getting valuable experience as a freshman a year ago. “Danielle stepped up, Brittany stepped up in the circle, Wendi stepped up at first, my whole team stepped up. I’ve been hard on them, I guess you can call it tough love. All these girls here, I have the utmost respect for them."
The Lady Bobcats put runners on base in the first four innings but couldn’t break through for another run until the fourth. With one out, catcher Ashley Lamparelli drilled a triple over the head of the left fielder and had the Brookfield fans on their feet. She would score on an infield hit by Angelina Pollen for a 3-0 lead.
After Pomperaug cut the lead to two runs in the sixth, Brookfield came right back in the top of the seventh with another run. DeMarco beat out an infield hit before Lennon came up with her third hit of the game, a sharply hit single. With two runners on base, Westmark smoked a run scoring single to give the Lady Bobcats some breathing room.
“Everybody picked up,” Bonacci said of the balanced offensive attack. “I think that’s the big thing that got us this championship — everybody had each others back.”
“We feel great, we are all so excited, I can’t believe this is even happening right now,” Lennon said. “The seniors helped me last year and I started to grow as a player, I’ve become closer with my team and if I could pick another team to be on I wouldn’t. I love playing on this team, they are so great.”
Fusek, who was sharp all night, picking up six strikeouts, did receive some defensive help. In the fourth inning Lennon scooped up a low liner to short and Angelo made a nice running catch in center field to end the inning. In the seventh inning, right fielder Melissa Pierce made two nice catches on well-hit balls before Fusek recorded the final out on the ground ball.
“It felt good for me to be able to be on the mound and show everybody that I can do this,” Fusek said. “I have this team, the defense and the offense behind me, anythings possible.”
The team will take its time savoring this championship moment before getting ready for state tournament play next week. Whatever happens there, this group will be back together next season with some big-time winning experience under their belt.
