Berlin handcuffs East Granby/Granby in Section I softball contest. 9-0

East Granby/Granby’s Julia Tetreault had one of three hits for her team in Tuesday night’s Section II state tournament game in Simsbury.

SIMSBURY, July 1, 2025 – Two Berlin pitchers limited District 6 champion East Granby/Granby to just three hits to earn a 9-0 victory in a Section I Major Division softball (ages 10-12) state tournament on Tuesday night at Memorial Field.

Berlin’s Alexis Gorneault and Taylar Dignazio-Drost allowed just three hits in six innings of work. They didn’t walk a batter and combined to strike out seven.

The win advances Berlin (5-0, 2-0 Section II) to the Section II championship game on Thursday night at Memorial Field at 6 p.m. They will face the winner of Wednesday night’s elimination game between East Granby/Granby (3-1) and Seymour, the District 3 champion, which also begins at 6 p.m. Berlin is the two-time Section 5 champion.

Seven Berlin hitters got hits with Lucy Mals getting two hits and one RBI. Grace Burke was 1-for-2 with a run scored and two RBI.

Thanks to a pair of stolen bases, Berlin took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a ground ball out that allowed Katja Sepko to score from third base.

In the second inning, Berlin extended their lead to 4-0. Berlin loaded the bases thanks to a walk and back-to-back singles from Gorneault and Mals. One run scored on a wild pitch and a second run scored on an infield ground ball out. Ashley Thorpe’s RBI single gave Berlin a 4-0 lead.

Mals and Natalia Boles each had RBI singles for Berlin in the third inning as Berlin extended their lead to 9-0 with another five runs.

Consecutive singles from Emily Catter and Heidi Hobson in the fourth inning boosted the spirits of East Granby/Granby but the next two batters were retired in order to squelch any potential rally.

East Granby/Granby did turn a double play in the fifth inning. With runners on second and third base, Sepko grounded to pitcher Tetreault, who threw her out at first base. Elizabeth Burns fired the ball home to catcher Abby Lynch to get the runner trying to score from third base.

East Granby/Granby is making their first sectional Major Division state tournament appearance since 2019.

Berlin 9, East Granby/Granby 0
At Simsbury
EG/Granby (3-1)       000  000  — 0-3-0
Berlin (5-0)                   135  00x  — 9-8-0
Luciana Carter, Julia Tetreault (3) and Abigail Lynch; Alexis Gorneault, Taylar Dignazio-Drost (4) and Olivia Levandowski; WP: Gorneault; LP: Carter (2-1); 2B: Tetreault (EG); 3B: none; HR: none

Section II
At Simsbury (Memorial Field)
Monday, June 30
Game 1: Berlin (D5) 9, Seymour (D3) 2
Tuesday, July 1
Game 2: Berlin 9, East Granby/Granby (D6) 0
Wednesday, July 2
Game 3: East Granby/Granby (D6) vs. Seymour, 6 p.m.
Thursday, July 3
Game 4: Berlin vs. game 3 winner, 6 p.m.