Granby Memorial Softball in Class M Title Game

The No. 3 softball team advanced to the title game of the state Class M tournament with a convincing 6-2 victory over No. 2 Waterford in West Haven on Tuesday evening.

The Bears (23-1) did it in typical fashion, behind the pitching of Neve Stearns and the timely, opportunistic offense that has been on display all season.

Indeed, Granby Memorial took a 5-0 lead in the second inning, courtesy of a rally that occurred primarily with two outs.

Emily Martel got the Bears on the board with a one-out, bases loaded single that brought home Ellie Bourque. Two batters later, Haley Makuch emptied the bases with a two-out single/error in the outfield. That allowed Jamie Fitzgerald, Sara Boardman and Martel to score as Makuch wound up on third.

Sam Groskritz completed the rally with an RBI single to score Makuch, giving Stearns a five-run cushion.

The Bears struck again in the top of the fourth, with Makuch singling home Morgan Malone, who singled and stole second.

Stearns, for her part, was terrific, mixing in her changeup and curveball to devastating effect. She allowed two runs - one in the bottom of the fifth, and the other on a towering home run in the seventh - on just six hits with one walk. She struck out nine batters.

Her performance contrasted sharply from the Bears’ quarterfinal game Monday against Griswold, when rain resulted in a slick ball, limiting the number of pitches in her arsenal and causing her to allow a season-high seven walks.

The victory sets up a mouthwatering final at DeLuca Field in Stratford on Saturday between the Bears and No. 4 Rocky Hill (21-1), which defeated No. 1 Seymour 1-0 in the other semifinal in West Haven. Granby Memorial and the Terriers were slated to play one another in the final game of the regular season, but the game was canceled due to scheduling conflicts.

It will mark the first appearance in a Class M title game for the Bears, who were the state Class S runners-up in 1986.