You get the idea that playing softball at Bacon Academy is a lot of fun right now.
The girls softball team is on a roll and for the first time ever finds itself in a semifinal state tournament game, they can thank Erica Clauss alot for that.
Clauss is the motor that keeps the Bobcats rolling whether its her pitching, her offense or just her enthusiasm, as Clauss goes, so do the Bobcats.
The Columbia University-bound senior struck out 17 Wilton hitters on Thursday and allowed just one hit to make the 5-0 Bacon win look pretty easy. That came on the heels of a 1-0 win over Sacred Heart the day before where she had to go nine innings.
Clauss also kick started the Bacon offense on Thursday by drawing a lead-off walk in the bottom of the first. She advanced to second on a passed ball, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Katelynn Barr single. It turned out to be all the runs Clauss would need even if Bacon did add four more runs in the fourth but, more importantly, it also took the pressure off the Bobcats shoulders early as they had the lead to work with.
Some other teams hope to do that today. The Fitch Falcons and Waterford Lancers meet today in Waterford at four, the winner moves on to play Bacon Monday in West Haven.
The Griswold Wolverines stay home and host Holy Cross at 4 p.m., hoping to get past the quarterfinals for the first time in three years.
St. Bernard takes on a team that beat them earlier in the season as East Hampton visits the Saints and Lyman plays host to Somers in a pair of Class S quarterfinals.
We'll see you in Jewett City this afternoon.