The annual Mayor’s Cup softball game between crosstown West Hartford rivals Conard and Hall ended with a 7-4 win by the Red Wolves,

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Kelly Fleischmann

On Wednesday afternoon, May 20, players, parents, and alumni of Conard and Hall softball came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of softball in West Hartford Public Schools, as well as to enjoy the classic Mayor’s Cup crosstown rivalry game. 

To begin the ceremony, Conard coach Ed Litos, invited all parents and alumni to line up on the foul territory side of third and first base to allow everyone to be included in the ceremony. With the Titans and the Red Wolves both coming together for the same purpose, there was a sense of unity between the teams. Though Conard and Hall may be rivals, on this day they came together for one purpose: the appreciation of the game and of women’s sports. 

Litos led the group in a moment of silence in memory of Ron Savino, who was Hall’s varsity coach from 2008 to 2011. Savino passed away last Friday, but his legacy in West Hartford softball will not be forgotten. Sarah Hoisl, Hall’s assistant varsity coach, was next to speak, thanking all who were involved in the set-up of the event, including Mayor Shari Cantor, West Hartford Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus, and Human Resources Director Julio Duarte. 

Cantor was then invited to speak, where she revelled in the history and success of both Conard and Hall’s softball programs over the years. She then gave both Conard and Hall proclamations for their excellence in girls’ sports. 

Conard and Hall both had first pitches thrown by former coaches. For Hall, Kathy Sweetland gave the first pitch. Sweetland served as the longest tenured Hall softball coach (1986-97), where she led the team to the most wins (112) and guided them to their only league title in 1994 (CCC-West). For Conard, Pam Moffo threw out the first pitch. Moffo was the first head coach at Conard; her teams won 154 games, and she guided Conard to its first league championship in 1985 (CCC-West) when they shared it with Windsor (the first year of the Central Connecticut Conference). 

The game began with the Titans at bat, where they started strong offensively. No. 22, Lila Fried, was first at bat and was able to make it to first base. Hall put runners on first and second with Lena Leung (No. 11) and Avery Garcia (No. 17). T

The Red Wolves’ defense began to tighten up, getting Lila Fried out. Leung and Garcia were both able to make it home when Molly Grove was at bat, putting the Titans up by 2. The Red Wolves were not able to make up the couple of points they needed to tie up the game when at bat, keeping Hall in the lead with a score of 2-0, after the first inning. 

In the second inning, Elise Talbott vbegan to show what makes her such a great pitcher. She didn’t let a single Hall player make it to first base, and Conard returned to bat. First at bat for Conard was No. 21, Char Keeny. Char got a hit and made it to first, and then later to second, but she was left on base. 

At the top of the third inning, the Titans were able to make a comeback, with Fried being the lone player on the bases, but still managing to make it home with Garcia at bat. The Red Wolves knew that it was necessary to get on the board at this point in the game. No. 27, Annabelle Truskoski brought this to fruition after getting a double, and then eventually getting home to end the inning with a score of 3-1, Hall still in the lead. 

While many fans may have thought that the Titans had this game in the bag, the Red Wolves had different plans. While at bat, Conard began to advance their offensive play. No. 17, Teá Higgins, got a double, and Julia Talbott batted her home. The score now being 3-2, the game could be anyone’s. Conard, though, was still at bat, so they looked to even up the score during this inning. This was possible when No. 5, Nola Ostafin, got a walk, followed by senior Zuzu Lasek hitting the ball to center field, where it was fumbled, allowing Nola to make it home. The inning came to a close with a tied score of 3-3.

In the fourth, Elise Talbott didn’t let a single Hall player make it to first base, giving Conard a chance to get in the lead while they were at bat. This opportunity was taken advantage of by Truskoski, who got a single, and was batted in by Julia Talbott. Ostafin followed with a run batted in single that scored Higgins, putting the Red Wolves in the lead by 2. 

The fifth inning was quiet, but things sped up greatly in the sixth. The Titans’ offenae became a lot stronger in this inning, as shown by Avery Garcia’s solo home run on the first pitch from Elise Talbott. The entire Hall team rushed onto the field to celebrate her accomplishment, but their excitement was short-lived. The first hitter up at bat, Lucy Austin, quickly got to first. Next up at bat was Truskoski, who got a walk, sending Austin to second base. Higgins hit a sacrifice fly ball, allowing Austin to make it home. Julia Talbott was then up at bat, got a double, and with Ostafin at bat, Talbott was able to make it home, putting the Red Wolves up 7-4. 

The seventh inning was a short one. Elise Talbott dominates in the mound, shutting out Hall.. The game ended before Conard went to bat, as they had already secured their win. The final score of the game was 7-4, meaning the Red Wolves were awarded the Mayor’s Cup for the 2025-2026 season. 

This was Hall’s (7-13) last game of the season. Conard (10-9) will continue to advance to the Class LL state tournament beginning in June. The Red Wolves next match-up is Tuesday against Plainville, though this game is a continuation of the game from Tuesday, May 19, that was cut short due to rain. The game will pick up in the fourth inning with Plainville leading, 5-0.  

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