West Haven — Caroline Taber was at the plate, in the midst of being intentionally walked with the go-ahead run on third base in the fifth inning of the state semifinals Monday.

"I put my toes right on the line (toward home plate). I was thinking, 'Please miss. Please miss over the plate so I can hit it,'" said Taber, Fitch High School's recently crowned Gatorade Connecticut Softball Player of the Year, who was walked three times in the game.

Instead, the pitch from North Haven's Haley Arnaoutis crossed up catcher Rachel Card and sailed to the backstop, allowing Fitch's Taylor Wolfgang to race home with the eventual game-winner.

Unbeaten Fitch, the defending champion and top seed, came from behind for the second straight game to edge No. 20 North Haven 2-1 in the semifinals of the Class L state tournament at Frank Biondi Field, putting the Falcons in the finals for the second straight season.

Taber pitched a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Wolfgang, meanwhile, provided the deciding blow, a one-out triple in the fifth that scored Cassie Woods with the tying run, and none too soon with the game — which took little more than an hour — racing by with the Falcons (25-0) yet to score.

Woods, the No. 9 hitter, reached on a single to right-center. Wolfgang, hitting leadoff in place of all-state shortstop Jackie Lewis, who has missed the tournament following surgery, drilled a triple to right-center with the ball rolling to the fence. Woods beat the throw to the plate.

Fitch will meet No. 10 East Haven, a 4-3 winner over No. 11 Nonnewaug, in the championship game either Friday or Saturday at a site and time to be announced.

"We're confident. We believe in our little rallies we have," said Woods, a sophomore who has ignited two comebacks in the last week. "Having the top of the order hit us in, it's great."

"It makes me realize now I need to hold 'em, don't let up any more runs," Taber said of falling behind against North Haven. "Inside of throwing a ball that cuts over the plate ... see if you can get them to chase it. The one that got hit, I left over the plate. I deserved that."

Fitch had only two hits through four innings. Wolfgang singled to lead off the first and Taber walked. A Jayden Delaporta line shot to first baseman Victoria Bouffard doubled the runner off first, however, ending the inning.

In the second, Nalissa Amar singled, but was thrown out at the plate trying to score on an errant throw by North Haven in trying to field a bunt by Haley Flax.

North Haven (13-11), which had not allowed a run in the tournament to that point, then took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Mia Martinez led off with a single, was sacrified to second by Arnaoutis and scored on a double to the left field fence by Amanda Kenny, the ball which Taber inadvertently left over the plate.

"We hit the ball hard and they made those plays. When that happens, the game goes by quickly," Fitch coach Kate Prpich said. "I looked up and it was the bottom of the fifth inning. I said, 'We need to score now!'

"These tournament games have been phenomenal. They've taught us to fight and show our heart and not quit. You don't expect to come to the state tournament semifinal and walk away unscathed."

In Friday's quarterfinal victory over No. 8 Sheehan, 4-3 in eight innings, Fitch trailed 3-2 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh before Woods singled and Wolfgang drove her in to tie it. Taber singled in the eighth and courtesy runner Hayley Baldoz scored from first on an error to win it.

Said Prpich of the intentional walk to Taber, which produced the wild pitch: "If they don't want to pitch to Taylor, they have to pitch to Jo (Hobert); if they don't want to pitch to Jo, they have to pitch to Caroline; if they don't want to pitch to Caroline, they have to pitch to Jayden. They have to go through four, five, six of us." 

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Twitter: @vickieattheday