Join me today at 3:15 for a live blog from the Naugatuck Valley League softball tournament final at Naugatuck High School. No. 2 Torrington (20-2) takes on No. 1 Seymour (22-0) at 3:30. Who do you think will win today's game? Pick the winner in the comment section below this post, and if you want, tell me why.
The Wildcats are the top-ranked team in the state, according to the latest New Haven Register poll. Seymour and Torrington played once this season, with the Wildcats taking a 4-0 win over the Raiders on April 11 at Seymour High School.
Torrington reached the final by winning twice on Wednesday at Naugatuck. The Raiders beat No. 7 Wolcott 1-0 in a quarterfinal, then knocked off No. 3 Woodland 3-1 later in the afternoon in a semifinal. Seymour beat Holy Cross 17-0 on Monday at Naugatuck, then defeated No. 4 Naugatuck 7-0 on Wednesday night, also at Naugatuck.

Three big keys for Torrington today:

• The Raiders need to come up with the big hit. Torrington had two runners on in each of the first two innings in the game at Seymour, but didn't score. The Raiders were also unable to take advantage of four Wildcat errors in the first two innings. Torrington needs to string hits together against Seymour's tough senior pitcher Kelly Ferris in order to win. The Raiders must also take advantage of any mistakes that the Wildcats make. Ferris is not an easy pitcher to hit. She threw a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts in the semifinal win over Naugatuck. In the game against Torrington at Seymour, Ferris gave up just three hits, struck out seven, and didn't walk a batter.
• Torrington needs to avoid giving Seymour extra outs. In the game at Seymour, two Raider errors helped lead to the first two Wildcat runs. Sydney Matzko (pictured above in the April 11 game) pitched relatively well (6 innings, 4 runs, 5 hits, 11 strikeouts, 0 walks), but the errors hurt. Seymour will try to bunt the ball against Torrington, and the Raiders must field the ball well. 
• Nerves: Torrington is a young team and will need to stay composed against a Seymour program that has owned the NVL Tournament. The Raiders must try to avoid getting rattled.