Gilbert softball ends season with 10-inning contest

WINSTED — Darkened skies and fear of a rain delay did not prevent Gilbert head coach Mark Douglass from honoring seniors Katie LaChance and Wizza Miller before the start of their final game of the season. Gilbert hosted Thomaston at Rowley Field on Wednesday, May 27, where they grappled for 10 innings before taking a 9-8 loss.

The Yellowjackets started off strong, fielding well and getting strong pitching from starter Jess Shotwell. They kept Thomaston scoreless until the third inning, when the visiting team cut the Jacket lead to 3-2.

By the seventh inning, Thomaston had pulled away, leading 8-4.

In the top of the seventh, Shotwell was replaced by Nikki Mangione, who finally cauterized the increasingly unstoppable Thomaston scoring game to give the Jackets one more inning to attempt to tie the game.

Down by four in what was looking to be her final at bat of her high school athletic career, LaChance sent a long, hard shot into the gap for a single. Miller, the Jackets’ other senior player, came up with a double off a Thomaston error. Ariel Trudell stepped up and drove in two runs off a single to cut the lead to 8-6.

Another single drove in the seventh run for the Jackets and catcher Brook Davis drove in the tying run to put everything even, 8-8. Hoxie loaded the bases with a single, but Thomaston finally brought the inning to an end after giving up four runs.

The game remained tied with, errors and sound defensive plays made by both sides. Thomaston finally broke the tie with a triple that drove in the game winning run. But Gilbert took heart from what was in many ways a solid performance.

“We had some chances. This is a game that is good for the younger players coming back next season,� said Douglass.

Gilbert finished the season with a record of 5-15.