Gilbert softball surrenders to Shepaug, 14-9

WINSTED — The Gilbert softball team hosted the Shepaug Spartans Monday, May 4. The Lady Jackets maintained a five-inning lead before being undone late in the game.

Gilbert was able to wrap up the top of the first only giving up one run, and then kicked off their offensive efforts early in the bottom of the inning. Starting pitcher Jess Shotwell reached first off a walk and was driven to third with a bunt double from Jen Fritch.

Rachel Wendel drove in the first run of the game on a ground double, followed by a two-RBI double by Ariel Trudell. Gilbert finished out their scoring in the bottom of the first with an RBI base hit from Shannon Tuozzo. The Yellowjackets headed into the second with a 4-1 lead.

Shotwell had her strongest pitching inning in the second, when after giving up a ground single on a fielder’s error she tallied three of her six strikeouts for the afternoon.

Gilbert remained strong through the second and third innings, adding one run in the second and two more in third while holding Shepaug at one.

Things were going well for the Jackets until their pitching game began to unravel. Shotwell walked four in the top of the fourth and gave up a triple and five runs — one of which was walked into home. The Spartans started nipping at the Jackets’ heels, heading into the bottom of the fourth with the score at 7-5.

Woe and calamity continued at the mound, allowing Shepaug to add another run in the top of the fifth after the Spartans kept Gilbert hitless in the previous inning.

The Jackets scrounged up some offense of their own in the bottom of the fifth, with Tuozzo starting things off with a fly single. Gilbert’s catcher, Brooke Davis, conjured up a double off a Shepaug fielding error, putting two runners in position to score. Courtney Hoxie drove in a run on a rolling infield out to extend the Jackets’ lead to 8-6.

Shotwell’s struggles were far from over. Now visibly weary, she gave up a double and three consecutive walks, coughing up another easy run to Shepaug. The Spartans took advantage and rocketed a fly double to drive in two more runs before adding another two runs on errors late in the inning to take the lead heading into the bottom of the sixth, 11-8.

Gilbert was able to cut the gap to two with another RBI from Trudell off a base hit. The Yellowjackets now trailed 11-9 into the final inning.

Jacket head coach Mark Douglass was forced to sit back and watch, lacking an on-hand relief pitcher to close out the game, but eventually called over two pitchers from Gilbert’s nearby JV game.

Douglass kept his relief pitchers warming up as Shotwell crawled through the final  inning. Despite some stellar fielding efforts, the Jackets surrendered another three runs and now trailed 14-9.

The Spartans halted any additional Jacket offense and took the 14-9 victory on the road, extending their record to 4-6 while Gilbert falls to 1-8.

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