Sports

Ellington Prevails In Extra Innings, Tops Windsor For District 8 Title

Ellington won, 10-8, in seven innings at Windsor's Welch Field.

After giving up the tying run only moments earlier, Ellington Pitcher Cassie Holmes stepped up to the plate in the top of the seventh inning with runners on first and third and batted in what turned out to be the winning run as she grounded out to shortstop.

It was an uncharacteristically routine play in a title game marked by five lead changes and a fair share of bad ball bounces for both teams. But Holmes' RBI, immediately followed by a near-identical play by Kayla Buffington, brought the score to 10-8, and clinched the District 8, 11-12 All-Star Softball championship on Saturday evening.

Ellington lost to Windsor a day earlier, 5-2, forcing Saturday's final match up and requiring the girls from Ellington to get up after being knocked down to come away with the title. Finding themselves knocked down again in the sixth inning on Saturday, the Ellington girls refused to give way to Windsor's momentum and managed to capitalize on a few Windsor mistakes to come out on top.

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From the opening pitch, it appeared to be Ellington's day. It jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning thanks to three consecutive walks that loaded the bases, a couple of errant Windsor throws, Holmes retiring the first three Windsor batters.

Windsor, however, refused let the early deficit hamper its championship aspirations. Getting to the championship game through the tournament's loser's bracket, the Windsor girls were the underdog coming in, but having beaten Ellington the day before, it was clear that the championship could be theirs.

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A RBI triple by Sarah Gegetskas in the bottom of the second proved to be the spark Windsor needed.

Holmes walked four consecutive Windsor batters in the bottom of the third and Windsor took advantage, taking the lead with five runs scored in the inning.

Ellington tied things up in the fourth with an RBI triple from Buffington that sent Holmes home from first, starting a back-and-forth between the two teams that came to a head in the all-important sixth.

Ellington entered the sixth inning trailing Windsor 7-6, thanks to a pitch that landed in the dirt, allowing Windsor's Madison Lee to slide in safely across home plate from third.

With its back against the wall, Ellington scored the tying and go-ahead runs in the top of the sixth — first on a Taylor Duclos groundball that was fielded with a throw that went astray, and then Kelly White's groundball rip through the heart of the Windsor defense that put the score at 8-7.

Windsor's Lee responded in the bottom of the inning with runners on second and third. She hit a groundball single that sent Renate Tomkiel home to tie the game up.

In the end, it was Holmes' and Buffington's offense, backed up by solid defensive play that won Ellington the title.

After walking the first batter in the bottom of the seventh, with a 10-8 lead, Holmes finished the game as she began it — retiring three straight batters.

Ellington will represent District 8 in the Connecticut Section II Tournament, which starts July 7.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 F Ellington 5 0 0 1 0 2 2 10 Windsor 0 1 5 0 1 1 0 8


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