Sports

East Granby Softball Topples East Windsor 7-1

East Granby improves to 9-6, while East Windsor falls to 8-8

What a difference less than a month makes in high school sports.

The first time the East Windsor High softball team played NCCC rival East Granby this season, the Panthers shut out the Crusaders 1-0 on April 24 on the strength of pitcher Mallory Norman’s no-hitter.

Fast forward to Monday, and the Crusaders got their revenge with a 7-1 victory over East Windsor on the road.

East Granby pitcher Michaela Gothers shut down the Panthers, allowing just one run on four hits, while striking out six. She did not walk any batters.

Freshman catcher Val Winalski sparked the Crusaders on offense, going 3-for-4 with a double and a triple, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base.

Gothers also helped her cause with an RBI single and a run scored, while Jessica Grabinsky had a triple, a single and two RBIs and Alyssa Gileau had a single and two RBIs.

The Crusaders have now won three straight games, improving to 9-6 on the year, not bad for a team that lost its starting shortstop for two weeks.

“I’m starting four freshmen, a sophomore and a junior,” East Granby head coach Carl Ferrara said. “Now we’re starting to put things together. The last three games, we’ve played very well.”

It was another frustrating loss for East Windsor, which fell to 8-8. Indeed, in their eight losses, the Panthers have scored just five runs.

It’s a matter of being aggressive, according to Panthers head coach Karen Drake.

“We need to go up to bat knowing it take more than just meeting the bat with the ball,” Drake said. “We need to hit the ball hard.”

Drake also said that her players put themselves at an unnecessary disadvantage by taking first-pitch strikes from Gothers.

“When you see that first strike, you’ve got to get on it,” Drake said.

Still, there were some positive takeaways for the young East Windsor team. The Panthers committed just one error, and they did make contact at the plate.

It’s a team that has come a long way in a short period of time, qualifying for the state Class S tournament.

Drake is looking for further development from her players.

Both East Windsor and East Granby will play Bolton next. East Granby plays at home on May 14, while East Windsor will play on the road on May 15.


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