Bats Let Wildcats Down Against Rebels

Throughout the game, the Bethel High softball team certainly had its chances to take the lead, and take control against SWC foe New Fairfield, but it wasn’t to be. The Wildcats (11-6, 9-4) went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position and lost 6-3 in nine innings.

“It’s all in the timing and opportunities,” Coach Lynn Fenn said. “When the opportunity was there, the composure wasn’t and that makes a difference.”

Yesenia Evaristo was able to keep the Rebels from putting together a rally for the first eight innings, but fatigue seemed to set in, and she was touched for four runs in the ninth.

“I think she was a little tired,” Fenn said. “She slid earlier in the game and scratched up her leg, and you know when you’re not in your groove.”

The Wildcats did manage to score a run of their own in their half of the ninth thanks to Evaristo’s triple and a single from Rachel Barton, but that would be it.

“Even at the end with two outs it was nice to see Yesenia got that nice hit and Rachel knocked her in,” Fenn said.

After six innings without a run, the Wildcats were able force extras when they scored twice in the bottom of seventh, taking advantage of a pair of errors by the Rebels.

Danielle Spinella started the rally with a single and advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt. A strikeout Emily Defazio came up and drove in the Wildcats’ first run with a safety squeeze.

Defazio was advanced to second when Alyssa Martinez drew a walk. Evaristo lined out to center, which brought up Rachel Barton. Barton’s grounder went through the Rebels’ shortstop and allowed Defazio to tie up the game with two outs in the seventh.

Sherry Senger loaded the bases with an infield single, but the Rebels escaped without further damage when Jenna Mango lined out to short.

“We had our breaks, we came back with a tied score, and this was our opportunity,” Fenn said. “We loaded up the bases, we had a couple of chances to score and capitalize, but we just couldn’t string them together. We had hits here and there, not when we really needed them. When the pressure was on we weren’t delivering.”

The Wildcats had chances to score throughout the game, they put a runner in scoring position in 7-of-9 innings but could not come up with the clutch hit. They could not drive in Senger after she led off the second with a double, and left the bases loaded in the sixth.

Senger finished the game four-for-five with a double, while Barton and Evaristo went 2-for-4.

While the Wildcats’ offense was struggling, Evaristo was doing her best to keep her team in the game. She limited the Rebels to a solo homerun in the second, and a single run in the sixth but will get the loss. She struck out seven.

Bethel’s next game is Monday at 7 p.m. against Bunnell at Freebairn Field.