By Michael Letendre
BURLINGTON – The Bristol Eastern softball squad made a big comeback at Lewis Mills on Monday, scoring three runs in the top of the seventh, as the Lancers snared a huge 9-8 road win in Burlington.
The victory evened Eastern’s ledger at 2-2 while Mills fell to 3-4 overall.
It was a wild and wacky game as Eastern scored the first five runs in the contest before eventually allowing the Spartans a 7-6 edge through five innings of play.
The Lancers notched five runs in the third to pick up a 5-0 push, temporarily taking control of the showdown.
But Mills dropped a five-spot of its own in the bottom of the frame to make it a 5-5 contest.
From there, Eastern scored a run in the fourth while the Spartans cashed in on two in the bottom of the fifth to scoop up a 7-6 lead.
Neither squad scored in the sixth but in the top of the seventh, the Lancers secured the lead for good.
Eastern’s Riley Giblin dropped in a game-tying double while Alex Shorette (2-for-3) tallied a go-ahead two-base hit to help Eastern secure an 8-7 push.
And for a little insurance, Makayla Antunes (2-for-4, three RBI) slipped in the eventual game-winning RBI single as Eastern nabbed a 9-7 edge with just half-an-inning to play.
Mills added a run in the bottom of the seventh stanza but could not generate another game-tying drive as the Lancers ramped up a big 9-8 victory.
Eastern Ali Tellier survived a five-error performance from the visitors, tallying a dozen strikeouts to earn the win on the mound.
“Ali struck out 12 in the circle and helped out a shaky defense,” said Eastern coach Scott Redman via Twitter. “The grit of Riley Giblin [must be noted], toughing out an injury to get on the field in the seventh and [help] secure the victory. Hats off to a gutsy Mills team who battled all game.”
Hailey Gorack struck out 10 for the home team but the outfit absorbed a very tough loss.
Jasmine Perez, playing extremely well for the Lancers this year, went 2-for-4 while Shorette and Antunes each collected two hits apiece.
Samantha Policki added a hit while Jazmyn Browne scored two runs over the winning effort. Catcher Janessa Gonzalez made several outstanding plays behind the plate – making a big catch on a foul ball and later threw out a runner to keep the Spartans at bay.
According to the CIAC website, Eastern’s next game is on Wednesday at home against Middletown (3:45 p.m.) on the Alumni Field turf.
Since the Lancers do not have a turf-built softball field (yet), Eastern will instead be playing the contest from its usual grass field across from the playground at Page Park.
CCC South Softball
BRISTOL EASTERN 9, LEWIS MILLS 8
from Lewis Mills high school, Burlington
Bristol Eastern (2-2) 005 100 3 – 9 9 5
Lewis Mills (3-4) 005 020 1 – 8 9 2
WP: Ali Tellier (BE, 2-2); LP: Hailey Gorack (LM)
Bristol Eastern Batting
2B – Ali Tellier, Riley Giblin, Alex Shorette
3B – Makayla Antunes
HR – None
Lewis Mills Batting
2B – Kristina DeMichiel
3B – Hailey Gorack
HR – Mackenzie Jones
Records: Bristol Eastern 2-2 overall; Lewis Mills 3-4
