GREENFIELD — Hits were hard to come by in the Franklin County Summer Softball League championship game between the Defenders and the Menace on Wednesday.
Both aces — Maggie Fay of the Defenders and Hannah Gilbert of the Menace — were nearly untouchable in the circle. Fay allowed just five hits all game while Gilbert allowed only one.
In the end, the Menace were able to put a run across the board in the first and tack two more on in the fourth to hoist the trophy via a 3-0 win at Murphy Park.
“It’s fun to win this,” Gilbert said. “This season was a lot of fun. Everyone improved and we all had fun together.”
Gilbert finished the game with 12 strikeouts. She allowed just three other base runners throughout the contest, two on walks and another via an error.
The rising sophomore at Franklin Tech used the summer league season to work on her accuracy, feeling she was able to have total command of her stuff throughout the Menace’s playoff run.
“The more I throw, the more accurate I’ve been,” Gilbert said. “I’ve taken a little bit off my throws just so I can be more accurate.”
Fay brought her best stuff for the Defenders, recording 12 strikeouts and walking just two. Gilbert plays on the 16U Valley Storm travel team along with Fay, so she and the Menace knew that hits were going to be at a premium on Wednesday.
“I play with her in another league,” Gilbert said of Fay. “She’s good. We just had to take what she was throwing. I knew we had it. We work together well as a team.”
The Menace opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Skyler Steele got on with a walk, moved to third on a Kylee Gamache single and scampered home after the Defenders were unable to throw out a stealing Gamache at second to give the Menace the first run of the game.
The Menace struck again in the fourth to add insurance. Steele opened the frame by bombing a triple into the right center gap and Gilbert helped herself out by smacking a double to bring Steele home and give the Menace a 2-0 lead.
Cordelia Guerin then blasted a double of her own to drive Gilbert in, giving the Menace a 3-0 lead.
The Menace threatened again in the bottom of the fifth. Sandra Johnson belted a triple to open the inning, but Fay locked in from that point on, striking out the ensuing three batters to strand Johnson on third.
In the bottom of the sixth, Steele got on after being hit by a pitch. Gilbert launched a hit into the outfield and Steele tried to use her speed to score, but the throw was in time to get her at the plate and prevent another run from coming across. Fay induced a ground out to end the inning and strand Gilbert on second.
The Defenders’ best chances to score runs came in the fifth and the seventh innings. In the fifth, Margarette Howland reached with a walk and Shelby O’Leary hit a ground ball to short and beat the throw to first — ending Gilbert’s no hitter — for an infield single to put runners on first and second. Gilbert was able to record a strikeout to end the inning with no harm done.
In the seventh, Laylah Blount hit a dribbler down the third base line for the Defenders and avoided a tag at first to reach safely. Mackenzie Matthews then drew a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs, but Gilbert got a pair of ground outs and then a strikeout to close out the victory for the Menace.
Gilbert said she had trust in the people behind her after putting runners on in the seventh, allowing her to just throw strikes and let her teammates make the outs they needed to make.
“I knew if they put it in play, our fielders could make plays,” Gilbert said. “They did a good job of that.”