ANSONIA – Ansonia junior Bre Walker delivered a performance for the record books, hitting for the cycle to lead the Lady Tigers to an 11-1, six-inning run-rule victory over Twin Valley South in WOAC play.
“We have a lot of good ball players on this team,” said Ansonia coach Dave Fisherback. “They are out here competing. That is what we had to do, and get ready for tournament play. We have big games coming up, and we have to keep plugging away.”
Walker set the tone early and never let up, tripling in the first inning, singling in the third, doubling in the fifth, and blasting a home run to center in the sixth to complete the cycle.
Ansonia wasted little time getting on the board. With two outs in the first, Ava Thatcher singled to left before Walker followed with a triple to bring home the game’s first run.
The Lady Tigers extended their lead in the second inning, scoring three runs on four hits. Miley Walls led off with a single, Dani Gibbs delivered an RBI double, and Shyann McKenna launched a two-run homer over the centerfield fence to give Ansonia a 4-0 advantage.
“Shyann has a lot of power, along with Walker,” Fisherback said. “We have a lot of power on this team.”
Gibbs kept the pressure on in the third, ripping a one-out triple and later scoring on a McKenna sacrifice fly to push the lead to 5-0.
Ansonia added three more runs in the fifth. Thatcher singled to open the inning, Walker followed with a double, and a Caldwell groundout plated a run. Walls drew a walk before Gibbs came through again with a two-run single, stretching the lead to 8-0.
Twin Valley South broke through in the top of the sixth on a solo home run to center by Caldwell, but it was only a brief interruption.
The Lady Tigers answered emphatically in the bottom half of the inning. Thatcher singled once again, setting the stage for Walker’s two-run homer to center. Keigen Jones then drew a walk with the bases loaded to bring home the final run and end the game via run rule.
“Trying to get some kids in there, and she had one other at-bat, so she was 1-for-1, and now she’s still 1-for-1 with a walk RBI,” Fisherback said. “So it was an opportunity to get some younger kids in the game.”
Walls was dominant in the circle, going the distance while allowing just four hits and one run over six innings. She struck out seven and did not issue a walk.
“Our pitching was outstanding,” said Fisherback. “Miley Walls was hitting her spots, and the movement on her pitches was working well. It was a win we needed, and now we’re in the mind of taking care of business.”
Ansonia totaled 13 hits on the day, with Gibbs, Walker, and McKenna each driving in three runs. Walker paced the Lady Tigers with four hits, and Thatcher chipped in with three hits in four at-bats.
“We’re starting to build that momentum after the gauntlet of our schedule,” Fisherback added. “So it’s nice to get the W.”
For Twin Valley South, Ryliee Caldwell drove in the lone run and finished 2-for-3, while the Panthers also turned a double play defensively.
BOX SCORE:
000 000 0 R H E
000 001 X 1 4 I Twin Valley South
130 133 X 11 13 3 Ansonia
