Morgan Hibbert on first after hitting a single as the Rams defeated Central 2-1 on May 11, 2016. Credit: Terry Dinan
On a day when their bats weren’t working as well as they usually do, the New Canaan Rams needed a lift from their pitcher.
And did she ever deliver.
Sophomore hurler Gillian Kane threw a no-hitter and tied a school record by striking out 13 batters to help the Rams edge the Central Hilltoppers 2-1 Wednesday afternoon at Bridgeport Central High School.
New Canaan (9-7, 7-5 FCIAC) avoided what could have been a catastrophic defeat in their pursuit of an FCIAC berth, as Central pitcher Soleil Rivera kept the Rams hitters at bay, surrendering only six hits and one walk while striking out three.
“A win is a win,” New Canaan head coach Danielle Simoneau told NewCanaanite.com. “You can’t underestimate Central. That coach [Christine Boehm] has done a tremendous job with those girls from one through nine.”
The Rams jumped on top early as freshman Kara Fahey was hit by a pitch in the first inning and advanced to third on junior Rachel Keshin’s ground-rule double. Molly Keshin drove Fahey home with a fielder’s choice for a 1-0 New Canaan lead.
The Rams added another run in the fourth as junior Gabriella Sulpizi led the inning off with an infield single and moved to second on sophomore Clare Wagner’s bunt single. With one out Kane grounded a single up the middle to score Sulpizi for a 2-0 New Canaan lead.
Meanwhile, Kane worked through the Hilltoppers’ batting order, getting the first six outs via the strikeout and retiring 18 of the first 20 batters (two over the minimum) through six innings. Kane was helped by two spectacular plays by New Canaan’s outfield as Sulpizi tracked down a long fly ball to right in the fifth and junior Eliza Haney made a shoestring grab of a liner in the right-centerfield gap, keeping Kane’s no-hit bid alive.
“Eliza and Gabi were huge,” Kane said. “It lifts up the spirits of not only me but the entire team and gets us thinking that we can make any play no matter where the ball goes.”
Central (5-11, 2-11 FCIAC) made things interesting in the seventh inning as the first two Hilltopper batters walked and quickly moved to second and third with no outs after a wild pitch. Kane regained her composure and recorded strikeout number 13 for the first out, tying the school record she already shared with former Rams pitcher Ali Reilly, who accomplished the feat four times at New Canaan.
With one out, Kane induced an RBI ground out to junior Molly Rochlin at second base for out number two. With the score 2-1 and with the tying run at third, Central’s Danisha Reyes popped out to Molly Keshin at third base to end the game.
“It was pretty stressful at the end,” Kane said. “We stayed strong defensively when they [Central] did make contact with the ball, and when we did hit we were able to get the runners in when we had to. We came out of it with the win, so it’s all good.”
Rachel Keshin led the way for the Rams offensively by going 2-for-4 with a double at the plate. New Canaan also received hits from Kane, Sulpizi, Wagner and freshman Morgan Hibbert as the Rams—who qualified for the Class LL State playoffs after Tuesday 9-7 win over Staples—kept their FCIAC hopes alive entering the home stretch of the regular season.
“We’re in states, but we’re not in FCIAC’s yet,” Simoneau said. “It’s not time to sit back on our heels and relax. We still have four more games left and we need to play those four games like they’re the first four of the season.”
