Freshman lifts Latin Academy softball to another Boston City League crown

Latin Academy’s softball team has dominated the Boston City League for a decade.

The dynasty added another chapter on Monday. Freshman Ellie Etemad-Gilbertson finished 4-for-4, finishing with an inside-the-park home run and the eventual game-clinching hit, as Latin Academy won the BCL title once again with a 13-1 five-inning victory over East Boston.

“We have a formula that works,” said Latin Academy coach Rocco Zizza. “We play a lot of games outside the city. We play as many games against good teams as possible, and that usually reaps the benefits.”

It did not take long for Latin Academy to set the tone at Puopolo Playground. Etemad-Gilbertson drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first. Then, sophomore Alanis Toledano launched a towering drive down the left field line, which clanked off the foul pole. While umpires originally ruled the shot a foul ball, Zizza immediately argued the call, and it was quickly overturned. Right out of the gate, the Dragons had a 2-0 advantage.

“I thought it was a foul,” Toledano chuckled. “But then I heard it hit the pole, so I was like: ‘Oh shoot, I think that was a double or a home run or something.’ So I was really excited. It was unexpected.”

In the third inning, the floodgates opened as Latin Academy plated four runs. With a runner on, Etemad-Gilbertson cranked a ball off the center field wall for an RBI triple, then Toledano drove her in with a double off the fence in left to make it a 7-1 contest. Emma Walsh followed suit with an RBI single, as the Dragons took a commanding 8-1 lead.

Then in the fourth inning, after a 2-run triple by Olivia McSharry gave Latin Academy a 10-1 edge, Etemad-Gilbertson stepped to the plate with a runner aboard, then roped a ball toward the right field gap.

As the freshman ran toward second, she realized she had a chance to go all the way, and turned on the jets.

“As soon as I hit it, I was just going as fast as possible,” Etemad-Gilbertson said. “Just sprinting, trying to score.”

After the freshman rounded third, she simply jogged home, as the Dragons made it a 12-1 affair.

With a chance to end the game with a hit in the fifth inning, Etemad-Gilbertson left her final imprint on Latin Academy’s latest City League championship, as she hooked an RBI single to right, plating another as the Dragons took the win via the 12-run mercy rule.

Etemad-Gilbertson was named Most Valuable Player.

Freshman Gianna Troville finished 1-for-2 and drove in the lone run for East Boston with a fielder’s choice in the second inning.

Latin Academy will now await its first opponent in the Div. 3 North tournament later this week.

By this point, Zizza has lost track of how many times in a row that his program has won its league title.

“I stopped counting after six,” Zizza laughed. “It’s like golf.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2TyYbPV