Sonoma Valley softball team falls to Jaguars after third inning collapse

The Dragons were no match for the Jaguars on Thursday night despite a fair offensive performance, losing to Windsor 14-4 after giving up two huge innings.

While Sonoma Valley held even with their visitors for the first two innings, a seven-run third inning pushed Windsor ahead of their hosts and sealed the game.

The bottom of the lineup was the main source of offense for the Dragons early on, as sophomores Kyra Hudson and Gianna Chiotti each drove in runs to tie the game in the bottom of the second inning.

The game stalled in a back-and-forth offensive showcase until Windsor responded with a third-inning rally which forced Sonoma Valley to use three pitchers during the inning.

After surrendering two runs in the first, Dragons starting pitcher Kassedy Midgely was pulled from the game in the top of the third before registering an out. Midgely’s replacement on the mound, Hudson, wasn’t able to quell the Jaguars’ offensive run either as she walked four batters and gave up another five runs.

Windsor would not allow the Dragons to get within striking distance of the lead for the rest of the game due to the Jaguar pitching staff. The Dragons were scattered, connecting on just four hits and four walks over the last five innings. The Dragons attempt to respond on offense couldn’t match Windsor’s huge third-inning run. Midgely would take the loss in the game, registering two innings pitched with four runs surrendered on six hits.

Windsor starting pitcher Zoe Finney had walked four batters in her first two innings, but Sonoma Valley struggled to generate offense without that same pitcher-side pressure later in the game. Overall, Finney pitched all seven innings, allowing four runs on five hits and eight walks while throwing 125 pitches.

Sonoma Valley did manage to score another run in the bottom of the seventh, but the score came after Windsorhad tacked on another five runs off Broderick who bore the majority of the pitching load for the Dragons. She pitched the last 4.2 innings of the game, including 3.2 innnings where she kept the Jaguars scoreless after the disastrous third inning. The Jaguars’ final turn at-bat was the only thing to get the best of her, and only one of her five runs were earned.

Contact the reporter Caleb Logue at calebjlogue@gmail.com.