Southington Softball Repeats LL Championship In Walk-Off Thriller

WEST HAVEN, CT — Southington softball coach Davina Hernandez has helmed five state championship teams since 2013, with each victory coming by a margin of just one run. That trend continued Saturday in the Class LL finals against Fairfield Ludlowe, as the Lady Knights rallied from a run down with two tallies in the bottom of the seventh inning to walk off with a 4-3 victory.

Jazmin Lasane belted a game-ending single to score Ashlyn Desaulniers with the title-winning run. Earlier in the inning, Alison Rembish had scored the tying run on a single by Lauren Verrilli.

The Lady Knights jumped to an early lead when Desaulniers stole home in the opening inning. The Falcons moved in front 2-1 in the fourth on a 2-run home run by Chelsea Villar.

Southington tied it on a bizarre play in the fifth, when Kaitlynn Griffin stole home on a delayed dead ball situation following an illegal pitch by Ludlowe reliever Anna Gedacht, who had just replaced starter Alex Lewey. The Falcons reclaimed the lead on a run-scoring triple by Della Jackson in the seventh, setting the stage for Southington's thrilling last-second heroics.

Winning pitcher Julia Panarella allowed seven hits and struck out four.

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