After Tough First Inning Gilbert Helps Lady Rebels Climb Back For Win

By the time the top of the first inning of Thursday's game between the Lady Rebels and their guests from Steinert High School was over, Howell pitcher Steph Gilbert had already seen eight of the team's nine hitters. 

The visiting Spartans took advantage of some defensive miscues, a few walks and some well placed hits to build an early 2-0 lead. Before the game got out of hand, the Lady Rebels came together at just the right time to end the inning with the bases loaded.

That defensive stop also helped set the tone as Gilbert and her teammates battled all the way back to get a 4-3 win in the Central Jersey Group IV Quarterfinal. The senior hurler showed just how quickly she was able to bounce back in fact, as in the very next frame she retired Steinert 1-2-3 including a pair of strikeouts.

Gilbert attributed the bumpy start to nerves, but said she was glad to have been able to settle down and help her team advance. She also gave credit to junior Carsin Connor who came in as a reliever for the last three innings to close out the victory.

Coach Sandra Hempel said the performance Gilbert gave was indicative of her contributions to the team all year. "It was great to see," she said. "It was impressive and it shows the type of player that she is. She got right back up and pitched her heart out."

The Lady Rebels also did not waste much time in pulling out their hitting shoes as sophomore Lauren Hardiman lead off the first inning with a shot to center field that landed her on second after the fielder went crashing through the fence. While she did not score, it was a clear sign of how potent the offense can be when they put the bat on the ball.

In the second inning the home team made a dent in the lead when Connor kicked things off with a single to center. She then went to second when Christina Polihrom reached on an error by the short stop. Connor finally came into score when Cassidy Brozowski hit a well placed single to left. 

Connor also helped to drive in the early tying run when she drove in Lauren Saal with a monster blast to center that was ruled a ground rule double. They got their first lead of the game an inning later when the Spartan pitcher had trouble locating her pitches. 

With the help of four walks in the inning, including three in a row, Brozowski walked in to put her team up 3-2. The Spartans made a brief attempt at a comeback in Connor's first inning in the circle as they drew a walk and got a fielder's choice before tying the game on a sac fly to center. 

Not wanting to see her team's year end, Connor made sure to help put the Lady Rebels back in front to stay when she started the bottom of the fifth with a single to left center field. She then went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Polihrom before being driven in on a single by Nicole Daukshus.

Gilbert said she knew once she saw her team's offense click that they would be successful in their game. "We hit the ball pretty hard," she said. "Once we start to hit we're unstoppable."

Coach Hempel said the comeback win was a credit to the spirit the team has. "The girls just want to keep playing. They want to extend the season," she said. "They want to have fun, hit the ball, play defense, talk it up and they want to play till June."

If they want to play until June the girls are going to need to get their biggest win of the year when they will travel to East Brunswick on Tuesday. As the 12 seed taking on the top seed, the Lady Rebels will be the heavy underdogs but have shown that they can perform well in high pressure situations. A win then would move them into the sectional finals scheduled for June 3.