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Warriors recognize their three seniors before big win over Gilbert

Canton honored the three seniors on its softball team Monday before its win over Gilbert. From left, assistant coach Kim Church, Katie Hill, Jill Petraitis, head coach Charley Batan, Katie Walker and assistant Dave Dubois.

Canton honored the three seniors on its softball team Monday before its win over Gilbert. From left, assistant coach Kim Church, Katie Walker, Jill Petraitis, head coach Charley Batan, Katie Hill and assistant Dave Dubois. (Photo courtesy Wendy Batan)

CANTON, May 18 – The Canton High softball team celebrated Senior Day on Monday afternoon and they celebrated their 11th victory of the season. Canton pitcher Jill Petraitis pitched two innings and fanned six as the Warriors beat The Gilbert School, 18-3 in five innings.

The Warriors (11-6, 9-5 NCCC) won for the fifth time in the last six games. Before the game, they recognized their three seniors – Petraitis, Katie Hill and Katie Walker.

Petraitis has been Canton’s starting pitcher all season and has fanned 123 batters in 17 games. Last week, she had 13 strikeouts in a 10-9 win over Coventry in nine innings. She had 12 strikeouts and scattered eight hits in a 5-4 win over Stafford earlier this month, handing the Bulldogs just their second loss of the season. Petraitis scored the winning run against Coventry, scoring on a sacrifice fly from Walker. Petraitis, who is hitting .514 at the plate, also had two triples in the game.

Walker leads the team in home runs with four and is third on the team with a .468 average at the plate. She had a home run, triple and five RBI in last Thursday’s win over Coventry.

Hill leads the team in hitting with a .529 average. She was 2-for-4 with a double against the Patriots. In the one-run victory over Stafford, Hill was 3-for-4 with a triple.

The three seniors had a good game against the Yellowjackets, too. Hill was 3-for-4 with five RBI while Walker was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Gilbert is now 3-13 on the year.

Canton finishes out the regular season with three games on the road at Somers (7-11) on Tuesday, at Sport Medicine Science Academy (8-10) at Hartford’s Colt Park on Thursday and at Fisher Meadow in Avon (4-12) on Tuesday, May 26, at 4 p.m., for a non-league contest against the Falcons.

It could be the final game between the two programs that began playing against each other in the late 1960s. Avon is moving to the Central Connecticut Conference in September. Could the two rivals play again? Yes, if there are openings on their respective schedules for non-league games and the two coaches want to do it.

The entire team poses with the three seniors on Senior Day.

The entire team poses with the three seniors on Senior Day. (Photo courtesy Wendy Batan)

NOTES: Canton has won six straight over Avon and 31 of the last 39 games since 1993. Avon’s most recent win over the Warriors came in 2011 when they won 5-4 in eight innings. … The Warriors are in the Class S tournament for the eighth consecutive season. It is the second-longest streak in the program’s history. Canton played in 19 straight Class S tournaments from 1987 through 2005.

Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 30 years.

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