Turnaround season for Avon ends in Class L tournament loss to Brookfield

Avon pitcher Jackie Pengel struck out 14 batters in Friday’s Class L second round game against No. 4 Brookfield but the No. 13 Falcons fell to the Bobcats, 7-0

WATERBURY, May 31, 2019 – It’s been a turnaround season for the Avon High softball team.

The Falcons won 13 games – the most since 2000 when they won 14 times. Avon had their first winning season since 2001 and earned a CIAC playoff berth for the first time in 18 years (2001).

Avon won their first CIAC tournament game since 2000 with a 5-2 win over East Lyme in the first round of the Class L tournament earlier this week.

The season came to a close on Friday morning in a duel of freshman pitchers at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury. Avon freshman pitcher Jackie Pengel allowed nine hits and struck out 14 but Brookfield’s freshman hurler Jillian Mitchell gave up just three hits and struck out four as No. 4 Brookfield eliminated the Falcons, 7-0 in a second round Class L contest.

Brookfield (17-5) advances to the Class L quarterfinals for the second straight season. The game was played at a neutral site because Brookfield’s field was flooded. It began at 10 a.m. because Brookfield had their prom on Friday night.

Avon (13-9) managed just three hits. Elizabeth Jerger was 2-for-3 while Pengel had a single.

Brookfield had nine hits and took advantage of seven Avon errors to control the contest. It’s the third time this season that the Falcons have committed seven errors in a game and they lost all three contests.

The Bobcats took a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Lalia Cofone singled and scored on Emily Parchinski’s triple. Parchinski scored on an error in the outfield.

In the fourth inning, Brookfield’s Adrianna Fiori led off the inning by reaching on an error. Avery Katz reached on a bunt single but a throwing error on the play allowed Fiori to score and Katz to reach second base.

Parchinski followed with an inside-the-park home run that drove in two runs and pushed the lead to 5-0. Parchinski was 2-for-4 with a triple, home and three RBI. Cofone and Katz each had two hits for the Bobcats. Brookfield advances to face No. 5 Windsor on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Brookfield in the quarterfinals.

Pengel had more than 10 strikeouts in 14 games including a career-high 20 strikeouts in a 7-6 loss to Hall in 12 innings. She had 18 in a nine inning loss to Conard, 7-6.

Brookfield 7, Avon 0
At Waterbury
Avon (13-9)                        000  000  0  — 0-3-7
Brookfield (17-5)              002  302  x – 7-9-0
Jackie Pengel and Amanda Hasler; Jillian Mitchell and unknown; WP: Mitchell; LP: Pengel; 3B: Emily Parchinski (B); HR: Parchinski (B)