Mar 30, 2006 By Mike Ciarochi 3 min read

CONNELLSVILLE TWP. – Carrie Gessner got it started and kept it going until Beth Novotny ended it in a hurry. The result was an 11-0 five-inning win for Geibel Catholic over Jefferson-Morgan in exhibition softball action Wednesday on the Lady Gators’ field.

Gessner pitched a one-hit shutout for coach Bill Gardner’s team. She won easily despite only striking out one batter. Gessner walked only two and played strong defense, as did the rest of Gardner’s team.

“It was typical for Carrie,” Gardner said. “She’s not a strikeout pitcher. She puts the ball in play and the good thing about this team is we have eight other girls out there who can play. It’s not just the pitcher. She is a very solid pitcher and she fields her position well. It was a good defensive game for us.”

As for the offense, Novotny got things started by reaching on a three-base error in the first inning to score Mia White, who had walked. Novotny scored on Gessner’s sacrifice fly. Novotny then ended the game with a three-run home run deep to left field.

“Beth has been doing it for three years,” Gardner said. “She is probably one of the premier catchers in the area and she is an all-around good player. She hits well, runs the bases well and catches well. Not many pitches get by her behind the plate.”

In between the first and fifth, the Lady Gators scored four runs in the third, two coming in on Sabrina Szabo’s double, Geibel Catholic’s first hit of the game. Novotny’s three-run shot capped a four-run fifth that ended the game.

While fundamentals were key to Geibel Catholic’s success, the lack thereof proved costly to the Lady Rockets, according to coach Scott Moore.

“I don’t care who you’re playing, you walk eight batters and boot the ball around like we did and you won’t win many games,” Moore said. “We’ve got to keep working and trying to get better. We’re young, but we have to get better.”

The Lady Rockets committed four errors and losing pitcher Emily Cottle struggled to find the plate.

“She’s only a sophomore and this is her first year out there all the time,” Moore said. “I think we’re pressing a bit too much. We’re doing everything we can, but we’re making freshman mistakes and you can’t do that. The girls are trying, but I think we’re trying not to make mistakes and it’s costing us.”

Sarah Olson’s solid one-out single in the second was the only blemish on Gessner’s day.

“They have a bunch of seniors,” Moore said of Geibel Catholic. “Gessner didn’t surprise us. She’s good, but we made her look like Cy Young today.”