Gloucester varsity softball players moved two steps closer to another Peninsula District championship with recent wins over Woodside and Hampton.

Makayla Jenkins (9-1) struck out 13 batters, walked two and gave up only one earned win as the Dukes downed Woodside on Tuesday, 8-5. Gloucester (15-1) took a 4-0 lead in the second inning where Hannah Joyce, Shelby Alto and Rhiannon Miller each had RBI singles. Alyssa Upton also contributed an RBI sacrifice fly.

The Dukes gave up four unearned runs to allow the Wolverines back in the game in the bottom of the second. In the fourth, Gloucester roared back with three runs on back-to-back singles from Noodle Allen, Upton, Joyce and Alto to make it 7-4.

The Dukes gave up another run in the bottom of the fourth but made it 8-5 in the sixth with a single from Alto who scored on a double from Taylor Distefano. Jenkins sealed the win by striking out the side in the seventh.

Distefano pitched a perfect game on Monday to blank Hampton, 11-0....