BLACKSVILLE – The last thing any softball team hears from their coach – at any level – before they run out of the dugout to begin a ballgame is a deceptively simple, four-word phrase.
“Make them earn it”, or maybe “Let’s not beat ourselves.”
Last night, the Clay-Battelle softball team did enough good things against Paden City that they could’ve earned their first victory of the season. But an unfortunate series of self-inflicted wounds on defense and in the pitcher’s circle gave the Wildcats all they needed and more, as the Cee-Bees fell, 20-10.
Back on March 28, Paden City prevailed at home against CB in a high-scoring affair, 15-14, and the two teams picked up right where they left off. The Wildcats (4-6) scored three in the first, although a well-executed relay from Elyse Moore in center to Savannah Doshen at short to Alexis Stiles at home cut down a runner. The Cee-Bees (0-6) responded with five runs on four hits in the bottom half, the big blows a lead-off double by Stiles and an RBI triple from Shyanne Carpenter.
Paden City scored three unearned runs in the second to take a 6-5 lead, but C-B knotted it up after Kenley Statler’s sac fly followed Savannah Doshen’s triple. Surprisingly, both teams were retired in order in the third inning, but that’s when the Cee-Bees pitchers struggled to find the plate and the defense wasn’t able to convert outs when they had key opportunities. It all added up to seven Wildcat runs in the fourth on just a pair of hits.
But the Cee-Bees weren’t done, as they battled back with four runs in the fourth. Statler’s triple and Isabel LaPoe’s single each plating a pair to keep the game within reach. However, in the fifth, similar CB control and defensive woes again allowed Paden City to score seven runs, this time with just a single hit. Unfortunately, Clay-Battelle couldn’t fight their way back into the game, as Paden City recorded a rare 8-6-2-5 double play to end the game after five.
“When you score 10 runs in five innings, you should be able to win that game,” C-B manager David Joyce said after the game. “We swung the bats well, and I really liked our response after they put up seven in fourth, but you simply cannot give teams that many free passes and extra outs, especially against the bottom of the order.
“You saw what they can do in the third,” he continued. “Three clean outs on five or six pitches. If you can string innings like that together, you give yourself every chance to win. But we just haven’t been consistent enough this season so far. I think it’s a lack of confidence and consistency that’s hurting us the most right now.”
But Joyce knows this is not the time for his team to get discouraged.
“We’re a bit down, a bit frustrated, of course,” he concluded, “but we need to stay positive, stay supportive of each other, and find ways to improve. The talent is there – we just need to continue to work hard and make the plays we know we can make. If we do that, and not beat ourselves, we definitely feel like we can turn it around.”
The Cee-Bees host South Harrison on Monday at 5:00 p.m.
BY MARK SCHRAF
Paden City 330 77 – 20
Clay-Battelle 510 40 – 10
Paden City (4-6) — Lexi Mathis 2b 3 4 1 3 Brooke Hoskins p 1 5 1 1 Brynna Hoskins c 3 3 2 3 McKenzie Thomas ss 5 0 1 1 Carlee Sweeny 3b 2 1 0 1 Layknn Billiter ss 4 0 1 0 Haley Walton lf 3 1 0 1 Jordan Rose rf 2 1 0 1 Isabella Snider cf 2 3 1 2 Aiyana Higgins ph 0 1 0 1 Riley London ph 0 1 0 0 Totals 23 20 2 14.
CLAY-BATTELLE (0-6) — Alexis Stiles c 4 1 2 0 Elyse Moore cf-p 2 2 1 0 Savannah Doshen ss 2 3 2 0 Kenley Statler 3b 2 2 2 3 Paxton King 2b 0 1 0 1 Shyanne Carpenter p 2 1 1 1 Karley Riggs cf 1 0 0 0 Isabel LaPoe rf 3 0 1 3 Elyse Snyder lf 2 0 1 0 Bailey Willard dh 3 0 1 0 Peyton Whitaker 1b 0 0 0 0 Totals 23 10 11 8.
E – CB 5. DP – PC 1. LOB – PC 7, CB 3. 2B – PC 1 (Thomas), CB 1 (Stiles). 3B – PC 1 (Brynna Hoskins), CB 4 (Moore, Doshen, Statler, Carpenter). SF – CB 2 (Statler, King). HBP – PC 4 (Brynna Hoskins, Snider, Sweeny 2 by Carpenter).
Paden City – Brooke Hoskins (W) 5 ip 10 r 10 er 11 h 7 bb 2 so.
Clay-Battelle – Carpenter (L) 4 ip 12 r 9 er 5 h 6 bb 1 so, Moore 1 ip 8 r 7 er 2 h 4 bb 1 so.
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