Caroline’s Lady Cavalier softball team went 0-2 last week in two closely matched games, losing to Courtland 6-5 on Thursday and to Brooke Point 10-3 on Monday to close out the week with a 3-7 record overall.
Thursday’s matchup with Courtland proved to be a game where two evenly matched teams went at it tooth and nail, with neither willing to quit. The Cavalier defense held strong, allowing the Cougars to score only in the second and third innings.
The Cavaliers scored in the first, fourth, and seventh innings, and both box scores were evenly matched with five runs apiece. The difference was that Courtland scored one more run and Caroline was charged with one more error.
The intensity of both teams led to some big plays throughout the contest. In the fifth and sixth innings, the Cougars’ Vickie Varner worked the Cavaliers going three up and three down in each inning. It was Caroline’s turn to flex some muscle in the seventh as the tying run sat on third with one out.
Blake Seal, determined to win the game, hit a hard fly out to centerfield, only to have her plans thwarted as Courtland’s Brooke Dickens picked the ball out of the air for the second out. With the third out coming from a pop fly to the pitcher, the game ended 6-5 in favor of Courtland.
Courtland’s starting pitcher, Kynzie Bouches, worked three and two-thirds innings, striking out three and walking two while allowing six hits and four earned runs. Vickie Varner came in in the fourth, struck out five, and was charged with four hits and one earned run. Varner was awarded the win.
Ashely Specht led the Cougars at the plate, hitting 1-4 for a double, two runs, and an RBI. Brooke Belcastro was close at 1-3, scoring one run, a double and two RBI.
Blake Seal, starting pitcher, walked four, allowing three hits and three runs. Blake was relieved in the second inning by Summer Simulcik, who struck out five and was charged with seven hits and three earned runs.
Simulcik was the losing pitcher. India Holmes continued to be strong at the plate batting 3-3, with one walk, two runs, and two RBI. Also batting strong was Allison Morrow, who hit 3-4, two doubles, and two RBI.
In what could have been a much closer game, the Cavalier girls softball team (3-6) was hit hard by Brooke Point 10-3 on April 14.
Despite several key plays that went against them in the beginning innings, Caroline stayed in the game until the fifth inning when errant play allowed Brooke Point to pull away. Caroline drew first blood with one run in the first inning, but Brooke Point flexed their batting with four runs in the bottom of the same.
At the end of three, the Black Hawks led 5-3. At this point, Caroline’s offense shut down, allowing the opposing offense to gather four runs in the last two innings. Aiding the Black Hawk cause were five errors by Caroline, which gave Brooke Point three unearned runs.
Cavalier center fielder Cassandra Cooper delivered the play of the game diving into the turf to complete the catch of a ball hit by Black Hawk’s Rachel Payne.
Black Hawk pitcher Gabby Palmer went the distance from the mound, striking out five and walking only one. Palmer was charged with seven hits, which resulted in three earned runs.
Chelsea Brooks worked behind the plate for Palmer. ChyAnn Hooker led at the plate batting 3-4 and scoring two runs, followed by Lacey Chambois, who hit 2-3, scored two runs and two RBI. Catcher Brooks also scored two runs, batting 1-4. Brooks’ one hit was a triple.
Blake Seal returned to the mound, pitching the entire game for the Cavaliers. Seal struck out five and walked one. For her efforts, Seal was charged with seven earned runs out of the 10 scored and 10 hits. Kayleigh Buchanan was the catcher. Bria Malloy was the hot bat for the Cavaliers, batting 3-3 and scoring two runs. Center fielder Cooper went 2-4 with two RBI. India Holmes continued heavy with her batting, hitting 2-3, one of which was a double and collecting one RBI.
“There were a couple of big plays that did not go our way in the first inning,” commented Coach Traynor, “but they never gave up. They fought until the end.”
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