Errors thrwart NK region bid

An unwelcome trend has plagued New Kent’s Lady Trojans over the past two weeks of post-season play, but in four straight contests, the Bay Rivers District softball champs overcame errors and inconsistent play on defense to post victories. Not so in last Friday’s Region I title game.

New Kent’s bid to repeat as Region I champions and extend its 16-game win streak into this week’s state Group A tournament fell short, thanks to four costly errors and shaky defensive play that led to Poquoson runs, including the deciding score in the seventh and final inning. The visiting Islanders claimed a 7-6 victory, sending New Kent on the road to face defending state champion Broad Run in Tuesday’s state quarterfinals.

“Overall, it was a sloppy game for us,” said a visibly disappointed coach Betsey Lane who was at a loss to explain her team’s defensive demise.

“I guess we’ve gotten complacent on defense and we can’t do that,” she said. “We just didn’t play defense and you can’t expect to win with that many errors.

“We’ve worked on defense so hard the past three days, nothing should have gotten by us,” Lane said. “It’s not like we haven’t been under pressure. We’ve played under pressure before. We’ve just got to suck it up and press on.”

But at the plate, Poquoson added to the Lady Trojans’ misery. The visitors collected nine hits off pitcher Becca Mills, who had given up 11 to the Islanders in the district semifinals just over a week ago.

Mills also bounced pitches off two batters and walked two more. Both walks contributed to Islander scoring frames, and a hit batsman in the seventh opened the door for the visitors’ game-winning run.

Heading into the third inning, Poquoson owned a 4-0 lead, thanks in part to Taylor Walker’s two-run homer over the left field fence back in the first. But after stranding runners on base in the first two frames, the Lady Trojans began to claw their way back in the third.

Leadoff hitter Tyler Fleming slapped a single past the Islanders’ drawn-in infield, Laura Bauer walked, and an error on Maria Bates’ bunt loaded the bases. Ashley McMichael’s drive deep into the left field corner was caught, but Fleming tagged up and scored New Kent’s first run.

Mills walked to fill the sacks again. Nikki Jones’ fly ball was caught in shallow center, but courtesy runner DeDe Samuels, in for Bauer, tagged up and beat the throw to the plate to narrow the gap to 4-2.

Kayla Timberlake then grounded between third and short. Walker, at shortstop, stopped the ball, but had no play as Bates raced home with New Kent’s third run.

Poquoson added a run in the fourth, but the hosts tacked on three more in the home half of the frame to move in front 6-5. Fleming and Bauer both singled before Bates drilled a double into the right-center field gap, scoring Fleming.

McMichael followed with a shot to the same spot, but this time outfielders Shannon Rollins and Amy Putnam collided, failing to make the catch. Samuels, again in for Bauer, and Bates scored to put New Kent in front.

But the Islanders tied the game in the fifth after Nicole Windham led off with a single. Courtesy runner Valarie Sothcutt moved to second on a sacrifice and took third on a ground out before racing to the plate as Catherine Roth beat Timberlake’s throw to first on a weak grounder along the third base line.

After three-run explosions in both the third and fourth innings, the Lady Trojans were handcuffed the rest of the way by Poquoson pitcher Star Gibbs. Gibbs retired 10 of the last 11 batters she faced, only losing Jones to an inconsequential walk in the seventh.

In the decisive seventh, Mills got Windham to ground out, but bounced a pitch off Sarah Coon. Brandy Wyatt’s grounder struck courtesy runner Kelly Halverson midway between first and second for the second out, but Roth looped a single to shallow left just beyond the reach of Dana Tompkins who charged in from center field.

Slow reaction on defense led to a throwing error on a play to get Roth heading for second. Wyatt, forgotten by the defense, never stopped running and easily scored the winning run. The loss dropped New Kent to 21-4.