New Kent bumps Poquoson

Sometimes all it takes is one inning. And for New Kent’s Lady Trojans, that frame proved to be the third.

The Bay Rivers regular season softball champions erupted for six runs in the third inning of their district tournament semifinal encounter with fourth-seeded Poquoson to overcome an early 1-0 deficit. New Kent then weathered a late Islander rally to secure a berth in the title game with a 6-3 victory.

The May 21 outcome at York High School marked the Lady Trojans’ 13th straight win and upped their record to 18-3. But the triumph left a queasy feeling in coach Betsey Lane’s stomach.

“I’m satisfied with the win, but I’m not happy with the defense,” she said. “Thank goodness we had that one big inning.”

The Lady Trojans committed a pair of errors, but Poquoson’s bats inflicted the most damage. The Islanders touched New Kent pitcher Becca Mills for 11 hits. Luckily for the top seeds, however, the Islanders stranded 10 runners on base.

“That’s as much as she’s ever given up,” Mills said of her star hurler. “I think part of it is Poquoson seeing her so many times and they know how she throws.”

Mills agreed with her coach’s assessment, adding, “It wasn’t my best day, but I had the defense behind me.”

Late in the game, center fielder Dana Tompkins gave the defense a lift, robbing the Islanders’ Catherine Clavin of an extra base hit in the fifth and gloving Taylor Walker’s line drive with two aboard for the final out in the sixth.

Walker represented the tying run as the Islanders had cut a 6-1 New Kent advantage to 6-3 and had runners on first and third. Two pitches before lining out to Tompkins, Walker lofted a drive deep into the left field corner, but pulled the ball foul by 10 feet.

“That would have been out — by a lot,” Lane admitted.

Instead, the Lady Trojans held on to their three-run advantage, despite leaving the bases loaded in their half of the sixth. For the game, New Kent also stranded 10 runners.

Mills then went to work in the seventh and final frame, retiring three straight batters after giving up a leadoff single to Clavin.

By the third inning, both teams had left a trio of runners on base. But the Islanders capitalized in the top of the third after Page Turner bunted herself aboard with one away when no one covered first base.

Walker bounced into a force out at second, but Clavin followed with a drive down the left field line that landed fair, just inches beyond the glove of a diving Nikki Jones. Walker circled the bases as the ball rolled to the fence for a triple. Mills then got Nicole Windham to fly out to Tompkins to end the frame.

Poquoson pitcher Star Gibbs, meanwhile, had a no-hitter through the first two innings. All three New Kent runners had drawn walks.

Gibbs issued her fourth pass, walking Tyler Fleming to start the bottom of the third, and the no-hitter ended as Ashley McMichael drove a one-out double to the fence in left, scoring Fleming to tie the game.

With first base open, Gibbs pitched around power-hitter Laura Bauer to put two aboard. Mills then hit back to Gibbs, but the pitcher threw late to third and the bases were loaded.

Gibbs worked to a 3-2 count on Jones before Jones stroked a RBI single to left to put New Kent ahead to stay. Kayla Timberlake hit into a force out at the plate, but Rachel Baldwin lined a single to left to up the count to 3-1 and keep the sacks filled.

With DeDe Samuels at the plate, a Gibbs pitch eluded Windham behind the plate, enabling Jones to race home. Samuels then delivered a two-run single past Turner at second to open the 6-1 advantage.

Poquoson loaded the bases on three straight singles with two away in the fourth, but Mills got Turner to bounce out second to first to end the uprising. Mills retired the Islanders in order in the fifth, but Sarah Coon singled to lead off the Poquoson sixth and Brandy Wyatt followed with a double to deep right to drive in Coon.

Wyatt, who scampered to third on a throwing error, scored on a passed ball to cut New Kent’s lead to 6-3. Mills fanned Catherine Roth for the first out, but walked Shannon Rollins.

Mills got Amy Putnam to hit back to the pitcher’s circle for out number two before Turner beat out a bunt single to put runners at the corners. Tompkins’ catch on Walker’s line drive cut short Poquoson’s final threat.

“Dana played great defense today,” Lane said. “She’s been saying she wants balls hit to center every single game and today she got them.”

“I always make sure I’ve got a good view of the batter so I can see the ball,” Tompkins said afterward concerning her ability to track down Walker’s drive. “The ball kept rising and that got me kind of worried, but I stayed in front of it.”