Henshaw, Trojans shut out Smithfield 3-0 in Bay Rivers
Trojan pitcher Kyle Henshaw gave up only two hits and got defensive support in the field as host New Kent blanked Smithfield’s Packers 3-0 in Bay Rivers District baseball.
New Kent managed just three hits, but one was a home run that helped the hosts even their district record at 2-2 and up their overall mark to 3-2 with last Thursday’s triumph.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a game like this in Bay Rivers because everybody hits so well,” said Trojan coach Ronnie Cox. “It felt really good. It was nice to go in and not feel we have to score six, seven, eight runs to win.
“Kyle only struck out four, but he did a good job keeping the ball down, and Steven [Allen, shortstop] and Darian [Carpenter, third base] made play after play to back him up on defense,” Cox said.
Allen, meanwhile, staked New Kent to a lead it would not relinquish. With one away in the home half of the third inning, Allen jumped on the first offering from Packer hurler Kendall Cundiff, unleashing a towering drive over the fence in the left field corner.
But the Trojans didn’t stop there. Henshaw reached base on a throwing error, stole second, and scored on Kyle Hudgins’ sharp single between shortstop and third.
New Kent added its third run in the fifth after Hunter Pomfrey singled. Skyler Baldwin bunted to advance Pomfrey, but the throw to first sailed down the right field line. Pomfrey never stopped running, scoring all the way from first.
New Kent’s Lady Trojans vaulted on top 2-0, but Smithfield’s visiting Packers got back in the game in the fourth inning, eventually escaping with a 4-3 Bay Rivers District softball win and dropping the hosts to 1-3 in the district and 2-3 overall.
“It’s the same old story, even though we work on defense every day in practice,” Lady Trojan coach Betsey Lane said afterward, pointing to errors as the cause of her team’s downfall.
New Kent ended a scoreless contest in the bottom of the third inning as Maria Bates drilled a two-run single. But the Packers loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth and tied the contest on Tiffany Webb’s line drive that caromed off the glove of third baseman Rachel Baldwin and rolled into a soft spot in the New Kent defense. Two runs scored, and a third later crossed the plate on an error to put Smithfield in front 3-2.
The hosts evened the affair in the bottom of the fourth. Packer shortstop Sam Barham could not make a play after knocking down Sarah Carter’s one-hopper. Courtesy runner Emily Silver stole second, advanced to third on Nikki Jones’ sacrifice bunt, and scored on Kristin Colegrove’s fly ball to center.
But the Packers’ Steph Grizzle drew a one-out walk in the fifth and scored the winning run on Alexis Pope’s double into the left-center field gap. New Kent failed to mount a scoring threat over the final three frames.