NK falls at home to Grafton
New Kent’s Trojans came back from the dead, wiping out a 7-0 deficit and forcing extra innings in their Bay Rivers District baseball clash with Grafton’s visiting Clippers. But the Clippers scored twice in the eighth inning and made those runs stand up for a 10-8 win.
The April 2 outcome dropped New Kent to 2-4 in Bay Rivers and 3-4 overall.
“We didn’t do anything for the first three innings,” New Kent coach Ronnie Cox said, pointing to a Grafton offensive explosion that saw the Clippers take a 1-0 lead in the first, add four more in the second, and push across another pair in the third.
“But then we started stringing hits together,” he said. “I’m proud of our guys because they didn’t quit. A lot of guys would quit if they’re down 7-0, but we were able to put pressure back on them and capitalize on our opportunities.”
The hosts managed one hit over the first three frames, but began to turn matters around in the fourth. They loaded the bases with one away only to a have a double play erase the threat.
Undeterred, the Trojans roughed up Grafton pitching again in the fifth. Willie Driscoll looped a single down the right field line to lead off and took second on a throwing error on Hunter Pomfrey’s grounder. Eric Salmon’s slow roller toward shortstop loaded the bases.
Steven Allen then singled between third and short to score two runs. Kyle Henshaw followed with a shot down the third baseline and into the left field corner, scoring two more. Henshaw later scored to close the gap to 7-5.
Grafton added a run in the sixth, but New Kent retaliated in the bottom of the frame. Pomfrey led off with a bouncing single up the middle and Salmon drew a one-out walk. Both moved up a base on a wild pitch.
Allen drove in Pomfrey with a sharp ground ball past the mound that was knocked down by shortstop Robbie Hiser. Henshaw then singled into right center, scoring Salmon and Allen for an 8-8 deadlock. Darian Carpenter lined a single to center to get the tying run in scoring position with one away, but Clipper reliever Cody Moore retired the next two batters.
New Kent got the winning run on base as Driscoll led off the New Kent seventh with a looping single to center. But Pomfrey lined to first baseman Bobby Donze, and Driscoll was caught off the bag for a double play.
“That double play took the wind out of our sails,” Cox said.
Grafton loaded the bases on a walk and two bunts, scoring the deciding runs on a passed ball and an infield grounder.
“There’s lots of things we’ve got to work on,” Cox said. “But I’m proud of the way they came back. That took a lot of heart.”
For New Kent’s Lady Trojans, their softball encounter with Grafton brought about more of what has been frustrating the team all season thus far — errors in the field and stranding runners on base.
Grafton capitalized on three fourth inning errors to move in front to stay at 2-0. The Clippers added three more in the sixth on the way to a 5-1 Bay Rivers triumph, dropping the Lady Trojans to 1-5 in the district and 2-6 overall.
New Kent had its opportunities to add the contest to the win column. The hosts loaded the bases with one away in the first inning, but came away empty. Runners were also left on base in each of the next three frames.
Lady Trojan pitcher Renee Silver, meanwhile, cruised through the first three innings, allowing just one Clipper base runner on a walk. Matters, however, quickly deteriorated in the fourth as the visitors scored twice without registering a hit.
“Renee was doing her job, but we didn’t make the plays behind her when we needed to,” said Lady Trojan coach Betsey Lane. “Then we weren’t getting timely hits.”
New Kent scored its lone run in the sixth after Kristin Colegrove walked and Nikki Jones singled. Chelsea Bedwell singled to score Colegrove.