New Kent registers softball, baseball upsets over York

Renee Silver tossed a two-hit shutout while striking out nine as New Kent’s Lady Trojans stunned York’s Bay Rivers District softball front-running Falcons 3-0.

Three errors contributed to the Falcons’ downfall as New Kent registered just four hits off York hurler Hannah Winfree.

“But they were quality hits,” said Lady Trojan coach Betsey Lane after watching her team improve to 5-7 in the district and 7-7 overall with the April 30 triumph.

New Kent jumped on top to stay in the second inning after leadoff hitter Sarah Barnett reached base on a throwing error. Barnett took third on Nikki Jones’ bunt, and scored on Kristin Colegrove’s ground out.

DeDe Samuels’ grounder to start the New Kent third rolled between the legs of second baseman Kimmie Ashe. With two away, Maria Bates walked. Sarah Carter then pounced on Winfree’s first pitch, driving the ball into the gap in right-center for a two-run triple.

Silver took over from there with the help of her defense. Third baseman Rachel Baldwin, playing halfway up the third baseline looking for a bunt, made a leaping grab on Ashe’s line drive to start the York fourth. The Falcons’ Mary O’Connor reached on an infield single before Silver fanned Brie Barker for the second out. Colegrove at catcher ended York’s threat, easily throwing out O’Connor on a steal attempt at second.

“It feels good to be on the winning side again,” Lane said. “We played an all-around good game.

“I told the girls beforehand that I wanted to see your best potential,” she said. “I hadn’t seen it all year, and they did it today.”

New Kent’s Trojans spotted York’s Falcons a 3-0 lead, but the hosts used home runs to wipe out the deficit and then fought off the visitors in a seesaw affair the rest of the way to record a 6-5 win.

The outcome marked an upset of the Falcons, who held second place in the Bay Rivers District baseball standings. The Trojans’ triumph upped their record to 5-7 in the district and 7-7 overall.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” said Trojan coach Ronnie Cox. “It’s easy sometimes to think that when you have bad breaks like we did early on, it’s going to happen again. But home runs got us back in the game and then we held on.”

York led 3-0 heading into the New Kent half of the third inning. But Kyle Henshaw launched his team’s comeback with a one-out, solo blast over the left field fence.

The Trojans then got a break, compliments of the Falcons, as right fielder Ryan Hendrickson misjudged Darian Carpenter’s high fly. The ball caromed off Hendrickson’s glove, putting Carpenter aboard.

Kyle Hudgins followed, tying the affair with a two-run shot that cleared the left field fence. New Kent kept up its assault on Falcon starter T.J. Rinoski as Hunter Pomfrey doubled to deep right. Pomfrey put New Kent up 4-3, scoring on Nick Valentino’s infield single.

The Falcons deadlocked the affair in the fourth, but New Kent regained the lead in the bottom of the frame after Steven Allen looped a single into shallow left and raced to third on a throwing error. Another throwing error, this time on Henshaw’s grounder to short, enabled Allen to score.

Again the Falcons tied the game, but after Paul Robinson and Willie Driscoll walked in the bottom of the fifth, Nick Maxim lined a 3-2 pitch into left to score Robinson for the deciding run.

Robinson, meanwhile, picked up the win in relief. He walked York’s leadoff hitter in the sixth, but after that runner was thrown out on a steal try at second, he retired the last five batters he faced.

“Paul came on and challenged hitters,” Cox said. “He didn’t back down, and he gave us a chance to win. He’s been our workhorse, and this win will do a lot for his confidence.”