New Kent stuns softball pre-season favorite, defending Bay Rivers champion Smithfield 4-3

New Kent’s Lady Trojans took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh and final inning, holding off a last ditch Smithfield rally to upset the Bay Rivers preseason softball favorites and last year’s defending champs 4-3 yesterday (Tuesday) on the Packers’ home field.

The contest featured two of Bay Rivers’ best pitchers in Smithfield’s Sydney Gay and New Kent’s Marisa Bush. Gay pitched a three-hitter, but the Lady Trojans took advantage of those hits (two by Stephanie Torrence and one from Brittany LaPrade) and capitalized on two Packer errors. Bush, meanwhile, scattered eight hits.

New Kent broke a scoreless deadlock with three runs in the top of the sixth. Smithfield got one back in the bottom of the frame, but the Lady Trojans answered with one in the seventh, which proved to be the difference in the outcome.