Lady Trojans notch second straight win in walk-off fashion

Taylor Goode rushes to accept congratulations from her New Kent teammates after laying down a bunt that led to the winning walk-off run over Poquoson.

Alan Chamberlain photo

A throwing error on Taylor Goode’s sacrifice bunt attempt in the bottom of the seventh inning enabled Taylor Yates to score from first, lifting New Kent’s Lady Trojans to a 4-3 come-from-behind softball victory over Poquoson’s visiting Islanders.

New Kent overcame a 2-0 deficit with a three-run fifth inning in Thursday’s contest. Poquoson forged a 3-3 deadlock in the sixth, but left the bases loaded in the seventh to leave the door open for the hosts in the bottom of the frame.

Yates worked to a 3-2 count before drawing a lead-off walk. Goode bunted toward third to move Yates up a base, but the throw on the play sailed into foul ground down the right field line enabling Yates to easily circle the bases for the walk-off triumph.

After winning just one of their first nine games, the Lady Trojans have put together back-to back wins to improve to 3-8.

“Two in a row feels good,” said Lady Trojan coach Maria Bates. “It seems like we kind of start off slow, and I don’t know why that is. At least we didn’t give up a big inning, and we actually capitalized on errors this time.”

Poquoson scored once the first and again in the third to mount its 2-0 lead, which held up into the fifth. Heading into the home half of the fifth, New Kent had managed just four hits, all singles.

But Abigail Young beat out an infield single to lead off the frame. Yates walked and Goode bunted both runners over into scoring position. Peyton Slater grounded out with Young racing home on the play to put the hosts on the scoreboard.

Haley Cleaver grounded to third, but the throw to first landed in the dirt for an error, allowing Yates to tie the game. Kerstin Snyder then lined a single to center, driving in Cleaver for the go-ahead run.

After Poquoson evened the score in the sixth, the Islanders seemed on the verge of taking control, loading the bases with two away in the sixth on a pair of singles and a walk. But New Kent pitcher Haley Hyndshaw, working in relief of starter Amanda Harding, got the third out on a fly ball to left.

“We had a lot of quality at-bats,” Bates said. “There were a lot of foul balls and we often got down in the count 0-2, but the girls were still patient.”