Lafayette holds New Kent to three hits, routs Trojans in shutout

A scoop by New Kent's John Mehalko was one of the bright spots in Friday's contest against Lafayette.

Robb Johnson photo

New Kent’s Trojans looked to head into spring break with a winning record and a little momentum. But after Friday’s encounter against visiting Lafayette, they seemed to be the team that needed the reprieve from competition.

The visiting Rams outhit New Kent 24-3 on their way to a 23-0 mercy rule victory Friday afternoon.

Lafayette did most of their damage on the field, with the second inning being a masterpiece at the plate. Eight Ram hitters made contact with the ball, leading to six quick runs. Lafayette tacked on eight additional runs in the third inning before adding nine in the final two frames as the Trojans had no answer for the offensive outburst.

New Kent head coach Michael Kuper tried to put a positive spin on the home debacle.

“I think our game against Tabb was an emotional win for us and it was difficult for us to get back up from that,” he said. “We used a lot of pitching with this being our third game this week and we had some tired arms.

“Not making that as an excuse, but they [Lafayette] played excellent and crushed the ball all day,” Kuper continued. “I just feel that it was hard for us to get back up to that level again that we needed to be.”

New Kent drops to 2-3 on the season.