Ellis strong on mound, plate in New Kent’s 5-0 triumph

New Kent's Haley Hyndshaw unleashed a pitch to close out Monday's contest against Jamestown.

Robb Johnson photo

When rival Jamestown comes to New Kent, it’s always expected to be a tough contest no matter what the record says. On Monday afternoon, a late kick-start helped the hosting Lady Trojans earn the win.

Powered by a stellar defense and 14 strikeouts from Gracie Ellis, it was her bat that drove in three runs to lift New Kent to a 5-0 victory.

Jamestown and New Kent remained in a tight contest until Ellis’ base knock drove in teammates K.B. Snyder and Haley Cleaver. In the sixth inning, the aluminum bats saw back-to-back doubles from McKenna Mueller and Snyder, adding a third run to the board. Ellis knocked in an additional run to make it 4-0 in favor of the hosts.

But the game wasn’t without its scary moments as a bang-bang play at the plate between Ellis and Jamestown catcher Tara Rowden resulted in an exit from Ellis. However, the Lady Trojan defense along with relief pitcher Haley Hyndshaw’s two crucial strikeouts in the seventh frame sealed the win for the hosts.

Lady Trojan head coach Maria Bates spoke about the team’s dynamic.

“Gracie [Ellis] bruised her foot but she should be good,” Bates said after the game. “We had scored five runs up to that point.

“Haley Hyndshaw came in with no time to warm up and closed the game out for us,” the coach continued. “It was just another total team effort today.”
New Kent improves its record to 11-2.