New Kent captures regional championship for third consecutive year with victory over Tabb

New Kent's Lady Trojans pose for a championship picture after their victory Saturday over rival Tabb in the Group 3A Region A championship game.

Robb Johnson photo

The old adage is that beating a team three times in a season is a difficult task. For New Kent’s Lady Trojans, they had to take down a Bay Rivers District rival for a third time to host a home state softball game. They did just that.

New Kent defeated the invading Tabb Lady Tigers 6-2 in the Group 3A Region A Championship game to win and host a state quarterfinal game Tuesday afternoon.

After an early run from Tabb in the top of the first, New Kent countered the run thanks to Norah Murray’s triple and subsequent score from Alline Alexander’s single. A triple from Hannah Tober would knock in two additional runs to stretch the lead out to 3-1 for the hosts. Abbie Kegley added one more run for the hosts with an RBI single as New Kent took a 4-1 lead into the top of the second.

In the bottom of the third, New Kent’s offense once again received some additional support. With the bases loaded for the hosts, Addison Rowe’s single brought home the Lady Trojans’ fifth run on the contest. A sacrifice fly by Murray added one more run for the hosts who concluded the inning with a 6-1 advantage. From there, New Kent was able to hold onto for the remainder of the game and capture the title.

After the contest, New Kent Lady Trojans Head Coach talked about the team’s success and the pitching from hurler Morgan Berg.

“She (Morgan) has been huge controlling the mound and not walking a lot of betters,” the victorious head coach commented. “There are no secrets because each team knew they were going to get some shots and our defense took care of it.

“We respect Tabb, and they respect us,” Bates added. “But it is nice when we can beat our rival too.”

New Kent’s Lady Trojans are scheduled to host the William Monroe Dragons on June 7 at 3 p.m. in the state quarterfinals.