Lady Trojans earn another state berth appearance with shutout of Tabb

New Kent’s Hannah Tober slides into home plate safely for another Lady Trojan run.

Robb Johnson photo

The dominance known as New Kent Lady Trojans’ softball continues.

Behind a one-hitter from pitcher Abbie Kegley, New Kent pitched a 10-0 shutout against Bay Rivers District Rival Tabb, clinching another appearance into the state tournament and an appearance in the Group 3A Region Championship game.

New Kent attacked the visiting Lady Tigers on the offensive side of the plate beginning in the bottom of the first inning. After Mariah Leonard reached on an error, University of Virginia commit Hannah Tober smacked the ball deep into the outfield for a triple, driving home Leonard for a run. After Kegley was intentionally walked by Tabb, Cassidy Branch’s base knock pushed run number two across the plate for the hosts.

The bottom of the second didn’t provide any relief for the visitors as New Kent continued to place runners on basepaths. Leonard’s second connection on the day drove home two runs. Moments later, Tober followed suit with a double to advance runners into scoring position. After Kegley walked to load the bases, Kendall White’s double cleared the bases, increasing the hosts lead to 7-0. Despite Tabb attempting to limit the opportunities at the plate for the remainder of the contest, New Kent’s final run in the bottom of the fifth inning triggered the mercy rule, sealing the 13th consecutive victory for the Lady Trojans.

After the contest, New Kent Head Coach Maria Bates spoke about Tabb’s strategy and how her team compensated for it.

“They walked two great batters today, but our lineup is very talented one through nine,” she said. “That was their strategy, and we took advantage of it.

“We have to have a one pitch mentality going forward, celebrating the small victories and forgetting the mistakes quickly,” Bates added before she praised her coaching staff. “We have one of the best coaching staffs in the state, and I don’t know what I would do without them.

“It is an expectation now to get to the state playoffs and it’s a fun journey,” she concluded.