New Kent falls behind early in dropping 11-4 decision to Grafton

Following a sacrifice fly, New Kent's Chris Roman pulls up at third, following instructions from his third base coach, Ronnie Cox, as the throw arrives late to Grafton third baseman Michael Bailey.

Alan Chamberlain photo

Grafton’s Clippers used a five-run second inning to take command in handing New Kent’s host Trojans an 11-4 baseball setback Tuesday afternoon.

The Trojans trailed the Clippers by one (2-1) heading into the top of the second, but the visitors rapped five hits in building a 7-1 advantage. New Kent managed to close the gap to 8-4 with four hits in the fifth inning, but five of six Trojans that stepped in the batter’s box over the final two frames struck out.

“[Grafton] hit the ball,” admitted Trojan coach Ronnie Cox. “They came out swinging the bat, and they put the ball in play with authority.”

Grafton took a 2-0 lead in the first. New Kent got one back after Steven Carpenter led off with a double in the home half of the frame. Chris Roman’s single moved Carpenter to third from where he scored on a passed ball.

But the Clippers pounded a triple, a two-run double, and three RBI singles in the second. New Kent could not answer until the fifth when Carpenter, Roman, Trey Cox, and Christian Hamby belted consecutive singles to highlight a three-run fifth.

“We strung four hits together,” said coach Cox, whose team fell to 3-11. “That gave us a little confidence to get some runs on the board and get the score back to something more respectable.”