Lady Panthers hitless against Washington & Lee, lose first game of year

Charles City first baseman Nakoma Adkins (9) snags a throw to retire Washington & Lee's Katie Leonard.

Andre' Jones photo

Charles City’s Lady Panthers entered the Mar. 23 contest against visiting Washington & Lee’s Lady Eagles with no blemishes in the loss column. Unfortunately for the hosts, that equaled the number of hits accumulated in the contest.

Lady Eagle pitcher Ashley Harding threw a no-hitter, only allowing a walk in the process as Washington & Lee eased their way to a 26-0 win over Charles City.

Not helping the hosts was the absence of pitcher Keanna Motley, who suffered a forearm injury in the team’s last contest. Charles City rotated pitchers, starting with Sydney Richard at the helm. But Washington & Lee took advantage of the novice, scoring five runs including a solo homerun from Tia Dorange in the top of the first. More hits tallied by the Lady Eagles in frame two pushed the lead to 15-0.

Even with a switch on the mound by the Lady Panthers to pitchers Ashley McDermott and Nakoma Adkins, the visitors pounded the ball, adding 11 runs in the final three innings. Charles City’s lone baserunner was McDermott, who advanced to first on a walk in the bottom of the fifth.

After the game, Lady Panther head coach Lauren Wood commented about the circumstances her team faced in the contest.

“It’s tough, especially with our pitcher (Motley) going down,” the coach commented. “It affects us defensively because it forces players to play in positions they never have before.

“It also takes a toll on us offensively because we have to shuffle our line-up when we bat,” Wood added. “Injuries plagued us last year and we are facing a similar struggle now. It only gets more difficult from this point on out and we are going to work hard to make the best of our situation and continue to work hard to be successful.”

Charles City’s record falls to 2-1 as they head into spring break.