Warhill thumps New Kent behind Rochard’s 17 strikeouts

Lady Trojan Paige Simpson slides across the plate to score New Kent's first run as Warhill catcher Jasmine Ortiz leaps in vain for an errant throw.

Alan Chamberlain photo

Unable to solve the delivery of Warhill pitcher Keely Rochard who struck out 17, New Kent’s Lady Trojans fell with a resounding thud Wednesday afternoon to the visiting Lions by an 11-2 softball final.

Six Lady Trojan errors failed to help matters for the hosts, prompting their coach, Nicole O’Bier, to question her team’s intensity.

“There were just so many mental errors,” she said. “They didn’t show up as a team today.

“[Rochard] is a good pitcher, and I’m not taking anything away from her, but this could easily have been a 2-1 or 3-2 ball game,” she added.

Rochard, meanwhile, never allowed a New Kent base runner until she bounced a pitch off Annie Gray in the fifth inning. She struck out the side in order in three frames, and at one point fanned eight in a row.

New Kent managed its first hit, a Paige Simpson bloop single down the right field line, in the sixth. Jada Evans followed with a bunt single and Peyton Slater dropped another single into shallow right to score Simpson. Evans slid home after the throw to the plate on Slater’s hit scoring Simpson sailed over leaping catcher Jasmine Ortiz.

But by the time New Kent broke into the scoring column, Warhill already owned an 8-0 lead. Rochard struck out the last four batters she faced to complete the win, dropping New Kent to 1-7 on the season.