Inexperienced Lady Trojans fall 15-5 to Colonial Heights

New Kent pitcher Abigail Young fires to first for an out after fielding a slow roller in the fifth inning.

Alan Chamberlain photo

First-year coach Maria Bates knew she faced a challenge when she inherited the reins of New Kent’s softball program. A lack of veteran experience on the roster showed during two road games last week and surfaced again at Monday’s home opener.

Her Lady Trojans spotted Colonial Heights’ Colonials a 4-0 first inning lead. The hosts attempted to keep pace, but the visitors added five runs in the second and pulled away from there for a 15-5 win in six innings, dropping the hosts to 0-3.

“They’re young and they haven’t played together that much,” Bates said afterward concerning her team. “Only three starters return and the other six are either freshmen or sophomores.

“We haven’t hit on all cylinders yet, although our hitting was better today,” she said, adding, however, that errors sort of offset the offensive output.

New Kent erased most of Colonial Heights’ first inning lead in the bottom of the frame. Haley Hyndshaw’s two-run double highlighted a three-run surge that pulled the hosts within one at 4-3.

The Colonials extended their advantage to 9-3 in the second. New Kent answered with Alex Peace’s single and Taylor Goode’s double. Both scored on a Colonial throwing error.

But the Lady Trojan attack could not drive additional runs. Abigail Young’s one out double to deep center in the third went for naught, as did Goode’s lead-off single in the fifth and Taylor Yates’ one out sixth inning double.

Colonial Heights, meanwhile, added two runs in the fourth and put the game away with a four-run sixth.