Lady Trojans rally from three runs down to defeat Grafton in district semifinals

Mariah Leonard snags a pop fly in the outfield after a full sprint for a crucial out in the contest.

As the mantra of ‘Win or Go Home’ starts to set in for teams, New Kent’s Lady Trojans were hoping to find some momentum in their May 16 semifinal contest against the visiting Grafton Lady Clippers. And it would take a strong rally in the bottom of the sixth that finally saw the home team’s bats come alive.

The Lady Trojans rallied from three runs down and used a walk-off hit by Abbie Kegley to propel to a 4-3 win over Grafton.

Trailing 3-0 as they headed into the bottom of the sixth, New Kent’s Lady Trojans finally found some of the offense they’ve been searching for throughout the year. Back-to-back hits by Hannah Perkins and Kennedy Ziglar positioned runners in scoring position. Kegley’s base knock provided the home team’s first run of the game. An error by York allowed run number two to trot across the plate for New Kent. The Lady Trojans third run registered after Mariah Leonard’s single tied the game at three all.

After New Kent’s defense silenced Grafton, a vital mistake by the visitors set up Kegley’s heroics. A collision by outfielders allowed Hannah Perkins to advance around the base paths. After she advanced to third on sacrifices, Kegley’s connection with her bat sent the ball to center field, out of the reach of Grafton and bringing home Perkins for the game winning score.

New Kent defeated York 7-0 in the May 18 Bay Rivers District title game to capture the trophy for the third consecutive year.