Lady Tigers come up short
Darlington is unable to push across runs in a loss to Trion.
Darlington is unable to push across runs in a loss to Trion.
The Darlington softball team can get big hits, can field well and has plenty of pitching to compete against most anyone on its schedule. But on Thursday afternoon, it proved this everywhere except the scoreboard.
The Lady Tigers allowed five runs, all with two outs, and left eight runners on base in a 5-3 loss to Trion at Darlington in each team’s first Region 6-A game. The three runs are the lowest total Darlington has produced all season.
Darlington coach Matt Larry found the display unusual and something that will be a focus in practice.
“This loss hurt, that’s for sure,” Larry said. “I felt like we were right in stride entering region play, but we just left too many on base today. When you continue to not take advantage of scoring opportunities, it’s going to hurt us.”
Ellie Gillis and Josi McKibben each had two singles and a run scored, while Kathryne Ledbetter had a two-run double in the fourth. McKibben started on the mound for Darlington, allowing 10 hits and four runs in seven
innings pitched. The loss breaks up what had been an impressive run for Darlington (4-4, 0-1 6-A), which had won four of its last five games. The offense that sparked those victories fell flat in big moments Thursday, opening the door for Trion (6-1, 1-0).
The Lady Bulldogs’ big moment came in the third inning, beginning with a Gracie Burns RBI single to make it 1-1 with two outs. Darrian Jones followed with a two-run homer, and a pair of singles from Josie Maddux and Jodie Henderson put Trion in a commanding
4-1 lead.
“Josi pitched her heart out, she just had a couple of bad pitches there,” Larry said. “She played well, and the team played well. That’s what makes the loss disappointing.”
Ledbetter’s two-run double cut the lead to one run, but she was caught stealing third base a few plays later. In the next inning, Darlington got runners on second and third with one out but walked away without a run.
While Larry said the lack of offense is something that will have to be fixed as region play revs up, the coach and his staff still has plenty of trust in the players. He hopes they take something away from the atypical game and just move forward.
“This is a loss that we are definitely going to feed off of,” Larry said. “A loss like this, you definitely need to learn from it, and definitely get better from it. We are looking ahead now, and I still think we are playing in stride.”
Darlington plays a non-region game at Chattooga on Monday.