Sloppy start after layoff costs Truman vs. Neshaminy
BRISTOL TWP., PA. >> You don’t want to read too much into the Truman High School softball team’s 9-2 loss to Neshaminy on Tuesday afternoon.
Although the Tigers were up against a good Neshaminy team and a tough pitcher in its Kennedie Ruth, they were also coming off a 13-day layoff because of Covid issues. In addition to not playing in nearly two weeks, Truman had barely practiced.
“I think we are going to be pretty good,” said Truman coach Rick Palmer after his team fell to 2-1. “It’s a matter of getting the girls together for more than three days at a time. Without question we looked rusty today. That first inning killed us.”
It sure did as Neshaminy poured across four runs on just one hit. The hit came from Kylee Jones after Carina Barr had reached on an error to start the game. The Tigers almost got out of the inning on a line-drive double play, but then Neshaminy scored two runs on the same wild pitch.
What’s worse, the runners were on first and second when the wild pitched rolled to the screen. Both runners were able to score when Truman was first slow retrieving the ball and then threw it away while returning it to starting pitcher Jalecia Blackston.
Another two runs also scored in this inning when Danielle Monaco hit a hard shot to second that got through the fielder. For those who are counting, that’s three Truman errors in the top of the first.
This might very well have turned out differently if Truman wasn’t missing standout second baseman Courtney Nau, who is also one of its better hitters.
Although Truman battled and was able to score in the third on an RBI single by speedster Teyana Towner and in the sixth on a home run by Emily Merrigan, the early four-spot was too much to overcome.
Neshaminy junior righty Kennedie Ruth ended up throwing a four-hitter with seven strikeouts, but in a way this was also a positive for the home team.
“I thought we did a much better job of hitting the ball against her,” said Palmer. “The last time we played them she struck us out 14 times.”
Bouncing back from its loss to Pennsbury, Neshaminy had nine hits against Blackston and reliever Kylee Thomas. As is so often the case, Jones led the way with a 3-for-4 batting second in the order. In addition, Kylie Siwek and Michelle Baradiej also had two hits, and Amanda Slabicki had a bloop two-run single in the fifth.
It will be interesting to see how Truman fares from here. It has a tough assignment at Pennsbury on Wednesday, but you couldn’t help but get the feeling it’s better than what it showed against Neshaminy.
This is entirely understandable when you consider being shut down for two weeks would make it difficult for any team.
Neshaminy (2-2) 410 020 2 — 9 9 1
Truman (2-1) 001 001 0 — 2 4 3
WP-Ruth. LP-Blackston. 2B-E. Kuvulic (T). HRMerrigan (T). RBIs: N-Jones, Slabicki 2, Nelson, Bilbrey. T-Towner, Merrigan.
Truman at Pennsbury: 3:30 Neshaminy at CR North: 3:30 Bensalem at CR South: 3:30
St. Basil at Conwell-Egan: 3:45 p.m., GOLF
PDS at Pingry: 4:00
Hun at Pennington: 4:15
Riverside at Bordentown: 5:00