Hatchets fall at sectional
May 23, 2006
PETERSBURG — The Washington Hatchet softball team ended its season with a pair of bookend losses to Princeton.
The first loss came on Friday night and 72 hours later the Hatchets also dropped the Pike Central Sectional opener 13-0, to end a season that tallied just two wins, but showed improvement throughout the entire second half.
“I think we have some real possibilities,” said Washington coach Alan Lemon. “But unless they start making a commitment to softball and start working on it year-round, then we will be the same way next year and we will keep fighting the same thing. It is up to them.”
The Hatchets looked a little shaky coming out of the gate, as Princeton quickly recorded a 2-0 lead off WHS starter Michelle Hulsey.
But, with a runner on second and just one out, Hulsey was able to get the final two Lady Tigers to strike out, minimizing the damage.
However, whatever momentum the Hatchets may have picked up at the end of the first, quickly went in the other direction, as the next eight Lady Tigers all reached and all scored, to push Princeton out to a 10-0 lead.
“Princeton swings the bat the way you are supposed to. They can hit the ball,” added Lemon. “Hitting breeds hitting and errors breed errors.”
The Hatchets made a pitching switch in the third and brought in Kendra Veale, who retired the side in order and kept the Tigers hitless in the fourth as well. But the Lady Tigers were able to find some two-out magic in the fifth, as a single was sandwiched between a pair of doubles scoring three more runs and making it 13-0.
“You really can’t just blame pitchers, because we had people make some mistakes behind them,” added Lemon.
The Hatchets found themselves hitless for the first three innings of the game, but Jessica Hall broke up Cristen Weist’s no-hit bid with a single to lead off the fourth.
The Hatchets also got the lead-off hitter on in the fifth, when Erin Wadsworth also reached safely. Amber Criswell moved Wadsworth to second with a two-out walk, but Melanie Cates, who came on in relief got the third strikeout of the inning to end the game and season for the Hatchets.
Lemon does believe that next years’s team has the chance to make some noise, as they only lose one senior, Sarah Deitz and are seeing some success at the junior high level.
“We are working with our junior high kids and we have a travel team that just went down to Owensboro and took third last weekend,” added Lemon.
“Sarah Deitz has given me 100 percent for four years. If the field or the gym is open, she was there working her tail off for us.”