Squaws top JC, stay perfect (04/13/06)

One big swing and one big inning did in the Patriots Wednesday.

Kylee Ehrsam broke a scoreless tie with a home run in the second inning. Her Bellmont Squaws added six more runs in the third inning on the way to a 10-4 victory over the Jay County softball team.

“That third inning, it seems like in our losses, that’s what happens,” said JCHS coach Jack Wood. “We’ve had an inning that’s haunted us.”

After Patriot second baseman Amber Champ recorded all three outs of the opening inning, Ehrsam made sure no one had a chance to put her away in the second. With winds blasting, she hit a rocket to left-center leaving the Patriot outfielders helpless as they watched the ball zoom over the fence for a solo home run.

The rest of the Bellmont offense joined her in the third after leadoff hitter Alicia Hirschy reached base on an error to start the inning. Kaylee Faurote followed with an infield single which scored Hirschy.

Amy Butcher and Nicole Hakes each added singles before Jay County recorded the first out of the inning. Ehrsam then drew walk to load the bases, and Katie Witte and Whitney Grote followed with back-to-back RBI singles. Dawn Arnold added a sacrifice bunt to stake the Squaws to a 7-0 lead.

Ehrsam, a sophomore, added a double later to finish 2-for-3 with three runs and an RBI.

“She’s the only girl we’ve ever had that over-swings — she swings too hard,” said Bellmont coach Chris Hakes, whose team was 15th in this Class 3A voting this week. “Most girls we’re trying to get to swing a lot harder. She just has to stay under control ... if she does, she hits the ball well.”

The Patriots (2-3) got a run back in the bottom of the third thanks to a leadoff walk by Shae Keller, a wild pitch and a single by Danielle Jackson. They pulled to within 8-4 with a three-run sixth inning keyed by an RBI triple from Trisha Champ.

But Bellmont scored twice in the top of the seventh and got a couple of defensive gems from Butcher at shortstop and Hirschy at second base to stop Jay County’s threat in the seventh.

“Hats off to Jay County,” said Hakes. “They were down early and they didn’t give up. They started to claw their way back into this. They did a nice job of fighting to get back into this ball game.”

But the Squaws had too much offense, as Butcher had three hits to go along with the two from Ehrsam, Faurote and Grote. Butcher had a double and a stolen base, Witte drove in two runs and Hirschy scored twice.

Hakes started and picked up the win, allowing one run on two hits and a walk in four innings. She struck out six, including the first three batters of the game.

Trisha Champ finished 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI for Jay County, and Chelsea DeBoy doubled and scored a run.

“We just got caught on our heels,” said Wood, whose team had no strikeouts Tuesday against Fort Recovery, but five in the first three innings versus Bellmont.

“We were crowding the plate a little bit. ... We needed to get back off the plate a little bit tonight and get our hands through.

“We did come back. We found our bats and kept battling. I think that’s one of the positives you’ve got to take out of it.”

Keller took the defeat, allowing seven runs — five earned — on seven hits in three innings. She had two walks and a strikeout.[[In-content Ad]]