Squaws turn tables on JC (04/10/08)

Tuesday night the Patriots rallied from a four-run deficit for a victory. Twenty-four hours later, Bellmont put them on the flip side of a comeback.

After jumping to a 5-0 lead through just two innings Wednesday, the Jay County High School softball team faltered and suffered a 10-6 loss to the visiting Squaws.

"It's very disappointing," said JCHS coach Jack Wood, whose team slipped to 3-2. "I think we let one get away that we could have had tonight. I thought we came out tonight better prepared, but then ... the mental mistakes we're making, along with the phsyical errors. We're just not communicating. We're getting into some bad habits ..."

The Patriots built the 5-0 lead thanks in part to three unearned runs in the first inning, but started to give those runs back in the third. Bellmont scored four times in that inning, taking advantage of two errors, two walks and a wild pitch.

The Squaws (3-1) pulled even in the fourth on Janelle Rhoades' RBI single to right field, which set up Ashley Hackman. With two outs, the junior slammed a home run over the scoreboard in left-center field to put Bellmont in the lead for good.

"She hit the ball well," said Bellmont coach Chris Hakes. "She has a very good bat. She swings hard. She's always swung hard. The problem with her has been she's struggled at times to time the ball. But she timed it, obviously."

Jay County pulled to within 7-6 when Tiffany Davis scored on a Kayla Phillips RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, but missed a chance to tie the game on a failed double-steal attempt.

The Squaws tacked on two more runs with two doubles and a single in the top of the fifth inning, and added a run in the sixth for the final margin.

The No. 2 through 5 hitters in the Bellmont order combined for eight of the team's 12 hits, and No. 2, 3 and 4 batters Kaylee Faurote, Janelle Rhoades and Ashley Hackman totaled seven RBIs.

"It's about time," said Hakes, noting the trio's struggles during the first three games of the season. "Our whole lineup, if we get them going, there should not be an easy out on the team. I feel that if we can come together, get a little bit tougher mentally, we could be an awfully good team this year."

Jay County struggled at the plate and in the field after the opening couple of innings.

The Patriots left 11 runners on base, including two each in the third, fifth and seventh innings. They committed seven errors, although only four of the the Bellmont runs were unearned.

They also had to make several lineup changes, losing a pair of players during the course of the game.

"We had a player that had to leave. We had a player that got injured. Right now we're already missing a couple of players that would be in our starting lineup, so when you take two more out essentially we're missing four players," said Wood. "We had to move a lot of girls around that honestly hadn't been in those positions at all this year.

"But still, I think we just fell apart. Bellmont, they do things right, but they gave us chances. We just didn't capaitalize on them."

Kayla Phillps had two hits and two RBIs for JCHS, and Trisha Champ finished with two hits and two runs. Pazia Speed also had two hits before leaving the game because of an injury, and Tiffany Davis scored twice.

Bellmont starter Courtney McCord did just enough against the Patriot offense, holding them to one run over the final five innings despite giving up a total off 11 hits and five walks. She struck out seven batters, and only two of the runs against her were unearned. Five of her strikeouts came with runners in scoring position.

"We were way out in front some," said Wood. "The girl that pitched for them hit her spots well, but not overpowering. We were real anxious up there at the plate."

Brittney Watson took the loss, giving up three runs - two on the Hackman homer - on three hits in one inning.[[In-content Ad]]