Errors cost Fort softball

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FORT RECOVERY — The Indian bats provided a lead after the first inning.

But as the offense fizzled in the middle innings, the Tribe defense gave away the deficit.

And by the time the offense woke up again it was too late.

Fort Recovery High School’s softball team committed three errors over the span of two innings, the offense had difficulty stringing together hits in the middle frames and an early deficit was too much to overcome Tuesday in a 10-6 loss to the Versailles Tigers in Midwest Athletic Conference action.

“Offense just kind of shut down after that first inning,” said first-year FRHS coach EJ Stephen. “They were going good. Had (pitcher Cori Lawrence) timed up good.

“Defense didn’t help out much there for a little bit.”

After allowing a run in the top of the first inning, Fort Recovery (5-4, 1-3 MAC) nabbed a 3-1 advantage on RBIs from Bailee Tebbe, Hannah Knapke and Taylor Grisez. Tebbe, who finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs, hit a double to bring home Brenna Homan. Knapke’s single scored Tebbe, and two batters later Grisez singled up the middle to drive in Knapke.

Fort Recovery’s time in the lead on the scoreboard was short lived.

Versailles (5-5, 3-1 MAC) had two quick outs but a runner on second in the next frame. After the No. 9 hitter Anna Gehret smacked an RBI single, Hailey McEldowney reached on an error. Kate Stammen — she led the Tigers with three hits — hit an RBI single, and an intentional walk loaded the bases.

Mallory George hit a soft grounder to Tebbe at second base, and as she tried to tag Kami McEldowney for the third out the ball popped loose. The Tigers had two more cross home plate as they batted around and scored four runs — two earned — for a 6-3 lead.

“We just have to pick up our defense,” Stephen said. The Tigers scored another unearned run in the third inning. “Sometimes it’s on and sometimes it’s not. Defense right there would have won that ball game for us today.”

Versailles coach Chris Floyd attributed his team taking the lead not only to benefiting from Tribe errors, but the ability of his team to get back to the top of the lineup.

“What was important for us was to turn it over,” he said. “We started that inning in the six hole and we were able to roll it over to the top and get back to some big bats.

“We’ve got a few big bats spread throughout the lineup.

Hailey McEldowney and Stammen, who bat leadoff and second respectively, accounted for five of the Tigers’ 11 hits. Faith Huddle, the No. 7 hitter, was the only other Versailles player to have a multi-hit game off of Fort Recovery’s Olivia Homan.

After the Indians got one run back in the home half of the second inning, Versailles built a 10-4 lead thanks to another four-run effort in the sixth.

Fort Recovery, which had six hits through the first two innings, only had one over the next four.

In the seventh, the Indians loaded the bases with no outs. Tebbe delivered with a two-run double to left field to score courtesy runner Alli Vaughn and Brenna Homan (Homan was 2-for-3 with two RBIs from the leadoff spot). But a base-running blunder led to a double play, and a groundout ended the game.

“Base running, there were some mental mistakes that were kind of obvious,” Stephen said. The Indians had two runners thrown out on the base paths. “It is kind of a young thing again. Also some, they probably should know, but if you get into a pressure situation like that they want to win a ball game and they kind of forget things.”

Despite Tebbe’s error leading to two Versailles runs in the second inning, Stephen was pleased with how the sophomore performed at the plate.

“Bailee is one of those, she’ll have an error here and there and she’ll try to get down on herself but the girls are always there to bring her back up,” she said. “She’ll get back up pretty quickly. She’s always on it for us on the base paths and up to bat.

“She’s always one of those we can count on all the time.”