Off balance

Runs have not been in short supply for the Patriots this year.

On Monday, St. Henry got the worst of it as the Patriots put up 20.

But against the Argylls, those runs ran dry.

McKenna Craig and the Madison-Grant Argylls had the Jay County High School softball team off balance all night Friday, resulting in the Patriots’ first loss of the season, 3-2.

Coming into Friday’s game, Jay County (4-1) averaged more than 12 runs per game. The lowest they had scored on the season came in the second game of a doubleheader against Blackford at seven runs.

“We’ve just got to hit better because we’re better than two runs,” JCHS coach Doug Arbuckle said. “Numerous times we were out in front and hitting balls off the end of the bat. You just have to have a bit better mentality and discipline at the plate to sit back on it and hit it hard up the middle.”

Craig wasn’t overpowering hitters as she only finished with three strikeouts, but she found other ways to sit down the Patriots. While she allowed eight hits and three walks over the seven innings, she only gave up solid contact in seven of the 34 plate appearances.

Coming off of a leg injury that required surgery in the offseason, Craig only pitched 5.2 innings in three appearances before she went the distance against Jay County.

“I thought McKenna Craig kept them off balance,” said Madison-Grant coach Travis Havens. “(She threw) a lot of changeups, which is a pretty good changeup. Just overall, she’s probably a bit slower pitcher than maybe what they’re used to seeing anyways, but definitely her changeup kept them off balance.”

The Argylls’ winning run came in the top of the seventh inning.

Demie Havens led off the inning with a ground ball that led Jozey Shimp directly to first base for the out. Then back-to-back-to-back singles by Maegan Wilson, Johnna Hiatt and Carley Holliday plated the third run for Madison-Grant (4-4).

A walk loaded the bases, and after a mound visit, the Patriots pulled their infield in looking to get the out at home. Olivia Dunham hit the ball to pitcher Mallory Winner in the circle, who tossed it to Jaelynn Lykins for the out at home before she fired it down to Shimp to end the inning.

“Every inning, it’s our plan to manufacture at least one run however we have to,” Havens said.

Cali Yates, Jay County softball team’s second baseman, fields a short fly ball in the top of the fourth inning in Friday’s 3-2 loss to Madison-Grant. The Patriots struggled to make solid contact throughout the game, resulting in only one inning of scoring despite gathering 10 hits. (The Commercial Review/Andrew Balko)

 

The Patriots only successfully pushed runs across in the fifth inning.

Brooklyn Bright lined out to first base and Mady Fraley grounded out to third to start off the inning. Mallory Winner tattooed the first ball she saw to straight-away center field to finally get the Patriots on the board.

Riah Champ and Lykins reached base on a walk and single to right field to follow Winner’s home run. Then Shimp hit a ground ball to third baseman Wilson, who tried to tag Champ out but lost the ball on the play. Carley Trinidad rocketed a ball off of Craig to score another run and tie the game, but Morgan Missicano’s line out to the shortstop ended the inning at two runs.

“We got a key hit with runners in scoring position,” Arbuckle said. “Going back to that first inning, we had bases loaded with no outs and didn’t score. We’ve got to do better with that one.”

The other two runs for Madison-Grant came in the first and third innings. In the first, Havens opened with a single to shallow center field and later scored on a double by Hiatt to deep left center. The third-inning run was driven in by Wilson on a fielder’s choice to shortstop.

Last season, Jay County won its first nine games before suffering a loss. While the first defeat came a little bit earlier this season, Arbuckle isn’t worried and just wants his players to learn from it and move forward.

“It’s just a learning experience for them,” Arbuckle said. “I’m sure we’re gonna see something like this down the road. It’s not a conference game, so we’ll just take it in stride, enjoy the weekend and get back to it on Monday.”