By Drew Terhall

Dailyadvocate.com

DARKE COUNTY — Here are the scores and stats from the softball games on March 28.

Ansonia 4 (1-1, 0-1) vs Arcanum 15 (2-3, 1-0)

ANSONIA — The Lady Trojans get back into the win column with the road win over Ansonia.

Arcanum head coach Mike Morris said they were positives with the hitting, but still has some things to clean up on offense overall.

“We found holes tonight. We hit really well. Everybody did, even the bench players came in. But, we didn’t get our bunts down and we did a lot of bone-head base running,” Morris said. “We got to get it fixed. It’s a shame we got to do it during games.”

Freshman Matty Noe got the scoring going in the first inning with a RBI single. Freshman Jordyn Garbig drove in two more runs to make it 3-0 early.

A solo home run by junior Kenzie Byrne and a sacrifice groundout by senior Hannah Kendig made it a 5-2 game. The home run was Byrne’s third of the season already.

Ansonia hung around for as long as they could. They kept it close early, but a few mistakes and some bad ball luck gave Arcanum all they needed to keep control over the game.

Ansonia head coach David Fisherback said they do have some young players mixed in with the upperclassmen that are still learning.

“We have a lot of senior leaders out there. But we also have some youth mixed in,” Fisherback said.

The Lady Trojans defense also made some plays to maintain their lead. Out in right field, Noe made a diving play along with a few running catches to take away hits from Ansonia.

“She’s really never played that position. We had a freshman out there and she came up with some big plays for us. We had a freshman, Jordyn Garbig, we moved her to second,” Morris said. “But Matty, she’s a gamer. She can hit, she can do it all.”

Garbig finished the game with three RBI. Byrne and freshman Ella Flatter each had two RBI.

Fisherback said Arcanum is a great team with a talented lineup. It’s just one of those times you have to tip your hat to them.

For Ansonia, they didn’t go away without a fight. During the game, senior Maddie Buckingham dropped a bunt to score a run. In the final inning, sophomore Abby Klingshirn hit a home run. Ansonia just couldn’t overcome the big deficit.

On the mound, senior Hannah Kendig led the way for the Lady Trojans. Senior Abby Kramer was the pitcher for Ansonia. Kendig had five strikeouts and Kramer had two strikeouts.

Fisherback said their goals are still in front of them. You never know what the rest of the season has in store and they can play themselves into a share of a WOAC title with some help.

He also said they have to remember their postseason goals are still there. Fisherback is trying to take the program to the next level. Their upcoming schedule will help them improve and be prepared for a tournament run.

“Our goal is to get to districts and who knows, maybe scratch out a win and get to regionals. Everything is still intact for us. We got some good competition coming up,” Fisherback said.

After games at Houston and Coldwater, Ansonia will host Troy Christian at 5 p.m. on April 1 and then head to Dixie on April 2.

This game marks Arcanum’s fifth straight played game. They will play three more straight on March 29 and 30. They will then host Preble Shawnee on April 2 at 5 p.m.

Around the county:

Bradford (0-3, 0-1)

The Lady Railroaders lose a close one to Newton, 10-9. Bradford led 7-2 before a seven-run sixth inning by Newton gave them a 9-7 lead. The Lady Railroaders did score two runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game, but Newton scored the game winning run in the seventh to take the win. Senior Tegan Canan had three RBI. Freshmen Vivian Harleman and Addy Mills both hit a home run in the game. Harleman pitched all seven innings and had six strikeouts. The team will host Northmont on April 1 and then head to National Trail on April 2. Both games are set for a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Franklin Monroe (1-4, 1-0)

The Lady Jets get their first win of the season at Twin Valley South, 13-1. Freshman Faith Wintrow had three hits and seven RBI in the game. She had a double and two home runs. Senior Jozlynn Wintrow had two RBI. Senior Jocelyn Gray and sophomore Alivia Addis both had a RBI as well. Senior Keihl Johnson pitched all five innings and allowed four hits and had five strikeouts. The team will take a trip out to Pigeon Forge and play three games at the Cal Ripken Experience on April 1 and 2.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]