NEW PARIS – Ansonia hit the ball well on Thursday but couldn’t turn enough of those hits into runs as the Lady Tigers lost 2-1 to National Trail in a Cross County Conference softball game.
Ansonia had 11 hits off what is one of the conference’s best pitching staffs, Coach Floyd Jenkins said.
“They played well,” Jenkins said of his girls. “Their pitcher only had two strikeouts the whole game. We made good contact, just right at them. We had some shots. There were some controversial plays, I thought, in the game as far as officiating, but you can’t blame that on them. We’ve got to make things happen ourselves. These girls are young. They’re coming along. They’re capable of playing good, and they did today.”
National Trail scored the game’s first run in the third inning when Kerestin Nugent scored an unearned run to put the Blazers up 1-0.
Trail got its second run in the sixth inning. The Blazers got a bunt single from Gracie Jones and an infield single by Payten Laird to lead off the inning. Following a fielder’s choice that got the lead runner out at third, Savanna Abner drove in Laird with a RBI single to put National Trail up 2-1.
Ansonia avoided the shutout in the seventh inning when Jailyn Thwaits drove in Trinity Henderson, who led off the inning with a triple, with a sacrifice fly into left field.
That was the only run Ansonia would score, though, as the Tigers lost 2-1.
Henderson led Ansonia offensively with a double, a triple and a run.
“Trinity has been a leader all year,” Jenkins said. “She’s batting up there close to .600. She’s playing outstanding.”
Thwaits had the Tigers’ lone RBI and also had a hit. Sarah Rhoades had two hits including a double. Katelyn McKenna also had two hits. Chelsea Noggler had a triple for Ansonia. Emily Gariety, Heidi Runkel and Kayla Saintignon also had hits for the Tigers.
Henderson pitched the complete game for Ansonia, allowing one earned run and one unearned run.
“She pitched a heck of a performance,” Jenkins said. “She was mixing it up and kept them off-balance a bit.”
Ansonia fell to 6-5 overall and 2-2 in the CCC with Thursday’s loss. The Tigers will play host to Tri-County North in another conference game on Friday then will travel to Versailles on Saturday for a doubleheader.
