Lady Jays fall in 1-0 heartbreaker
By Tom Dodge
For the third time this season, the St. Edmund Lady Jays lost a district game by a single run as Catholic High of Pointe Coupee grabbed a 1-0 District 6-1A win Tuesday.
After the Lady Jay defense held firm for six innings, the Lady Hornets rapped back-to-back singles by Brittany Ezell and Anna Gradney.
A fielder’s choice by Kari Bellard loaded the bases and Heather Crabtree hit a sacrifice to centerfield which allowed Ezell to score the game’s only run.
“We have had three one-run losses,” head coach Louise Johnson said after the game. “But I give our girls credit for fighting every inning like they did. We had some good at-bats, had some good defense and good pitching but we just didn’t get things going our way.”
“It not like we aren’t playing good ball, the other teams are getting the breaks right now,” she explained. “But that could change in one game if we keep battling.”
St. Eds pitcher Leah Andrus suffered the loss even after a strong performance with five strikeouts, a walk and three hits.
Andrus retired the first 12 batters before Ezell singled in the top of the fifth inning and Brittany Niland walked in the top of the sixth stanza.
Chandler Bonadventure earned the win for the Lady Hornets as she scattered four hits with one strikeout.
St. Eds threatened in the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles from Brittany Fontenot and Anne Marie Himel, but the Lady Jays failed to move the runners.
Taylor Richard singled in the bottom of the third stanza, but a double play snuffed out the scoring opportunity.
The Lady Jays put runners in scoring position again in the bottom of the sixth inning when Ashlyn Daville singled and Brittany Fontenot reached on a fielder’s choice, but neither advanced past second base.
It was also Senior Day as the Lady Jays honored short stop Mollie Brown and left fielder Paige Guillory, playing their final regular season home game.
“They have improved year by year,” Johnson said of the senior duo. “They have really taken some strides in the leadership area as well.
“Their attitudes are pretty catching with the rest of the team and they are just a pleasure to have on the team. They will both be very difficult to replace.”
St. Eds (14-10, 1-3) travels to St. Joes in Plaucheville on Wednesday before visiting non-district foe Port Barre on Thursday.
“We are not out of it,” Johnson said of the playoffs. “If we can do what we need to do in our next few games, we will be fine.
‘I would rather be playing our better ball now like I think we are, than to have already played our best ball.”