Lady Wardens capture win at Plains
Photos by Aaric Bryan Trotter Emily Morigeau hurls a pitch to Deer Lodge’s Jherianne Phillips in the top of the first inning in Plains Saturday.
The home-opener for the Plains Trotters softball team was spoiled by the visiting Lady Wardens from Powell County, who won the contest 11-2 Saturday afternoon.
Trotter batters were neutralized by senior Lady Warden pitcher Krystal Burns, who pitched a complete game and allowed only five hits and two runs, striking out the side in two innings on her way to 12 strikeouts.
Three of these hits belonged to senior Bethany Catalanello, who went three-for-three to go along with one RBI. The other two came from senior Gabby Reynolds, who was two-for-three with a triple and scored the team's only two runs.
The Lady Wardens were led by senior Ashley Powell, who hit two triples and knocked in a run, as well as scoring two.
Junior Emily Morigeau took the mound for the Trotters, and threw five innings and chalked up seven strikeouts, including the lead-off batter. The Lady Wardens came away with a run in the top of the first, however, and were ahead 1-0 going into the bottom of the first.
Reynolds led off the game with a single, and proceeded to steal second and was moved to third by a single by Catalanello. Reynolds then stole home on an overthrow to catch Catalanello stealing second, knotting the score at one.
The Lady Wardens used a four run second inning to jump on top, and slowly added to their lead, scoring one in the third, two in the fifth, and two in the sixth, but the Trotters were unable to get any offensive production through the next four innings. Catalanello took over pitching duties from Morigeau in the top of the sixth and recorded three strikeouts.
Reynolds broke the drought by leading off the bottom of the sixth with a triple and was then driven in by Catalanello's third hit of the game, making the score 10-2. But they could not gain any more momentum and the inning ended without further scoring.
Powell County added another run in the top of the seventh and then retired the bottom half of the inning, thanks to a double play, to gain their second victory of the season.
The Trotters have yet to win a game, due largely to errors in the field, according to coach Russ Heward. “Pitching's our strong point, I can't fault them; we just need to pick up some defense behind them,” Heward said. “But there were bright spots,” he added. “A few girls started hitting the ball better.”
Another large contributor to the Trotters' slow start is the team's relatively new players. “We've got a lot of new players who are still learning the basics,” said Heward. Only four starters returned from the team last year.
The Trotters will get experience fast, however, by playing five games this week, highlighted by a meeting with Thompson Falls Thursday at T-Falls, followed by a home game against Noxon Friday. Both are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. The Trotters will head to Drummond Saturday, where they will play a double header, with the games beginning at 3 p.m. The Plains traveled to Troy Monday.