G-A can't capitalize in loss to East Penn
GREENCASTLE - Kicking the rust off isn't normally something a team has to do in Week 3.
But teams don't normally get a week vacation to begin the season, either.
On Monday afternoon, Greencastle-Antrim played its second softball game of the year - its first since April 2 - and suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of non-league foe East Pennsboro.
Going up 2-0 after the first inning, the Blue Devils (1-1) looked to be in good shape. But when East Pennsboro got a bases-clearing double in the third inning, G-A could never recover.
"The big hits don't matter if there's nobody to drive them home," G-A coach Mark DeCarli said. "Leaving 11 baserunners on and not getting that key hit, that's what killed us. Alicen Hoover ripped the ball all day, but there was either nobody on or we couldn't get her in."
The Panthers (4-2) took a lead in the top of the third inning on a three-RBI double from Cailey Joyce.
"That just felt great," Joyce said. "I wanted to hit the ball because I obviously struck out the first time. I wanted to hit it hard and get some teammates in. I just had to get it down some way."
Over the course of the next two innings, Greencastle had a plethora of opportunities.
In the bottom of the fourth, Liz Ward led off with a single, and after an out, she was joined on the bases by Olivia Remenick, who also singled. Jess Root walked to load the bases, but East Penn induced a pair of pop-outs to end the inning.
With one out in the sixth, Greencastle got started again with a walk to Hoover. Ali Sherman and Ward notched back-to-back singles, but once again, the Blue Devils couldn't capitalize.
"Let's just say, I was biting my tongue," DeCarli said. "The team I know I have hitting-wise, we should've brought some of those runs in. But their pitcher kept us off balance."
Hoover said, "Our girls had good hits; we just didn't get them when we needed to. We'll get back to practice so we can pull through next time. Definitely the games when we're up and they come back, that hurts us, but we'll bounce back."