By Steve Siniski
³That¹s been our pattern, one bad inning cost us,² Lady Bruins coach Allyson Wolper said. ³We¹re beating ourselves.²
Baldwin (1-5 in Conference I play) trailed just 1-0 heading into the frame, which started innocently enough when pitcher Devon Kelly struck out the Lady Sailors No. 9 hitter, Natasha Dolce.
In fact, Kelly even appeared to regain control after three straight batters reached base following the whiff on a single to right, and error and a single to short. With the bases loaded, Kelly induced a hard lineout to from the cleanup hitter second baseman Jessica Prestifillipo.
The bases were still loaded with two outs, but Oceanside had yet to push a runner across the plate. It seemed as if Kelly had staved off the big inning.
³She battles,² Wolper said. ³It¹s been a tough season, but she¹s battling. There¹s no die in her and we need to be able to pick it up behind her.²
Lady Sailors¹ freshman Gillian Davidorf struck next, grounding a ball off the ankle of first baseman Stephanie Betancourt. Two more infield grounders back to the pitcher¹s mound, one which caught Kelly off balance and rolled far enough away to allow Carolee Keppler to score, plated the second and third runs of the inning. Seven straight Oceanside batters reached base with two outs in all. Leadoff hitter Angela Casella delivered the final blow, a two-run single to right-centerfield.
³It¹s good for [our] team,² Lady Sailors coach John Messina said of the many contributions at the plate. ³It builds up the confidence of the team. They¹re all contributing and that helps.²
Kelly finished up strong on the mound for Baldwin, allowing just three base runners over the final three innings. The sophomore struck out six.
Things could have been worse for the Lady Bruins, as Casella opened the game with a triple to right field, but Kelly slammed the door shut after an RBI single by Keppler. She retired the heart of the Lady Sailors order on a groundout to Betancourt, a strikeout and an out on runner¹s indifference when Davidorf left first too early.
At the plate, Ashley Ainbinder scored Baldwin¹s lone run, roping a leadoff triple to the gap in right centerfield in the sixth. She came around to score on a two-out single by cleanup hitter Kim Johnson, who finished the day with two hits in three trips to the plate. Newcomer Kelly Henderson saw her first action on the field this season and had an instant impact on the base paths. The senior, an All-County soccer player, barely had the time to tighten the chinstrap on her helmet as a pinch runner in the sixth. She swiped second base on the very next pitch and later advanced to third on a wild pitch. One inning later, Henderson was again called on to enter the game as a runner. The same strategy prevailed, as she stole second base, again on the very first pitch.
