FORTVILLE — For a team that had to wait 12 extra days to play its first game due to the recent deluge of rain in the area, an extra twenty minutes seemed easy for the Mt. Vernon Marauders in their first game of the season.
As the teams were waiting for a second umpire to arrive, the Marauders stood confidently and patiently on the field for the season to start.
Despite a 6-2 loss, Mt. Vernon showed enough to give the team hope going forward into the season.
“Our girls just had so much nervous energy and were wanting to play,” Mt. Vernon coach Veronica Kirby said afterwards. “After being rained out and having to practice inside all last week and yesterday, I wasn’t upset with the result tonight.”
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Yorktown manufactured one run off Mt. Vernon starter Sara Pridgen in each of the first two innings, but the Marauders used the long ball to even things up. In the bottom of the second inning, Karly Van Slyke hooked a line drive around the left field foul pole to get the team on the scoreboard.
In the next inning, Morgan Moss skied a home run to dead center field to even things up.
After Moss’ home run in the bottom of the third, Mt. Vernon went on to load the bases with one out but could not push across another run. This would be as close as Mt. Vernon would come to scoring the rest of the game.
“It was tough having our first game be a conference game,” Kirby said. “Without seeing live pitching, I thought the girls really hung in there and did their best.”
After four innings, Kaitlyn Nugent, who would go on to throw three stellar innings, relieved Mt. Vernon starter Sara Pridgen. However, in the eighth inning, the Tiger offense came to life, hitting two doubles and a home run to score four runs and win the Hoosier Heritage Conference opener for both teams.
“I really think it comes down to not seeing much live pitching,” speculated Kirby. “I think in a few weeks we will look back at this game and think we are a totally different team.”
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Yorktown 6, Mt. Vernon 2
YHS (1-1, 1-0 HHC);110;000;04;—;6;11;2
MVHS (0-1, 0-1 HHC);011;000;00;—;2;6;0
2B: Bilbrey (YHS), Davis (YHS), Moore (YHS). HR: Moss (MV), Van Slyke (MV), Lumpkin (YHS).
WP: Brienna Bilbrey (1-0). LP: Kaitlyn Nugent (0-1).
Notables: Morgan Moss 1-3, HR, RBI; Karly Van Slyke 1-2, HR, RBI (MVHS)
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