Triton first baseman Mackenzie Reid throws to first on a bunt.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas_
Playing for the third time in three days, Triton dropped a 5-3 varsity softball contest with visiting Rosewood Wednesday.
“We didn’t hit the ball tonight,” said Triton coach Mark Whitman. “Brittany (Ireland) hit the ball well. Kaila (Cooney) hit the ball when she wasn’t walked. I think we took Rosewood a little lightly tonight. We came in with a little chip on our shoulder. You hate to lose, but maybe this was a loss we needed to have early on to figure out we’ll get better from it. That’s a very good hitting team. I knew they were coming into the game and I knew they were last year.”
Starter Gracyn Slaughter was the pitcher of record for the Hawks (3-2). In five and two-thirds innings, the sophomore yielded four earned runs on eight hits and three walks, with three strikeouts. Junior Caroline Marshall pitched one and one-third innings, giving up no runs on one hit and two walks.
Freshman Summer Nelson took the complete game win in the circle for the Eagles (3-2), giving up three earned runs on five hits, three walks and two hit batters, with one strikeout.
Junior Brittany Ireland had three hits, including a double, with two RBIs and sophomore Kaila Cooney reached base in all four plate appearances, including 1-for-1 hitting, and scored once to lead Triton at the plate.
Tatiana Muniz had one hit and one run scored, Slaughter had an RBI and Alexis Howard scored once.
Senior Braylee Butts had two hits, including a double, one RBI and one run scored and sophomore Alecia Langdon had two hits, one RBI and one run scored to lead Rosewood offensively.
Triton loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first inning, but only scored one run when Slaughter drew a walk to score Muniz. Muniz and Ireland’s singles in the first were Triton’s only two hits until the fifth inning.
Langdon led off the top of the third with a base hit and scored on a double from Braylee Butts, who took third on an errant throw home and scored on a squeeze bunt from Alyssa Smothers.
Laine Marak added another run for the Eagles by leading off the top of the fourth with a home run over center field.
Rosewood scored again in the fifth when Riley Jo Meyers walked, advanced on a Smothers sacrifice and scored on a base hit from Mackenzie Amodeo.
Howard reached on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the fifth, advanced on a base hit from Cooney and scored on a base hit from Ireland.
Rosewood answered in the top of the sixth when Brittney Butts had a two-out base hit, stole second and scored on a base hit from Langdon.
Cooney was hit by a pitch with two out in the bottom of the seventh and scored on Ireland’s double to cut the lead to two. But a ground ball back to the pitcher on the next at-bat ended the game.
Triton travels to Midway (3-1) on Monday before opening Tri-County Six 3-A Conference play at Southern Lee (0-4) on Tuesday.
“We’ll survive,” Whitman said. “We start conference play next week. We play at Midway on Monday. We’ll just have to take it from there. We’ll learn from this loss and get better. We’ll be ready next week.”
Tatiana Muniz gets a hit for the Hawks on Wednesday.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Triton thir baseman Kaila Cooney throws to first for an out.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Triton’s Brittany Ireland connects for an RBI double.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Reagan Bradham retires a Rosewood player with a throw from second.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
