GRAHAM — Chatham Central’s softball team wasn’t able to explode offensively against Randleman because most of their best shots in the 5-2 loss were just at-’em bombs.
“When we did hit it, we hit it hard, right to them. They didn’t have to move to make a play,” Bears Head Coach Drew Hackney lamented after the game. “We couldn’t find a hole.”
The Bears finished 0-3 in the eight-team Southern Alamance Patriots 25th Annual Easter Softball Tournament, dropping to 8-6 on the season. They lost 2-1 to Wayne Christian of Goldsboro on Friday night, and were edged 13-12 by South Granville on Saturday afternoon after the early morning loss to Randleman.
It was the first tournament Chatham Central played in this season, and each team was guaranteed to play three games. The Bears were a last-minute entry after another school dropped out, and they were the only 1A team competing among 2A, 3A and 4A squads.
“It’s one of those games where you just weren’t meant to win,” Hackney said after the loss to Randleman. Runners were picked off base and caught stealing, ground conditions led to throwing errors, the team’s best pitcher wasn’t available to take the mound, the catcher was playing hurt and what looked to be a home run was declared a ground-rule double.
“We were just trying to make something happen,” Hackney said of the base-running backfires. He was concerned that his team wasn’t playing with the intensity needed to come back against the Tigers. He attributed that to the extra-inning loss to Wayne Christian on Friday. “It just took a lot of energy out of us.”
It also sapped him of his ace pitcher, junior Mary Gaines, the 2021 All-Yadkin Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year. She pitched last Thursday against Jordan Matthews in an 8-1 conference win, and hurled 8 innings Friday night, so Hackney rested her on Saturday.
“I’m not going to let her get hurt,” Hackney said. “It’s a long season.”
As if that wasn’t bad enough, catcher Lindsey Johnson was dealing with a shoulder injury after the battle with the Tigers.
“My other catcher is not here,” Hackney said. “I just asked for volunteers a while ago. But we’ll get through it.”
With three conference games left on the schedule before the conference tournament and state playoffs, Hackney said he needs to see more consistency from his young squad. He starts three seniors, two juniors and four sophomores.
“We can be decent, or we can be very good,” Hackney said. The ups and downs are not for lack of talent. “They’ve just got to stay together as a team. We just need energy and to stay fired up.”
Randleman wasted no time jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Winning pitcher Camden Scott ignited the scoring with a leadoff single to center and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice groundout. Center fielder Jesslyn Perez smacked an RBI single to center, scoring Scott, and moved up to second on Bears center fielder Ashley Roberts’ botched throw to the bag that sailed high above the infield to home plate. Johnson attempted to throw Perez out, but the ball soared into center field, allowing Perez to scoot all the way home.
Hackney blamed the back-to-back throwing errors on wet grass that made the ball slippery.
Bears’ first baseman Mary Gaines reached first, leading off the second inning after being hit by a pitch. Starting pitcher Cassie McKeithan beat out an infield single to shortstop, pushing Gaines to second base. Katherine Gaines reached first safely on a fielder’s choice to avert a double play, and Mary Gaines legged it to third, putting runners on the corners.
Katherine Gaines stole second, then Johnson beat out an RBI infield single, scoring Mary Gaines as Katherine Gaines advanced to third. Roberts laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to plate Katherine Gaines and knot the score at 2-2.
Randleman regained the lead, 5-2, in the third after Scott lashed a hard single to center, which shortstop Jordan Booker followed with a single to center and third baseman Mackenzie Roach knocked Scott and Booker home with a one-out single to right. Mackenzie Roach scored when shortstop Jaylee Williams bobbled a grounder by Tigers catcher Emily Roach, and the Bears threw the ball around, which also allowed Emily Roach to go to second.
The brightest spot for Chatham Central in the inning was a nifty double play to extinguish the rally. Roberts chased down a fly ball to center by Tigers first baseman Savannah Scott, and threw Emily Roach out as she attempted to tag and go to third.
Controversy erupted in the bottom of the sixth when Bears third baseman Taylor Poe walloped a ball to deep center that Perez was unable to catch up to. Perez crashed into the fence trying to make the grab, but the ball landed beyond the nylon netting that was stretching backwards under her weight. It appeared Poe had a leadoff dinger.
But the bases umpire said the ball bounced over the fence, calling it a ground-rule double. Hackney disputed the call to no avail.
“To me it looked like a home run. The girl was against the fence, and I don’t see how it bounced in if the girl was against the fence,” Hackney said.
Poe moved to third on a passed ball, and with no outs the Bears were stirring.
But Katherine Gaines flew out to first, and Mary Gaines popped up to third, where Mackenzie Roach looked Poe back to the bag. When it appeared Roach was throwing the ball back to the pitcher, Poe had a notion to scurry home, but it was a fake pump by Roach. Poe was frozen on the play, leaning towards home but attempting to pivot back to the bag. She was tagged out before she could get there.
It was the third time the Bears ended an inning on a daring but failed base-running play. Williams got to third on a two-out double and error in the fifth, but was caught trying to steal home. Poe was thrown out trying to steal second after drawing a walk in the third inning.
The Bears are on spring break until April 26, when they begin their string of three-straight conference games before the start of the conference tournament.