B

Following Tuesday’s win over Science Hill, which saw a seventh-inning West rally, the Lady Trojans couldn’t find the same magic in a 2-1 loss to Dobyns-Bennett on Thursday.

Kaylynn Milton made an incredible double play to end the top of the seventh when Ashlynn Chappell seemed to pop it just over the infield to potentially score two. But Milton was able to stretch just far enough for an over-the-shoulder catch, throwing out the runner at third after the grab.

Blayne Parker got the tying run on base, and Eva Boudier nearly sent her courtesy runner home with a similar pop-up that nearly went over the infield, only for Olivia Aldridge to make a similarly impressive grab.

That theme ruled the night for the Lady Trojans, who had just three hits and couldn’t find the gaps despite several good contacts.

“Tuesday’s game was a lot cleaner,” West head coach Chad Parker said. “We were honestly pretty fortunate to be in that game with seven errors. But I’ll give our girls credit. They battled the whole way. Good pitcher, good team in Dobyns-Bennett, and we put the ball in play. Just couldn’t find holes a lot of times. I was proud of Chloe Oakes as a freshman coming in, put the ball in play three times, hit it hard, just couldn’t find a hole. And that happens. I told her, to keep swinging, she’ll find it. And had some other kids hitting it hard too, they just made good defensive plays. Heck of a catch from Kaylynn and their (shortstop) that probably saved the game, or at least us tying it up. It was a big play.”

Unfortunately for West, in tight games, the team with less mistakes likely comes out on top, and that proved to be true on Thursday.

West committed seven errors on defense to D-B’s two. Both of the Lady Indians’ runs came as a direct result of a runner reaching or advancing on errors.

“We do have to shore up the defense,” Parker said. “You’re not going to win a lot of games if you commit seven errors. So, narrow that down to one or two, and maybe that’s a one-nothing game. Who knows? But it was a good battle.”

West dropped to 11-6 on the year and 1-1 in District 1-4A action. D-B’s worksheet improved to 18-3 and 3-0 in the district.

Parker had two of West’s three hits, with Adyson Collins collecting the other hit.

Kara Dyke went all seven innings, allowing six hits and five K’s, working out of a couple of error-induced pinches in the process.

Winning pitcher Allie McConnelee also went seven, allowing three hits and fanning five batters.

After an opening walk and error, McConnolee’s sac fly sent the first run home, and Dyke forced a pair of pop outs to quickly stop the bleeding and strand loaded bases.

Eva Boudier walked to open the bottom of the first, reaching third on a groundout as a sac fly from Milton tied it at one each.

D-B got a runner on in the third thanks to an error and it came back to bite West as Evie Porter’s two-out single sent her home for the final run of the game.

The Lady Indians had base runners in each of the remaining four innings, but Dyke and the defense were able to get outs when needed. It seemed that D-B would get another run or two in the seventh, but Dyke’s double play kept it a one-run game.

“One thing about these girls, they never give up, and that’s what we’ve coached,” Parker said. “I’ve coached a lot of these girls since they were 10 years old, and we’ve always called them ‘the cardiac kids,’ because they would give the dads and the coaches heart attacks and somehow make a comeback in the last inning. Wasn’t in the cards today, but it wasn’t because of lack of effort.”

The Lady Trojans have plenty of games next week to put the district setback behind them with four in five days. West hosts Grainger and Daniel Boone to begin the week before jumping back into district play and traveling to Science Hill, closing out the week with Carter at home.