Kaley Nott (red jacket) and Hailey Blackburn of Triad collide in the infield while going for a pop-up during a game against Kenton Ridge. The Lady Cardinals fell to the Cougars in five innings. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
A good question could have been asked on the Triad High School softball diamond.
What was worse…. the weather or the final score for the Lady Cardinals?
A stiff wind with a 40-degree temperature and even a touch of hail prevailed when Triad dropped an 18-2 verdict to Kenton Ridge.
The contest was called after five innings with the run rule being invoked.
“We’re just a very young team,” said coach Erica Trainer as the Lady Cardinals slipped to 0-3.
There are no seniors on the Triad roster and only one junior, Kaydence Feasel, who went into the season with varsity experience.
“We’re mostly freshmen and sophomores,” said the first-year head coach.
The visiting Cougars plated four runs in the top of the initial inning off Triad pitcher Lilly Greene.
Sydney Dobbins led off with a single and stole second.
Kirsten Wright reached on the first of five Cardinal fielding miscues and later took second base.
Kenton Ridge took a 1-0 lead on a base hit from Audrey Fyffe.
Triad earned an out on a fielder’s choice, but three additional runs later raced home on an error.
Greene got the final two outs to end the inning with the Cardinals down 4-0.
The Cougars piled on 12 additional runs over the course of the second and third innings.
Greene yielded four hits and hit a batter as Kenton Ridge took a 9-0 margin during the second.
The Lady Cardinals added three fielding mistakes during the third inning.
Kenton Ridge tallied seven of its 18 hits during that frame in elevating its advantage to 16-0.
Cougar southpaw Kylie Ropp surrendered four hits to Triad during the first two innings.
Along the way, she fanned five batters as the Lady Cardinals struggled to string together a consistent offense.
Triad plated its first run in the home half of the third.
Greene led off the inning and reached first on an error.
Ropp fanned two batters before Jalynn Smith singled in the run.
A ground ball out ended the inning for the Lady Cardinals.
The Cougars increased their lead to 17-1 in the top of the fourth.
The Lady Cardinals responded with a run in the bottom of the inning.
With one down, Hailey Blackburn and Mallory Hayes stung Ropp for back-to-back singles.
Ropp put another strikeout in the book before Greene plated Triad’s final run with a single.
A grounder prevented the Lady Cardinals from advancing further on the scoreboard.
Kenton Ridge scored its last run in the top of the fifth when Emma Baugh tripled and trotted home on a single from Dakota Timmons.
Ropp then put the Lady Cardinals down in order during the bottom of the fifth to end the game.
She struck out the final two Triad batters to call it a night.
Trainer said the lack of outdoor practice has hindered the youthful Lady Cardinals this spring.
“Because of the weather, we’ve only practiced outside three times before today’s game,” she said, adding it’s difficult for fielders to get in solid work inside the gym.
“The girls listen and try to do what I ask,” said Trainer. “They just have a lack of experience.”
KR 457 11-18 18 1
Triad 001 10-2 8 5
WP: Ropp
LP: Greene