Cougars Scratched Up by the Centreville Wildcats, 3-12

The Oakton Cougars lost 3-12 to the Centreville Wildcats in a Conference 5 away game on May 9.  For this game, the Cougars shifted several players around on defense and in the batting lineup to compensate for the loss of two players to injuries.  Nonetheless, the Cougars could not keep up with the Wildcats.

The Cougars fell behind from the start.  Centreville scored 10 runs in the first two innings and mostly kept Oakton off the bases for the first four innings.  Oakton clawed back a bit in the fifth inning when designated player Taylor Fay led off with a single to center field.  Third baseman Sami Bassett followed with a single to right field.  Right fielder Jordan Loria walked next to load the bases, and then catcher Kelly Dunlap hit an RBI grounder to second, scoring Fay, and reaching first base safely on an error by the Wildcat second baseman.  With centerfielder Marleigh Hall at the plate, Bassett scored on a wild pitch, while Loria and Dunlap advanced to third and second bases.  Later in her at-bat, Hall tried to reach first base on a dropped third strike, and as the Wildcat catcher threw to first base to get Hall out, Loria scored from third base on the throw.  The inning ended with Dunlap stranded on third base and the score 3-10 in favor of Centreville.

Centreville scored in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings to make the score 3-12.  The Cougars threatened slightly in their last at-bat during the top of the seventh, but did not produce any runs.  Dunlap started the threat by hitting a single, and Hall followed with a single of her own, putting runners on first and second.  At game’s end, however, they were left stranded.