Karns City frozen out in softball season-opener
KARNS CITY — It was far less than ideal. At least, for Karns City, it’s out of the way.
Eight of visiting Wilmington’s initial nine batters got on base Monday night as they built a six-run lead against the Gremlins. Karns City got two back in the bottom half of the frame, but wound up losing to the Greyhounds, 15-2, in six chilly innings.
The contest was the regular-season opener for both sides.
Avery Harlan opened matters in the contest by reaching first safely on a Gremlins fielding error. Faith Jones followed that with a ground-rule double, then Paije Peterson pushed them both across with a long single. Wilmington had four more hits before Karns City hurler Addison Burrows got out of the inning.
Burrows went three innings and was replaced by Lyrik Reed in the circle.
“That’s what we needed,” Wilmington coach John Frank said. “It picked them up and let them know, ‘Hey, we’re back.’ ... This is our, let’s say, sixth day as a full team, because we had six girls playing basketball. Some of them, these were their real first reps. It was impressive for some of them to come out and do what they did.”
The Greyhounds (1-0) were a contender in District 10 a season ago, and Gremlins coach Mike Stitt chalked the reason for the shaky performance up to first-game nerves.
“They (Wilmington) are a good hitting team,” he said. “We knew that coming into it. We didn’t come out and perform the way I know we can perform. A lot of girls are new to this, but that’s no excuse. I know what they can do, I know how they hit, and how we can play.
“Even the older girls had the jitters. I don’t know why. They’re well-season, they know how to take control. The young girls, I get it, but it’s softball ... I think it’s just getting more games under their belt, getting them more comfortable in their positions, and I think we’ll be okay.”
Stitt added that his crew looked much better in a recent scrimmage against Sharpsville. Karns City (0-1) is the defending District 9 champion, but graduated seven seniors last spring.
“A lot of the girls, they played,” Stitt said. “They pinch-hit or ran back then, now they’re getting their experience ... We’ll get better.”
The youth factored into a few instances of indecision on defense. The team’s most promising sequence in the field was getting out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs and limiting the damage in the fifth frame.
At the plate, the Gremlins were limited to just three hits, two courtesy of veteran catcher Jessica Dunn. Reed had a lead-off single in the home first, as well.
The team stranded four runners in scoring position, all before its guests batted around for a second time in the top of the sixth. After issuing a pair of walks and conceding an RBI single to start that half-inning out, Reed was pulled from the circle and Burrows was re-inserted.
Two batters later, Harlan belted a three-run homer over the right field fence.
“They stayed positive throughout,” Stitt said. “I think the cold got to them a little bit. You could see some frustration, but they’ll come along.”
The Gremlins will be back in action Wednesday at Clarion-Limestone. They’ll be back home the next day against Cranberry.
Wilmington 610 026 — 15 15 0
Karns City 200 000 — 2 3 3
W: Williamson 3IP (5K, 3BB). L: Addison Burrows 4IP (4K, 2BB)
Wilmington (1-0): Harlan 1B HR 3RBI 2R, Jones 1B 2B 3R, Peterson 1B 2RBI R, M, Baney R, Williamson 1B 2B 4RBI, Whitling R, Grubbs 1B 3R, L. Krarup 2-1B RBI, K. Baney 3B 1B 2RBI R, C. Krarup 2-1B 2RBI, Maynard 1B RBI R
Karns City (0-1): Lyrik Reed 1B R, Addison Burrows R, Jessica Dunn 1B 2B, Nicole Taylor RBI
