Coming off a 3 game win streak since regular season play began late last week, the Bruin girls hosted the Douglas Lady Trojans playing their first league games Wednesday afternoon, starting a 3 game series between the Bruin girls and the Lady Trojans.
Coach Tony Baron sent senior right hander Maddy Taylor #22 to the circle for the Bruin girls, and Taylor asserted herself immediately, retiring the first three Douglas batters she faced on 12 pitches, retiring the side on a pop-up to the pitcher, and two infield grounders. But the Bruin girls offense struggled with Lady Trojan pitching throughout the day, getting the lead-off on base, and then hitting into a double play to end the Bruin girls threat.
Taylor continued to dominate Douglas batters early, sending two Lady Trojans to the bench off of infield flies and a strike-out. The Lady Bruins again got the lead-off batter on the base paths, only to suffer two strike-outs and a grounder to the pitcher to end the second inning.
The Douglas offense could not find the answer to Taylor’s pitching, but in the top of the third, Douglas began catching up to the pitches, putting the ball in play, and the Bruin girls defense made the plays to get off the field 0-0. The Bruin girls batters brought a patient approach to the plate in the bottom of the third, drawing two walks and seeing 21 Douglas pitches in the inning, but still coming out scoreless.
The pitching duel spilled into the fourth, but a two out rally would lead to the Lady Trojans scoring first off of an outfield error, giving Douglas the 0-1 lead. The Bruin girls again got the lead-off on base for the third time in four innings, and would also rally with two outs after freshman Kami Koepnick, #14, hit a two run homer to take 2-1 lead going into the fifth.
The Douglas lead off batter would start the top of the fifth with a double to right, and work the runner around to eventually score on a sacrifice fly to left field to tie the score at 2-2. Douglas pitcher Torrin Richardson then pitched a shut-down inning, sitting the Bruin girls down in order to end the fifth.
Tied 2-2 to start the sixth, the Bruin girls defense tightened to shut down an aggressive offensive attack by the Lady Trojans, battling through a walk, an error and a hit to hold Douglas scoreless in the top of the sixth. The Bruin girls attacked as well, loading the bases after a single and two walks, scoring 1 to take a 3-2 lead going into the final inning.
Douglas batters got two on the base paths to start the seventh, before a double and a home-run would score 4 runs to take a 3-6 lead. The Bruin girls would get the lead-off on base for the fourth time in the game, but could not get any runs across the plate, ending the game 3-6, for the Bruin girls first loss of the 2022 season.
The Bruin girls will finish the series this Friday in Winston, with the first pitch of the afternoon double header at 3:00pm.
