BEAVERCREEK — It’s rare that a pitcher can toss a three-hitter and lose a softball game. Beavercreek’s Cierra Chastain did just that on April 24 at Rotary Park, but a slew of passed balls, wild pitches and errors enabled Fairborn to claim a 6-1 win anyhow.
Perhaps as a prelude of what was to come, Beavercreek’s initial score was nullified when the runner missed the base as she was rounding third and heading home.
“The difference was baserunning and our girls taking advantage of errors,” Fairborn assistant coach Chris Becraft said. He was filling in for head coach Tiffany Smith, who was injured in practice on Sunday, but is expected to be back for the Skyhawks’ Tuesday, April 25 nonleague home contest with Hamilton, at Community Park East. “Our girls are smart on the bags. … But Beavercreek has a really great team. They’re a competitive ball club. This game was one of their targets (to beat Beavercreek) for this season. And so we’re on to the next one.”
Fairborn (9-7) scored two unearned runs in the second inning. Breanna McLain had struck out, but reached first on a passed ball. McLain advanced to second on another passed ball, stole third, then scored on yet another passed ball. Destiny Ferrigno also scored in the inning. She got on base with a walk, raced all the way to third on a passed ball, then scored on a wild pitch.
Ferrigno tripled and then scored on Ashlyn Baker’s sacrifice fly to center, in the fourth inning.
Riley Davis and Kelsie Coleman each put down successive bunt hits in the fifth. Davis scored on an errant try at throwing Coleman out at first, and Coleman raced around to third on the play. She then scored on the second Beavercreek error in the inning.
Jordan Wilson capped the Skyhawks scoring with yet another unearned run. The No. 9 Fairborn hitter got on base after getting hit with a pitch. Wilson reached second and third on successive wild pitches then scored on another errant Beavers throw.
Emily McPeak scored Beavercreek’s only run in the fourth inning. She got on base with a double, then Molly Moody smacked a two-out double to center to score McPeak.
Beavercreek stranded Maddie Neibert and Raidyn Johnson at third and second respectively in the sixth, and had the bases loaded in the seventh, but failed to score.
“We don’t play defense. We throw the ball around. We drop third strikes. We had a double play at third base, but we threw the ball away. Infield bunts killed us …. we’re just not fielding well right now,” Beavercreek coach Paul Martin said. “… We show signs at times of playing well, but we just don’t do it all the time. I can’t explain it.
“I hope we learned something from tonight. We show signs of being a good team at times, but we just don’t do it consistently.”
Beavercreek can’t dwell on this loss. They have a 5 p.m. road game on Tuesday April 25 against Chaminade Julienne at Dayton’s Patterson Park.
Fairborn pitcher Taylor Rice appeared to injure her left knee while chasing down a foul ball in the seventh inning. Rice had successfully dove and caught two other shallow hits in the game, but he knee appeared to give out after she tried chasing down the third shallow fly ball. Kenzie Shaver came in to close out the game.
“The good thing is, the athletic trainer didn’t see anything torn, so that’s good. It just hurts when I bend it, but I’ll be alright,” Rice said. “Foul balls are still strikes, so I’ll take what I can get.”
No decision had been made on whether Rice would pitch in Tuesday’s nonleague contest with Hamilton.
