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The Madill Record • Matt Caban TAYLOR SPENCE, senior pitcher for the Kingston Lady Redskins, winds up for a pitch in the third inning of her team’s August 12 game at the Sulphur Lady Bulldogs. The hosts went on to win the game 4-0. The Lady Redskins play next Friday, August 16 and Saturday, August 17 at the Rock Creek Tournament.
SULPHUR – A drive up Highway 177 ended with the Lady Redskins on the wrong side of a shutout to start their season.
Kingston will have to wait a few days to get their first win of the season as they dropped a 4-0 decision to the Sulphur Lady Bulldogs on August 12.
The Lady Redskins were coming off a 30-11 season while the host Lady Bulldogs went 31-9 last fall.
Sulphur pitcher Harley Beesley kept Kingston’s batters in check as she surrendered only three hits all afternoon.
Kingston fast-pitch head coach Darron Henson credited Beesley for pitching a strong game.
“I thought their pitcher had good stuff and was a bit overpowering today,” Henson said. “We didn’t make as many adjustments as we needed to offensively.”
Senior pitcher Taylor Spence was on the mound for Kingston.
Henson said Spence pitched a good game.
“She gave only one earned run,” he said, “but we got unlucky on some that got hit right on the line. She pitched her tail off. That’s a really tough line up to pitch against.”
Makella Mobly opened the scoring in the first inning on a groundout to first by her teammate Abby Beck.
The Lady Redskins defense tightened up for the two innings.
Kingston threatened to get on the board in the top of the fourth inning. However, they left runners on second and third to end the inning.
After the Lady Redskins missed their opportunity to strike the Lady Bulldogs barked back.
The hosts broke the game open with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
With one out Sulphur left fielder Kinlee Duck tripled to right as the ball glazed off the glove of Kingston’s first baseman, Madison Jones.
Two batters later and Beesley was able to reach on an infield single as Jones was off the bag when receiving the throw at first.
On the next pitch, Beesley stole second.
Then, Mobly hit a soft single to shortstop to score Duck and make it 2 to 0 in favor of the Lady Bulldogs.
Spence battled with the next batter, centerfielder Macenzie Ruth.
Ruth outlasted Spence and hit a double to deep center scoring Beesley and Mobly.
This made the score Sulphur 4, Kingston 0.
The Lady Redskins started off the top of the fifth inning on the right foot when leftfielder Tyla Bohannon hit a singles to left.
However, junior catcher Emi Osteen popped out to short for the first out. Rightfielder Lanie French was next up and took a called third strike. Second baseman Ryan Herndon popped out to third to end the inning.
Sulphur had a one two three inning in the bottom of the fifth.
Spence led off the sixth inning with a sharp lineout to third. Jones followed with a double, but she was stranded on base after third baseman Danna Wagnon lined out to third for the second out and shortstop Makayla Seeney flew out to shallow right for the third out.
The Lady Bulldogs got back to back hits to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning.
However, the Lady Reskins were eventually able to get out of the jam following a soft ground out to shallow third base to end the inning.
Kingston had a one two three inning in the top of the seventh to end the game.
Henso said the Lady Redskins had chances to score runs.
“We got runners on a couple of times,” he said. “We needed to get a two out hit. Two different times with runners on we couldn’t get a hit there.
The Lady Redskins play next Friday, August 16 and Saturday, August 17 at the Rock Creek Tournament.
Line score
1 234567RHE
KNGS0000000 0 3 4
SLPH 100300X 4 7 1