WORTON — Kate Cannon scored the winning run with two away in the last of the seventh inning Wednesday as Kent County edged Pocomoke in varsity softball, 16-15.
That was four batters after she had plated the tying run with a base hit to left field.
“It feels amazing. We needed this,” Cannon said of the Trojans’ first win of the season.
“The entire team came together,” she added.
Indeed, everyone seemed to contribute to the win, including the pitching tandem of freshman Julie Dickerson and junior Michelle Menequin; No. 6 through No. 9 batters Heather Bilbrough, Macie Cannan, Ariyana Green and Aaryona Wesley, who collectively scored six runs; and center fielder Talicia Wright, whose speed and steady glove robbed Pocomoke of several runs and likely the win
While acknowledging that the Trojans (1-6) have “got some spots to work on,” head coach Michelle Phillips applauded their never-give-up attitude.
“Even if we’d lost, I would have been proud of them,” Phillips said, “but it would have been hard to lose this game after they played so tough.”
It was a back-and-forth contest, with Pocomoke leading 3-1 after the first inning; Kent pulling ahead 4-3 after two and 6-4 after three; Pocomoke regaining the lead, 8-6, after pushing four runs across in the top of the fifth and extending the spread to 10-6 in the visitor’s half of the sixth.
Pocomoke (3-5) was poised to add to its lead in the sixth with runners on second and third and two away when Addyson Holland drilled the ball chest high down the third base line, where Cannon instinctively put her glove up for the grab.
Cannon’s clutch defensive play got the Trojans fired up when they came to the plate. They would go on to send out 13 batters and score eight runs to regain the lead, 14-10.
Green got things started with a base hit to left field. Wesley put down a textbook-perfect bunt and Menequin drew a free pass with one away to load the bases for Paige Miller, whose single through the left side of the infield scored two runs.
After Cannon beat out an infield single to reload the bases, Laila Johnson launched a double to center field that plated Menequin, Miller and Cannon to restore the Trojans’ lead, 11-10.
Johnson raced over to third on Bilbrough’s first-pitch single to center field and subsequently scored on Cannan’s groundout.
Bilbrough, who had moved over to third on Cannan’s groundout, would score the locals’ 13th run on a passed ball.
In their second trips to the plate in the inning, Green drew a walk and Wesley reached on a dropped third strike to give the Trojans two runners on with two away. Wright’s golf swing single into center field brought home Green for a 14-10 lead.
Pocomoke averted any more run damage when Holland retired the next Kent batter on a pop fly to shortstop — stranding runners on first and second.
In no time at all, or so it seemed, Pocomoke reasserted itself in the top of the seventh. After the leadoff batter reached on an error, there were three singles in succession as the visiting team pulled to within 14-12.
It was at this point, with two runners on and no one out, that Cannon, the Trojans’ two-time team MVP, summoned the infielders to the mound for a chat.
“Take it easy,” she told them. “Calm down. Re-set. We got this.”
The next batter popped up to Menequin for the first out. But then McKenna Murray singled to center field to bring in two runs for a 14-14 tie, and subsequently scored the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice.
Third baseman Cannon prevented Pocomoke from scoring any more when she partnered with catcher Miller for a putout at the plate and then cleanly fielded a ground ball for the third out.
In the home half of the seventh, leadoff batter Miller was hit in the foot by the first pitch. She swiped second, and then scored on Cannon’s single to left field to tie it up at 15.
Cannon, representing the winning run, advanced to second on the relay from the outfield and then alertly scooted over to third on Laila Johnson’s groundout to short.
Holland coaxed a routine grounder from the next Kent County batter for the second out, but then threw four straight balls to Cannan to extend the inning.
Cannan went down to second without drawing a throw, giving the Trojans two runners in scoring position when Green stepped into the batter’s box. The third pitch to Green got away from the Pocomoke catcher, and Cannon sprinted home with the winning run, touching off a wild celebration in the KCHS dugout.
Batting cleanup, Cannon finished with three hits. Bilbrough contributed two hits.
For the visiting team, senior shortstop Maddie Esham recorded her 100th career hit. She has committed to Shenandoah University, Virginia.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Trojans have three games in three days before getting time off for spring break. KCHS is at Queen Anne’s on Monday, April 14; home Tuesday against North Caroline; and on the road again Wednesday at Crisfield. All games start at 4 p.m.
