The Pilot News - Triton tops Comets with six runs in the fifth

Caston recorded five more hits than the visiting Trojans on Wednesday, but the Comets also committed five more errors with nine total — including five during the fifth inning alone. Caston pitcher Caitlyn Frey also exhibited some ball control problems at the game with eight walks and a hit batter, and Triton base runners capitalized heavily.
Comet batters came out swinging with four of their nine hits against Triton hurler Bethany Kern for three runs in the first inning. Shelby Loeffler, Frey and Christine Rentschler all singled and scored, and Haley Markley also recorded a hit, but was left on as Trojan second baseman Megan Dean caught a pop up to close the inning with a 3-0 Comets lead.
Kern was the only Triton batter to hit in her first at-bat Wednesday with a double in the second, although the Trojans remained scoreless for the inning. Triton’s bats started to heat up the second time around the order, however, as Triton recorded a pair of hits in the top of the third.
Jessica Ganshorn was struck by a pitch to lead off the inning, and shortstop Jessica Calvert drew a walk to put runners on first and second for Triton. Next up, Dean laid into the ball for a two-RBI triple, and after a strikeout and another walk, designated hitter Krystal Lyons singled to drive her in and tie the score at 3-all.
“This season I’ve been batting pretty good, but yesterday I was absolutely awful,” said Dean. “I couldn’t get on base so as soon as it hit my bat I was not going to stop running.”
The three frames went tit for tat as Caston regained a one-run lead in the bottom of the third with three more singles by Frey, Markley and Erica Zartman, and Triton answered back with another run as Downing reached on a fielder’s choice, taking second and third on a pair of passed balls. Ganshorn singled to center and moved to second on the second wild pitch, and Calvert batted Downing home with a grounder that passed Caston’s Markley at short, knotting the score at 4-4.
Loeffler hit a fly into deep right-center for a stand up double to open the bottom of the fourth, and Frey singled to move her to third. When Frey continued to run despite being struck by a Rentschler grounder, Loeffler scored while Triton players waited for the official call on Frey. That was to be the Comets’ final lead of the game.
Frey threw four straight balls to walk Lyons to start the frame, and Trojan seven-hole batter Miranda Kaufman grounded back to the pitcher, although Lyons slid safely into second to beat out the throw. Frey then got two straight outs before the top of Triton’s order came up to the plate, but Lyons and Kaufman stole third and second respectively during the outs, and Lacey George put one into play, pinch-hitting for Downing to score Lyons.
Ganshorn reached on a throwing error off a bunt to Frey, and Kaufman scored when Caston catcher Sivits tried to gun her down stealing second and overthrew it into center field instead. Ganshorn reached third on the play, and Frey walked both Calvert and Dean in the next two at bats to load the bases.
Ganshorn scored on a passed ball that advanced Calvert and Dean to second and third, and Katie Claxon drove in a run, batting one to Caston second baseman Loeffler for a fielding error. Kern was fanned in the next at-bat but stole first base when Sivits hit her in the back with the throw to first. Claxon scored during the ensuing confusion to complete the Trojans’ six-run frame.
All total, Triton recorded just one hit in the fifth. The frame saw five errors by the Comets, two walks by Frey and two stolen bases by Trojan runners as they pushed six runs across the plate to take a decisive lead.
“We just for whatever reason lost our focus,” said Caston softball head coach Tim McCready. “Our pitcher, she struggled a little that inning with her control, and we expect that from her every now and again. When she does get the kids to put the ball in play, you’ve got to have your defense stepping up and making a play. We’ve been playing pretty good defense the past few games, and that one inning just brought back old nightmares. It seemed like anything that could happen to us happened, and none of it was good.”
“I’m serious I think we respond when we get down,” McBride said. “And boy, sometimes we get down... I really thought the key play was when they made an error, when the catcher threw it out in center field. I thought the game was pretty close. That was big. I don’t want to put this on that kid, but that was a big play. I mean that opened it up. I don’t know what the score was, but that gave us some room there.”
Sivits reached on an error at short as Caston tried to make up its five-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh, but Dean snagged a line shot by Markely and threw to Calvert covering second for the double play. Kern hammered in the final nail by striking Zartman out for the win.
“You’re not going to believe this, but Jessica Calvert, my best friend at shortstop I told her ‘It’s going to be a double play; I got your back on that error, dog,’” said Dean.
Triton softball now faces an extended layover before Caston Regional play begins May 31. The Trojans will play the winner of the Whiting-Washington Township championship match-up at the Whiting Sectional, to be determined Friday.
“We’re just tickled,” said McBride. “I mean we are happy as a coaching staff for our girls. I’ve got a feeling we’ve got a monster ahead of us in the regional, but you know what? We’ll deal with that. I don’t think we’re afraid of anybody. We just load up and come in and give it our best shot.”
• TRITON 10,
CASTON 5
At Caston
T: 0 0 3 1 6 0 0 — 10 4 4
C: 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 — 5 9 9
Bethany Kern (W) and Katie Claxon; Caitlyn Frey (L) and Chelsea Sivits.
2B: Kern, Shelby Loeffler (C)
3B: Megan Dean (T)
Records: Triton 16-12.