When Becca Kile smacked a grand slam in the top of the first inning, Princeton felt good. When the Tigers led 8-1 entering the bottom of the second inning, a trip to the state quarterfinals appeared imminent.
But, there was still plenty of drama to unfold in the Class 1 sectional softball game in Pattonsburg on Wednesday night.
The host Panthers rallied to plate 14-straight runs, putting an end to the Tigers season with a 15-8 state playoff loss – the sixth-straight sectional loss for the Princeton program.
Things couldn’t have started off better for the Tigers with Kile’s grand slam highlighting a five-run frame before a Panther batter ever got to step into the box. After Pattonsburg scored once in the bottom of the frame, Princeton answered with a three-run second.
Everything was clicking, until it wasn’t.
Pattonsburg began to fight back in the bottom of the second inning. The Panthers would plate six runs in the second, drawing within a single tally and sapping Princeton’s momentum at the same time. When the Panthers hung the first zero of the ballgame on the scoreboard in the third, Princeton slumped. After yielding four more runs and the lead in the bottom of the inning, the Tigers looked like a completely different team.
“It was kind of like a snowball,” Princeton coach Steve Richman said. “It started small and once [Pattonsburg] got it rolling it just got bigger and bigger and bigger. We just couldn’t get it stopped. Part of that was body language. We got up big, but when they kind of got close and tightened the gap on us I thought it looked like we were a little nervous and played a little tight for a while.”
While Pattonsburg continued to put up at least one run each inning, Princeton saw every attempt to rally they mounted thwarted — sometimes by the Panthers’ defense, sometimes by other circumstances.
In a bizarre moment, a ball popped off a Tiger bat was first caught by a Panther defender, then dropped. There was confusion as to whether the ball was dropped in the process of the catch or on the transfer from the glove to the throwing hand. No call was immediately made by the umpires, leaving two Princeton baserunners unsure what to do. Pattonsburg would pick up the ball and throw to second base for a tag out. After some discussion, umpires ruled the drop was on the transfer so the catch counted as one out and the tag counted as another. Princeton went from two runners on with one out to putting up another zero on the scoreboard.
Richman argued fervently over the inital lack of a call, but to no avail.
“There was a lot of confusion in the game tonight,” Richman said. “There was a lot of confusion on different situations and I don’t think anybody knew what really happened.”
The Tigers put two runners on again in the bottom of the seventh in a last gasp attempt, but Pattonsburg secured the necessary outs to put the game away.
Kile led the offense, going 1-for-4 with the grand slam and four RBIs. Princeton totaled eight hits in the contest, but Kile’s home run was the only extra base hit all night for Princeton. Carsey Brown had two singles and a run and Mackenzie Dunkin added a single and two RBIs. Addy Henke had a hit, a run and an RBI. Klaire Buckler scored two of the Tiger runs in the loss.
In the circle, Dunkin took the loss, She allowed 15 runs, eight of which were earned, on 13 hits and four walks while striking out four.
Dunkin was Princeton’s only option in the circle as Kelsey Goodin was quarantined and unavailable for the Tigers.
Princeton was short on pitching to begin the season when they lost Lauren Krohn and Megan Spencer to injuries. Still, the Tigers managed to finish as Class 1, District 16 champions with a 16-12 overall record.
“I told the girls, ‘be disappointed in the game, but be proud of your season’,” Richman said. “We had a lot to overcome this year with injuries and people having to be out because of quarantine. It really showed who we are the way we came back and put 16 wins on the board this season.”