MOUNT VERNON — The Mount Vernon Yellow Jacket softball team has kept itself in games with solid hitting in late innings.
On Wednesday, that hitting was nowhere to be found.
Instead, the Jackets had to make do with just one hit in the final six innings of their 8-3 home defeat at the hands of the New Albany Eagles in Ohio Capital Conference play.
Mount Vernon’s lone show of strength came in the first inning, when Jess Wellman knocked a two-run home run over the left field fence. The blast scored Kate Reynolds, who had reached on a single, to give the Yellow Jackets an early 2-1 lead.
The lead was short-lived, however. New Albany (4-6, 3-4 OCC) scored four times in the second before chasing Mount Vernon starting pitcher Molly Chacey off the mound. Brittany Roden came in to finish the inning, and she managed to stop the bleeding, allowing no hits through the next 10 at-bats.
“That change throws things off,” said Mount Vernon head coach Mike Marcum. “I don’t mind doing that to teams, just to keep them honest. Each kid has a different look. Even with the same speed, each kid delivers the ball differently.”
In the late stages of the game, Mount Vernon’s bats were silent. Only Kayla West managed a hit, which came in the sixth inning. The hit scored Reynolds, who had reached on a base on balls.
