NEW HOPE — The Trojans softball team fell behind in its playoff series with Lafayette on Thursday night, losing 3-0 at home to the Commodores.
The Trojans played a near-spotless game defensively, but two mistakes in the first inning proved costly as they struggled to get right on offense. They were held scoreless after a painful end to their seventh-inning rally and now have to steal a win on the road to extend the series.
With two outs at the top of the first inning, the Commodores got a hit just beyond the reach of a glove to send two runners home, and a bobbled catch at first base on the next at-bat saw them take a 3-0 lead.
“They did what we asked them to do, we tried to take away the long hit, but we’ve just got to be cleaner,” head coach Casey Finch-Halford said after the game. “We have to be a team that knows how to play from behind, and we did that well today. We stopped their scoring, cut the errors out and played a solid six innings the rest of the way. I wasn’t disappointed and I’m happy they didn’t lay down.”
Trojans ace Adi Dueitt pitched a complete game and shut down the Commodores over the final six innings.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Trojans were able to string two hits together, but with the tying run at the plate, a line drive between left and center field was snagged by a diving Lafayette outfielder. The runners had gone and the tag at second base sealed the win for the visitors.
“It was a good momentum builder and it felt like everything was working right there and then it was just tough luck,” Finch-Halford said after. “We had Jeoria on deck with one out and two runners, and then crazy happened.”
It was a heartbreaking end to the late rally, but a reminder that this is what the Trojans are up against playing at this stage of the season. They took an aggressive approach at the plate and it nearly paid off.
Finch-Halford spoke at length afterward about the preparation the team has undergone this season reading pitches and focusing on the fundamentals when they’re up to bat, but she also spoke at length about faith. For her, their chance at responding with a win this weekend comes down to their faith in something greater, faith in their process and faith in their teammates to see things through and give it their best.
“I said that we’d be receptive to whatever the Lord’s decision was going into Saturday.
I prayed for a clear mind for our players and to trust on what we’ve worked on, what our coaches have given them, what their teammates have given them and to trust the process,” she said. “We’ve got to rise up or lay down, and they’ve got a lot of fight in them.”
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