CALEDONIA — Facing a local rival in front of the home crowd, Caledonia softball starter Lauren Brown looked to set the tone early in the circle.
That was about the furthest thing from what actually happened on Monday as the senior struggled, giving up three runs against New Hope in the first inning.
Some sloppy defensive play didn’t make things much easier for Caledonia, but the Trojans easily took advantage with a 3-0 lead.
That lead lasted a half-inning as the Cavaliers stormed back, scoring six in the bottom half to take a 6-3 lead headed into the second, and from that point on, it was the Lauren Brown show in the circle.
“The first inning, I was just in my head a lot, trying to spin the ball, trying to strike them out,” Brown said. “I should have just slowed down and mixed things up in there.
“When you have a lead, it’s a lot easier to settle down and be comfortable.”
Comfortable, she was for the Cavaliers (3-2) as she struck out nine in a complete-game victory, allowing just two hits and two walks after the first inning. Caledonia went on to win, 12-4.
At one point, Brown retired 12 consecutive New Hope hitters, stranding two in the third inning and retiring the Trojans in order from the fourth through the sixth innings.
“She struggled at first, but she finally settled in,” Caledonia head coach Andy Finch said. “Any time Lauren is pitching, we’ve got a chance at any game we play, anyone we play. She gives us a chance to be competitive, be in a game and hopefully win a game.”
Even the best players will have slip-ups and some bad games here and there, but the response from those lows is what makes good players great. On Monday, Brown showed exactly why she’s a great asset in the circle for Caledonia.
The win turned around a tough defeat for the Cavs, who had lost to the Trojans (2-2) on Friday night in New Hope.
She took care of things on the mound while the bats took care of business at the plate, at one point, recording three straight RBI doubles in the first inning.
Against a strong local opponent, Caledonia stepped up and showcased its strengths, something it hopes to build upon as the season progresses.
“This win was a good step in the right direction,” Finch said. “We hit the ball up and down the lineup, 1 through 9. We played good defense. Lauren threw good strikes.
“New Hope has a great team. Just between these two teams, there’s a lot of talent in both dugouts. I’m just proud of the girls that they kept battling, kept fighting. They’re very young, but they’re playing above their level and that’s what we like to see.”
Offensively, eight players recorded hits and eight scored at least one run, with three scoring multiple runs. Four Cavaliers recorded multi-hit games, and four recorded multi-RBI games.
Consistency across the board was the difference in a statement victory as Caledonia will host Houlka in its next game at 6 p.m. Friday.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
