COVINGTON – The Lady Buccs captured a second straight come-from-behind victory as they fell behind 5-0 against Northmont and responded with 12 straight runs to accumulate a 12-5 victory.
What put the Lady Buccs behind 5-0 was primarily due to mistakes in defensive plays that should have led to more outs to where Northmont likely would have had just a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Good teams always take advantage of mistakes by other teams and that is what Northmont was able to do in that one inning with quality hits and excellent base running. Overall, Covington committed three errors that allowed the Thunderbolts to score their five runs.
Fortunately, the Lady Buccs never relented as they put together a solid defensive performance throughout the rest of the game. Once again, the most amazing defensive plays that shut down more potential scoring opportunities for Northmont were made by the Lady Buccs’ outstanding third baseman, Jayda McClure.
Plus, junior pitcher Cassidy Iddings entered the game after the Lady Buccs fell behind 5-0 and she made it very difficult for Northmont to connect on consecutive hits.
The Lady Buccs also opened up offensively by connecting on outstanding hits from adjusting their swings. This led to two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and five more in the bottom of the fifth to take a 7-5 lead. Two critical hits were a solo home run by Emalyn Johnson in the fourth and then another home run by Jayda McClure in the fifth.
Covington then followed up with five more runs in the bottom of the sixth with two more home runs pounded out by Kylie Palsgrove and Whitney Burns. The Lady Buccs now have connected on six home runs so far in the four games this season.
Overall, the Lady Buccs outhit Northmont 18 to 9. Cassidy Iddings went 4-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs, while Kylie Palsgrove went 3-for-3 with a home run, a double and 4 RBIs. Plus, Whitney Burns connected on 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and 2 RBIs, and Jayda McClure had two hits on three at bats with a home run, a triple and 2 RBIs, while Emalyn Johnson went 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.
More Lady Buccs had offensive impact as Ava Hartwig connected on a single and a double, while Emma Ouellette and Taylor Foutz pounded out singles. Overall, eight out of the nine batters connected on hits and the Lady Buccs only struck out three times throughout the entire game.
In pitching, Whitney Burns started off the Lady Buccs through two and one-third innings and Cassidy Iddings closed out the game in four and two-third innings. The two outstanding pitchers combined to strike out eight batters.
Covington is now 4-0 and will take on another very talented team at Ansonia on Thursday. This game will be a rematch from last year’s regional semi-final.
