Caleb Riordan | Ameritime Sports Writer
The Jefferson R-7 Blue Jays Varsity Softball team opened their season 0-3 with losses to Fredericktown, Northwest and Farmington.
It has been difficult for the Blue Jays to score runs so far this season and it has been even harder for them to keep opposing runs off the board. Their first loss of the year came against the Fredericktown Ladycats on Monday.
The Ladycats scored five runs in the first inning and didn’t look back. They pushed runs across the board in every inning and exploded for six runs in the third. Jefferson scored a few runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but ultimately came up short. The Blue Jays dropped their first game of the year 14-3.
Lia Ott and Morgan Figliolo led the way with two hits each. They each scored one run and Ott picked up two RBIs off of a two-run homer. Reese Humphrey was 1-1 with one RBI and also drew a walk. Peyton Cattoor and Micah Meyer each picked up a hit as well.
Figliolo was the starting pitcher for the Blue Jays. She struck out three batters through one and two-thirds innings and allowed two runs. Jill Cornman entered the game in relief. She pitched two and one-thirds innings, gave up 12 runs on six hits and walked eight batters. Jefferson also made three errors as a team.
“We didn’t really have it tonight,” Head Coach Robert Kuenhle said. “I thought we threw the ball well, but defensively as a whole, we made way too many mistakes. Offensively we had some bright spots… but in the end, as a team effort as a whole we just need to get back at it and keep fixing the small mistakes that we need to fix before the district tournament.”
The Blue Jays didn’t have much better luck against the Northwest Lions on Tuesday. Jefferson scored a run in the first, but their offense was done after that. Northwest put on an offensive clinic and exploded for 11 runs in the top of the fourth. They eventually secured an 18-1 victory over Jefferson.
Despite the loss, Kuenhle was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I think we played much better tonight,” he said. “The score does not show that but we threw more strikes, we were more aggressive at the plate, and we were more confident in the field.”
Ott and Cattoor picked up the team’s only two hits. Cattoor had an RBI and Ott scored the run.
Cornman started the game in the circle this time around. She struggled again in her three and one-third innings. She gave up 12 runs on six hits and walked seven batters. Humphrey gave up six runs in relief.
Jefferson’s third loss came Wednesday against Farmington. The Blue Jays picked up four hits but couldn’t push a run across the plate. They, again, had a hard time keeping their opponents off the board. Farmington scored 15 runs in three innings and secured the 15-0 victory.
Ott led the way once again with two hits, one of which was a double. Cattoor and Figliolo each picked up a hit as well. Cornman was the starting pitcher once again. She pitched one and two-thirds inning and, again, gave up 12 runs. Only three of those runs were earned. Humphrey pitched a third of an inning and gave up three runs. The Blue Jays made five errors as a team.
It was a tough opening week for the Blue Jays. They are still on the hunt for their first tally in the win column. They’ll look to get on track on Wednesday, September 7th against the Windsor Owls.
