BAKER — Two games into the 2014 season the Baker School softball team has plenty of time to get better and clean up early season mistakes.
The Gators were their own worst enemies against the Bulldogs committing seven errors that allowed Freeport to score seven unearned runs. Baker batters didn’t help the situation any either as they made 17 of the 21 outs via the pop fly.
Gator Coach John Carlisle is confident that Baker will get better even after an 8-6 District 3-1A loss to Freeport on Friday.
“It stings,” Carlisle said of the self-inflicted wounds that led to the loss. “It’s early. We’ve still got a lot of season left to play.
“We didn’t make the correct adjustments at the plate when we needed to do and we need to try and keep the ball out of the air. There are no bad hops in air. We will chalk this one up as a learning experience.”
The Gators (0-2, 0-1) took a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning when Tori Foster and Emily Stewart led off the inning with back-to-back walks.
The speedy Foster stole second and third bases and scored as Mykayla McCranie was safe on an error. Stewart scored from third base on a sacrifice fly by Alexis Mitchum.
Two Gator errors led to a Freeport run in the top of the second.
Jordan Linzy led off the home half of the second inning with a single for the Gators. Linzy later scored when Courtney Ellis was safe on an error.
The Bulldogs had an answer for every challenge the Gators threw their way. Freeport scored a run in the top of the third and two more in the fourth to move in front 4-3.
Baker wrestled the lead back from Freeport in the bottom of the fourth.
Holley Stanley was safe on an error to lead off the inning. McCrainie was next and she singled.
A walk to Mitchum loaded the bases. And a walk to Jenna Stevenson scored Stanley. McCranie scored on a Linzy sacrifice fly.
Neither team scored in the fifth inning.
Laura Ham singled and scored for Freeport in the top of the sixth inning, but Baker got the run back in the bottom of the inning when Foster hit a solo home run.
The Bulldogs picked up three unearned runs in the top of the seventh to seal the win.
“We’ve got a lot of new faces, but I think over the course of the season we will jell,” Carlisle said. “We are young.
“We haven’t had a lot of opportunities to get some practice time in and that has kind of hurt us some.”
Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Miscues cost Gator softball team