NEWBURGH – Bedford North Lawrence dropped its final two games during the Castle Invitational on Saturday.
The Stars (1-11) suffered an 11-7 loss to Elkhart in the day’s opener, then fell to Monrovia 8-7 in the finale. BNL went 0-4 in the two-day event.
”There are times we are a team that’s very good, and times we are not,” BNL coach Brad Gilbert said. “But we fight until the end. They don’t quit. We just have to quit thinking about what can go wrong, just shake it off.”
Elkhart 11, BNL 7 – After spotting the Stars a 2-0 lead, the Lions (4-3) took advantage of four BNL errors to score six unearned runs.
Elkhart rallied with four runs in the third, added four more in the fifth, then held off BNL’s late charge.
Sara Williams had three hits (including a double) and drove in four runs for the Stars. Jaden Schofield also had three hits. BNL collected more hits (12) than the Lions, but the errors proved costly. Starting hurler Macee Nicholson struck out four in five innnings, but only four of the nine runs she was charged with were earned.
Shay Kidder, Natalie Smith, Addie Reid, and Bailey Harris-Rogers each collected two hits for Elkhart. The Lions also stole seven bases.
“Kids have stepped up, they are battling at plate,” Gilbert said. “We just can’t put solid games together right now.”
Monrovia 8, BNL 7 – The Bulldogs (2-4), after taking the lead with six runs in the fourth, held off BNL’s late charge.
Trailing 8-3, BNL battled back with four runs in the fifth. Schofield cracked a two-run single, Williams launched a run-scoring double, and Kadynn Canada drew a bases-loaded walk. But the Stars left the bases loaded in the sixth and stranded the tying run at second in the seventh.
Kenzie Nees belted a two-run double during Monrovia’s six-run rally. Jocelyn Donitzen finished with three hits for the Bulldogs.
Schofield drove in four runs on three hits and Williams had three hits. Bella Warren added two hits and Canada coaxed three walks. Warren and Sophie Jewell both stole two bases.
”It’s easy to go back and look at games,” Gilbert said. “In all four games we were in it. The games were winnable, we just didn’t finish well. We have to trust in ourselves. We just have to keep fighting.”
BNL will host Linton on Monday.
