The Chillicothe Lady Hornets rallied with two runs over the final two innings, grabbing a dramatic 8-7 win over rival Trenton in Wednesday night softball action from Danner Park, heard on KTTN FM 92.3.
First baseman Kinlei Boley wore the hero shoes for the Lady Hornets, with a 4-for-4 night that included a three-run homer to open the scoring in the 1st inning, and a solo homerun to end the game in the bottom of the 7th.
Chillicothe, the defending state runner-up in Class 3, had the more consistent offensive night, with at least one base hit in every inning, putting continual pressure on the Trenton defense and the pitching combo of Emma Roberts and Avery Clark. Chillicothe finished the evening with 13 hits, compared to Trenton’s five, but the young Lady Bulldogs proved to be a pesky opponent led by Lady Bulldog alum Madi Stillwell.
Leading 3-0 after Boley’s first inning homer, Chillicothe extended the lead to 4-0 in the 2nd inning, as a double by catcher Hope Helton scored a courtesy runner. Meanwhile, Trenton had gone 0-for-6 in the first two innings against Hornet starter Hadley Beemer.
Trenton’s fortunes began to turn in the 3rd inning, as Avery Clark drew a leadoff walk, with Emma Roberts hit by a pitch. A sacrifice bunt by Ayra Meeker moved ahead both runners, with catcher Kaylor Hodge driving in both with a single, Trenton’s first base hit of the game.
Chillicothe pushed the lead to 5-2 in the fourth inning, as Tori Stoner doubled and reached third base on a fly ball to right field. However, the throw to third by the Bulldog infield was high and flew into the THS dugout, scoring Stoner.
The visitors from Trenton stormed back against Chillicothe in the 5th inning, sending 9 batters to the plate and scoring five runs to surge to a 7-5 lead. Roberts got the uprising started with a double rocketed into the left field corner with one out. After Meeker was hit by a pitch, the Lady Bulldogs racked up four straight hits, with a Hodge single followed by a Mirena King single, a Jena Harris single, and a double hammered to center off the bat of Madi Moore. A pop-up to second and a fly out to center prevented further Trenton damage.
One of the key swing plays in the game broke out as Chillicothe had runners on the corners and two out, down 7-5 in the bottom of the 6th. A Bri Pithan single to short left field scored a run to cut the lead to 7-6, with the runner on first, Hope Helton, making a gambling move in trying to take third. The throw to the base deflected away from the tandem of Helton and third baseman Jena Harris, sending Harris scrambling for the ball near the third-base coaches box as Helton sprinted toward home. The throw to catcher Kaylor Hodge was a half-second late, allowing the Lady Hornets to tie the game.
Boley set the stage for her 7th inning dramatics, coming in to pitch the top half of the inning, and retiring Trenton in order, striking out two batters to earn the win. The win improves Chillicothe to 7-3, while dropping Trenton to 6-4.
For Trenton, Kaylor Hodge was 2 for 4 with Madi Moore adding 2 RBI’s. Mirena King and Jena Harris both had an RBI and scored a run.
Chillicothe won the JV contest from Danner Memorial Park by a score of 7-1. Payton Foster, Ayra Meeker, and Ali Cox all had base hits for the Lady Bulldogs.
