LOB – Three letters in a box score that can determine the outcome of a softball game, as was the case for Kosciusko Monday. The Lady Whippets had 13 Left On Base, resulting in a 7-6 loss to Lake.“It was frustrating,” said Coach Tony Terry. “We had 14 hits against good pitchers. Left the bases loaded once, second and third twice, so forth and so on.” It was the second time the two teams met, with the same identical score the result.Kosciusko led three times, 1-0 after a run in the first, 2-1 after scoring in the third, and 5-3 following a three-run rally in the fourth. The Whippets nearly added to the lead that inning when Alexandra West hit a line drive with the bases load and two out, but it was caught by the left fielder. It was that kind of night.“A little left or right and it would have broken the game open,” Terry said.Lake tied the game with two runs in the fifth, then went ahead 7-5 on a two-out, two-run double by Josie Gibbs in the top of the seventh.Kosciusko nearly pulled it out in the bottom of the seventh. The eight and nine batters in the lineup started the inning with a leadoff walk by Lizzie Kate Jones and a single through the right side by Emma Rush. Mary Kimble Price doubled into the left center gap, scoring Jones and putting the tying run at third and the winning run at second with one out.But they were left stranded when Campbell Blaine fouled out to third and KC Schuler was unable to check her swing on a high fast ball.Three days earlier, the Lady Whippets participated in the Spring Fling at Meridian with a 4-0 victory over Clarksdale and a 10-9 loss to St. Benedict, a Tennessee school.Emmagail Kelley pitched a three-hitter against Clarksdale, with six strikeouts and no walks. “She hit her spots, had all of her pitches working, and we played defense behind her,” Terry said.Price had two doubles and drove in three runs.Kosciusko ran out of time against St. Benedict. The Lady Whippets scored three runs in the fifth to cut the deficit to 10-9. But a time rule for Spring Fling ended the game at that point.“Both teams were hitting the ball well,” Terry said. “I think we had a good chance to win it if we played seven innings.”Kelly Hood went three for three and scored two runs. Blaine had a single and a double, scored twice and drove in a run, and West had two hits, two RBIs and scored once.Weather permitting, Kosciusko was scheduled to play Northeast Lauderdale Tuesday, has a road game with Louisville Thursday and will be at Southeast Lauderdale Saturday. Northeast Lauderdale and Louisville are Region 4-4A opponents.
