Two-out runs prove costly for Lady Giants in loss to Clay

FREMONT – Cliché says the third out of the inning is always the hardest one to get in baseball and softball.

That was certainly the case for the Fremont Ross Lady Giants Wednesday.

Ross played five-time defensive TRAC champion Oregon Clay tough, and remained close through much of the afternoon. But the Eagles scored seven of their 10 runs with two outs and blew open a close game late in a 10-3 win over the Lady Giants.

“I think we outplayed them for six innings,” Ross coach Tony Hill said. “We had some injuries and some stuff we had to face as far as adversity goes, but I truly think we played better than them for six innings. We blinked there a little bit and it hurt. They won the conference five straight years for a reason, but I can’t wait to play them again.”

The Lady Giants opened the game with momentum, taking an early lead when lead-off hitter Kayla Rich came around to score for a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Clay answered in the top of the third inning, scoring twice to take the lead. The Eagles added to their lead in the fourth, scoring all three runs with two outs.

Leading 5-2 in the seventh, Clay loaded the bases with two outs but brought five runs to score, leaving the Lady Giants with an eight-run deficit with just three outs to go.

“We have to find a way to get off the field,” Hill said. “We had chances. We had groundballs that were hit and we booted a couple. We’re right there.”

Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the third, Ross loaded the bases but, unlike the Eagles, were unable to get runs across the plate with two outs. The next inning, Clay extended its lead.

“We need to have a killer instinct,” Hill said. “Instead of (saying) ‘Ah, crap, I have to bat with runners on,’ we need to be ‘We’re going to score some runs and we’re going to win.’ We’ll get there.”

Braelyn Horn went 3-for-4 at the plate while Kaylee Dodson led the offense with a pair of RBIs while going 2-3 with a walk.

“She has been head and shoulders better than last year,” Hill said. “She’s been working her butt off in the weight room and with conditioning. If this team wins however many games, we’re going to be relying on her in the 4-spot. She may be a sophomore, but she can’t play like it.”

Ross’ record drops to 2-4 overall, 0-3 in the TRAC. The Lady Giants are back at it Thursday at Bowling Green.