Valliant 3 Hugo 2

Wednesday, 17 March 2010 00:00

By Brian Moore

RATTAN — The Lady Buffaloes struggled to come back from a two-run second inning and lost to the Lady Bulldogs 3-2 in the Rattan Festival on Tuesday.
The Lady Bulldogs scored one run on a triple aided by an error in right field. A double to the right center field gap drove in their third run of the game. It would eventually be the winning run despite only being the second inning of the game.
Pitcher Heather Bunn and the Lady Buffs played well holding Valliant scoreless for the rest of the game.
In the third inning, Bunn hit a towering shot to deep left centerfield and rounded first for a sure-bet double. The runner on second did not advance, so Bunn had to backtrack back to first and just made it safely. Despite two runners on base, Hugo didn’t generate any runs in the third.
While two runners were walked, the inning ended with a strikeout and those runners left on base.
In the fifth, Kelsey Raper had a perfect hit right over the thirdbaseman down the third base line for a double. Bunn hit another towering shot to centerfield for a double to drive Raper home and put the Lady Buffs within one run. Two popups later and the Lady Buffs comeback attempt and the game were over.
After the game, Coach Jimmy Wyrick commended catcher Tiara Taylor for insisting on playing through a hurt ankle, despite having to squat all game as a catcher.
Coach Wyrick made one positional change, sending Kylie Ojeda into centerfield in the fourth and bringing Kayla Ainsworth to shortstop.