ARCANUM – Arcanum was one out away from a statement win. Instead, the Lady Trojans were left searching for answers.
Despite carrying a 5-0 lead into the top of the seventh inning with two outs, Arcanum Varsity Lady Trojans saw the game slip away as the Covington Lady Buccaneers rallied for an 8-5 extra-inning victory Monday night in non-conference play.
“We played six great innings,” said Arcanum coach Mike Morris. “From Saturday’s doubleheader until today, I thought we were going to come in here and just get smoked. We did not look good at all on Saturday. The intensity, everything. Today, we come out, we were cold, and we’re playing a state-caliber team, and we came out fired up, making the plays. We stayed up the whole game.”
Arcanum entered the contest looking to rebound from a tough season-opening doubleheader loss to Talawanda (11-2, 9-0), and for six-plus innings, the Lady Trojans did just that.
Arcanum struck first in the bottom of the second inning. Matty Noe led off with a walk and later scored on an Ashlyn Tegtmeyer groundout. Ella Flatter reached on an error and came home on a Merideth Laux double to center, giving the Lady Trojans a 2-0 advantage.
The Trojans added to their lead in the fifth. Clair Hein singled to open the inning, Laux drew a walk, and Grace Fry delivered an RBI single. Cam Garbig followed with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Laux and pushing the lead to 4-0.
Arcanum made it 5-0 in the sixth when Noe doubled to center and later scored on a two-out RBI single by Hein, setting the stage for what looked to be a closing inning.
But Covington had other plans.
With two outs in the top of the seventh, the Lady Buccaneers strung together back-to-back two-run doubles and a run-scoring single to tie the game at 5-5 and force extra innings.
“Things were going our way,” Morris said. “We were finally getting some luck and then — it happens, but we didn’t give up. It was two outs down five, and they’re still loud and dancing in that dugout, so we learned something from them.”
Both teams went quietly in the seventh and eighth innings before Covington completed the comeback in the ninth. Emma Ouellette led off with a single, Ava Hartwig followed with an RBI double to give Covington its first lead, and Jayda McClure added a two-run homer to center field to extend the advantage to 8-5.
Arcanum threatened in the bottom of the ninth with a pair of singles, but a double play and a groundout ended the game.
“We’re getting there,” Morris said. “The wins are going to start coming here.”
Garbig went the distance in the circle for Arcanum, allowing eight runs on 13 hits over 8 1/3 innings while striking out one and walking two.
Hein, Fry, and Laux each collected two hits to lead the Lady Trojans offensively. Hein, Fry, Tegtmeyer, Laux, and Garbig each drove in a run. Arcanum also turned one double play defensively.
Covington finished with 13 hits, led by McClure’s 3-for-5 performance. McClure and Nell Rogers each drove in three runs, while Hartwig and Ouellette added multiple hits. Covington turned two double plays in the game.
Despite the loss, Morris saw positives in his team’s effort.
“We came out today swinging the bats,” he said. “The girls that aren’t getting hits, things are going to start falling here soon.”
Arcanum returns to action Friday at home against Brookville.
BOX SCORE:
123 456 789 R H E
000 000 503 8 13 1 Covington
020 021 000 5 8 1 Arcanum
