UNION CITY — The Mississinawa Valley Lady Blackhawks fell to the visiting Arcanum Lady Trojans 11-0 in five innings in WOAC varsity softball action.
“Coming into the game, I knew it was going to be a tough one,” said Mississinawa Valley coach Shane Buckingham. “I have much respect for Arcanum, and Coach Morrison is one of the best coaches in the WOAC. I love the way he plays the game. He puts pressure on you, he steals bases, he bunts, his girls all back up, they do everything that they are supposed to do.”
Buckingham said his message to his team before the game was simple.
“I told our girls it was going to be a tough one,” Buckingham added. “Watch and learn from what they do, let’s try to be what they do, let’s play hard, let’s give everything we have, and who knows, maybe we’re in the game.”
Arcanum wasted little time getting started, scoring twice in the top of the first inning. Matty Noe led off with a single, Cam Garbig followed with a hit, and Jordyn Garbig delivered an RBI single to center. A Mississinawa Valley error later in the inning helped plate another run for an early 2-0 Lady Trojan lead.
“We came out a little flat, and we weren’t focused as a team,” said Arcanum coach Mike Morris. “Once the game got started, we got a couple runs, we took advantage of their mistakes, a lot of passed balls, ran the bases really well, and got timely hits and got a couple bunts down that helped us.”
Arcanum added three more runs in the second inning to stretch the lead to 5-0. Back-to-back singles by Ella Flatter and Noe set the table before Grace Fry drove in two runs with a double.
The Lady Trojans broke the game open in the top of the third, scoring five runs for a 10-0 advantage. Consecutive walks and a hit batter loaded the bases before Claire Hein scored on a wild pitch. Cam Garbig then drilled a two-run double to center, and Flatter later came home on a passed ball. Fry capped the inning with an RBI single.
Arcanum closed out the scoring in the fifth when Cam Garbig launched a solo home run over the left-field fence.
“Cam jacked one,” Morris said. “She looked awful her first couple of bats, and we talked about having someone bat for her. We let her hit, and she took it out.”
Garbig also handled the work in the circle, earning the win for Arcanum. She allowed just two hits and no runs over four innings, striking out seven and walking one.
“Cam was on tonight,” said Morris. “She had seven strikeouts, one hit and you can’t ask for anything more from her.”
Mississinawa Valley’s best offensive production came from leadoff hitter Cora Hoggatt, who went 2-for-3 at the plate. Ella Godfrey took the loss for the Lady Blackhawks, going five innings while allowing 11 runs, nine earned, on eight hits. She struck out 10 and walked five.
Buckingham said his team continues to battle through growing pains.
“We have work to do,” Buckingham said. “I have young girls that haven’t played in a couple of years, and if you look at them now since January, they have improved a ton. They are improving, so we are getting better at times. We’re not consistent, we have to work on being consistent, we’re trying to build a brand, it’s just a chore sometimes.”
Buckingham also pointed to the effort of several players despite the outcome.
“Cora Hoggatt hits the ball hard. Our first baseman, Cayde Neukam, I give her a ton of credit,” said Buckingham. “She is like an assistant coach for me. She is out here constantly trying to pick everybody up, she has that fire that she wants to win. Ella plays hard, and Gentry played really hard. We have to get nine playing hard, and that is what we’re working on.”
He also praised Godfrey’s effort in the circle.
“I have to give Ella credit, she fought, she almost has to strike everybody out to get out of the innings, and she’s battling and battling,” Buckingham said. “I don’t expect our defense to be perfect, but I expect us to give the effort that needs to be there to make the plays.”
Arcanum finished with eight hits, with Cam Garbig, Noe, and Fry each collecting two. Cam Garbig drove in three runs. The Lady Trojans were also sharp defensively, committing no errors, while Mississinawa Valley committed four.
Morris said the Lady Blackhawks have the pieces to improve as the postseason nears.
“She’s good, she does a great job,” Morris said of MV pitcher Ella. “Obviously, they have some things they need to work on, too, and when you have a pitcher like that, it makes things a little better. Hopefully, they get things cleaned up and have a good tournament run, too.”
BOX SCORE:
123 456 7 R H E
235 01X X 11 8 0 Arcanum
000 00X X 0 4 4 Mississinawa Valley
