Dugan scatters five hits in J-M’s 3-0 at Mapletown
DILLINER — Both Jefferson-Morgan and Mapletown had put up a lot of runs this spring coming into their critical Section 2-A softball match-up on Wednesday, averaging close to 10 runs a game.
However, Wednesday’s game came down to a pair of hits by freshmen and a stellar outing by Caitlyn Dugan, as the Lady Rockets grabbed sole possession of second place with a 3-0 victory at Dunkard Township Park.
“Both teams played tight today, but we needed to win a game like this,” J-M coach Rich Rush said. “We needed to win a low-scoring game that could come down to one late mistake at the end. We showed a lot of poised in the field and played great defense behind Cait today. Defense is so key for us, and that has been the difference this year.”
Dugan allowed five hits in the complete game masterpiece with 10 strikeouts and two walks on 102 pitches.
“This was probably Cait’s best performance over the last three seasons,” Rush said. “She stepped up and was very composed in the circle. I don’t know what it was, but hopefully we can bottle it for the future. She worked the count and hit the outside pitch.”
The Lady Rockets (7-2, 8-4) can officially wrap up second place in Section 2-A today when they host Mapletown at Dugan Memorial Field. First pitch is slated for 1:30 p.m.
“Our approach was to just focus on game one and get the win,” Rush said. “We knew we control our own destiny in the section and we knew how big these two games are to us. The pressure is off, and we can now play loose.”
The Lady Maples had their chances to score in the contest, but left eight runners on base and couldn’t get the timely hit.
“We just couldn’t get that timely hit with runners on base,” Mapletown coach Raquel Cole said. “We had way too many strikeouts today and in a close game, that kills you. We just couldn’t get that key hit that would get us on the scoreboard. Tomorrow is a new day and we have to bring it.”
Macee Cree was tagged with the loss despite a solid effort, as the freshmen allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks on 80 pitches.
“Macee was phenomenal for us,” Cole said. “She had all of her pitches working and she was able to get ahead of the counts. This was probably her best game of the season in the circle. She stepped up her game today.”
Cree was able to keep J-M’s hitters guessing, only allowing a one-out single to Abby Ankrom in the first four innings.
The Lady Rockets broke the scoreless tie in the fifth when Maddie VanDivner reached first on an infield error and Payton Wright was hit by a pitch.
Freshman Kryn Smitley delivered a huge two-run single with one out that plated VanDivner and Wright for the eventual game-winning runs.
The visitors got an insurance run in the seventh when Wright was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on a RBI double by freshman Jasmine Demaske.
“Kryn, Jasmine and Savannah (Clark) are all freshman and have played for us since the season opener,” Rush said. “They have come up big for us this season. Jasmine really set the tone for our lineup and she plays on a different level. She plays with high energy and that rubs off on the team.”
After leaving a pair of runners on base in the first inning, the Lady Maples couldn’t score the opening run when Kailey Stover hit a two-out double.
Danielle Dewitt and Hannah Dusenberry singled in the fifth inning to put two runners on, but Dugan escaped the jam with a foul out down the third base line.
Faith Burkholder-Walter was able to reach second base after a pair of errors by J-M’s defense in the seventh inning with two outs, but once again Dugan preserved the shutout with a groundout to third.
Both teams clinched a playoff berth earlier in the week. Defending section champion West Greene sits atop the standings.