Titans late rally comes up short in season-ending loss to Fairmont

In the first round of the Section 2A elimination bracket, the Tri-City United softball team faced off against the Fairmont Cardinals in a battle for survival with the winner advancing and the losing team’s season coming to an end. A tight battle throughout and late rally kept the game exciting until the final out, but when the teams gathered in the handshake line, it was Fairmont that kept it’s season alive with a 5-3 victory.

The loss for TCU ends team’s season with a record of 11-11 and also marks the final game for the team’s five seniors, Alison Weydert, Mallorie Plut, Lexi Factor, Morgan Fredrickson and Adison Schroer.

Schroer pitched the complete game for the Titans, allowing five runs, only one of them earned, on five hits while striking out five batters.

The Cardinals struck first in the bottom of the first inning when an RBI double to the gap in left centerfield scored a runner from first, but the highlight of the inning came when Emma Skluzacek robbed a homer at the fence in right field, making a leap at the last second to haul a would be two-run blast.

In the top of the third inning, Cristina Cruz hit a one-out single to right and Isabella Jones ran for her, stealing second before being brought home on an RBI double from Schroer.

The game remained tied 1-1 until the bottom of the fifth inning when a pair of back-to-back fielding errors set the table for a monster homerun blast to centerfield that put the Cardinals up by a score of 5-1.

After a scoreless sixth, the Titans faced their final three outs of the season and Factor got the rally going with a leadoff double to right field. After a pop out to second base, Cruz drew a walk while Factor reached third on a passed ball.

During the next at-bat, a passed ball allowed Factor to score and aggressive baserunning resulted in an overthrow at third, allowing TCU to score a second run and cut the deficit to just two runs. A lineout to center field was followed by a pop out to right, officially ending any hope of a comeback.

Schroer went 3-4 at the plate with an RBI while Cruz was a perfect 3-3 with a walk. Jones scored twice as a courtesy runner for TCU.