Maidens still learning to win

PLAINS – After losing a one-run, extra-innings heartbreaker to Plains 10-9 in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday, the Maidens regained composure and hammered the Trotters 12-2 in the nightcap.  

In game one, the Maidens jumped out to an early five-run lead over Plains, which they would quickly relinquish.  

Plains would go on to score eight runs between the third and fifth innings and Ronan trailed 8-6 in the top of the seventh. But the Maidens bounced back and were able to draw even at eight and force extra innings.

The two teams each exchanged a run in the eighth inning, extending the game to the ninth.  It was there when Plains piled runners at each base and Alex Green’s hit with the bases loaded gave the Trotters the 10-9 walk-off win.  

“We just started out slow,” said Ronan’s manager Brad Benson. “We finally started to hit the ball in the first game, but we were just a day late and a dollar short.”

Four Maidens recorded two hits including Kendra Starkel who was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Luckily for the Maidens, a chance at redemption was just a few hours away.

In game two of the doubleheader, Ronan again struck quickly in the first with four runs. But unlike the first game, Ronan and starting pitcher Samantha Colman stayed strong and gave up just two runs on eight hits.

Leading 10-1 in the fifth, Ronan’s Danielle Richwine’s two-run shot gave the Maidens a 12-1 advantage and the game was later called after the fifth due to the 10-run rule.

McKenzie Dulmes went 3-for-4 for the Maidens and finished the day’s doubleheader hitting 5-for-9 with three RBI.  

The doubleheader was a testament to the Maidens’ toughness. The near freezing, windy weather impacts the ability to perform. Cold hands can hamper a pitcher’s grip on the ball and cause disruption in the batter’s box.

“It was so cold, every time you hit the ball, your whole body vibrates,” said Benson.

Playing doubleheaders in 30-degree temperatures is just one of the obstacles this Maiden team will have to overcome. Despite a roster loaded with talent, manager Benson is still trying to find the Maidens’ killer instinct and will to win.

“We have to be more aggressive and play to win,” said Benson. “The talent is there, I just need to teach this team to win and have that attitude to win.”