The Bellefontaine softball team opened its regular season Monday afternoon with an 8-6 loss to host Covington in nonleague play.
There was plenty of offense with 18 hits for Bellefontaine and 13 for the Lady Buccaneers.
Senior Kassi Prine was the losing pitcher, with four strikeouts and three walks.
Carissa Cozad had a two-run home run, while Joy Fogan and Prine each got a double. Airiana Young, Addison Wical and Laila Butler each drove one run across the plate. Prine and Ava Dolan had three hits each, and six others had two apiece.
Prine led off the game with a single to center. Ava Watson’s single moved her up, then Prine stole third and home.
Covington scored three runs in the bottom of the second to go ahead.
The Lady Chiefs got four hits in the third, but had a runner thrown out at the plate.
The score remained the same until the top of the fifth. Prine and Watson singled, and Fogan drew a walk to load the bases with nobody out.
Watson was retired on a force play, but Prine scored to make it 3-2. After another hit, Covington turned a double play to end the inning.
The Lady Buccs got the run back in the home half on a pair of singles.
Covington expanded the lead with four runs in the sixth due to a walk, a double, then four consecutive hits.
In their final at-bat, Fogan led off with a double to right, then moved up on a single by Wical to center. Covington recorded two outs on ground balls, but Fogan and Wical each were able to score.
Dolan kept it going with a single to right. Cozad then hit the first pitch she saw over the fence in center.
The rally ended there as Chloe Heminger hit a grounder to third, which was fired across for the third out.
Bellefontaine plays at Riverside this evening at 5 p.m.
——
Riverside downs North Union
Riverside recorded an 11-7 nonleague win over North Union on Monday.
The Lady Pirates are now 2-1. They outhit North Union 13-5 in the contest.
Winning pitcher Keira Manahan had three strikeouts and eight walks.
Manahan also had two triples, with one each by Miah Carman and Emilee Robinson. Getting doubles were Riley Dillon, Carman and Manahan.
Manahan drove in three runs, Carman and Dillon two apiece, and Robinson and Jaidyn Jackson each had one RBI.
The first couple of innings were busy, with Riverside scoring one in the first and three in the second. North Union got two in the first and three in the second to lead 5-4.
Riverside then added a pair in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the seventh. North Union was held off the board until the seventh when they got two runs.
Dillon scored the first run on a groundout by Jackson.
In the second, Carman singled with one out, and Manahan doubled to right. Dillon singled to score Carman. Manahan and Dillon scored on passed balls during Hoffer’s at-bat.
After the Wildcats retook the lead, the third inning was scoreless.
In the fourth, the leadoff Riverside batter was retired on a grounder. The Pirates then got a triple by Manahan, a double by Dillon and a triple by Robinson to get back ahead 6-5.
The Pirates fifth started with Taylor Dillon reaching on an error and Brook Hunkler getting a bunt single. Zoey Ransbottom put down a sacrifice to move the runners into scoring position.
Carman’s triple to right brought them both home. She then scored on a groundout and Riverside led 9-5.
Manahan gave herself some insurance with a two-run triple in the seventh, then held off the rally in the bottom half of the inning.