CLAYTON — The third time was not the charm for Riverside’s softball team here Wednesday.
The Pirates had a third chance to beat fellow Three Rivers Conference member Covington after losing to the Buccs twice during the regular season.
Despite staying close for the first four innings of a Division IV regional semifinal, Riverside was unable to contain a powerful Covington lineup in a 9-1 loss.
“They are a great hitting team and we knew that,” said Riverside head coach Andy Phelps. “We gave them some extra opportunities and they took advantage of them.”
The Buccs, who defeated the Pirates 10-2 and 18-5 in their two TRC matchups, came in hitting .464 as a team with 27 home runs and 380 team RBI.
Riverside pitcher Alaina Snow and her defense held up well during the first half of the game.
Covington’s Meg Rogers cleared the center-field fence for a two-run home run in the bottom of the third, but the Buccs led just 2-0 heading into the fifth inning.
However, Covington broke the game open in the fifth and sixth.
The Buccs used four hits and Riverside error to plate three runs in the fifth for a 5-0 advantage.
Senior Jade Copas provided a highlight for the Pirates with a home run in the top of the sixth, but Covington kept the runs coming in the bottom of the sixth.
The Buccs tacked on four more runs in their half of the sixth inning. The big blow was a two out, three-run double by Maggie Anderson.
Aside from Copas’ home run, the Pirates were unable to get anything going at the plate.
Riverside was limited to four hits while striking out nine times against Rogers.
“(Rogers) is a good pitcher and we knew we had to make some adjustments at the plate,” said Phelps. “But we let a lot of pitches go by. We didn’t do a good job of shortening up and putting the ball in play.”
The Pirates (15-11) were making their first appearance in a regional game since 2017. Even Phelps was a bit surprised to see the postseason run his players were able to put together.
“If you would have told me day one we would be in the regional, I probably would have laughed,” said Phelps, who started five sophomores and a freshman. “But the girls grew so much. I can’t say enough about how hard they worked. I look forward to seeing them continue to grow next year.”
The Pirates will lose some valuable seniors, though, including starters Snow and Copas.
“Our seniors have meant so much to us,” said Phelps. “We are going to miss them greatly.”
Covington will face off with Rockford Parkway on Friday for a berth in the state tournament.
COVINGTON 9, RIVERSIDE 1
Pirates 000 001 0 — 1 4 4
Buccs 002 034 X — 9 12 0
WP—Rogers; LP—Snow.