BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Visiting Baldwin, which is ranked sixth in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Class 3A power poll, scored a run on a two-out single in the fifth, which proved to be the difference in the Keystone Heights High School softball team’s 4-3 loss on April 21.
Kiley Channell hit a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the first to put the Indians (6-15) ahead 1-0. Baldwin’s Jazmine Ramos-Merced hit a solo homer of her own to lead off the top of the second. The visiting team took advantage of two singles and a double to score another two runs in that inning and take a 3-1 lead.
Keystone tied the score in the third. Abbie Roach and Alaina Kinsall hit back-to-back two-out doubles, with Roach scoring on Kinsall’s hit. Channell, who went 2 for 3, then hit a single to score Kinsall.
Baldwin’s Amiyah Jones led off the top of the fifth with a single. Two outs later, she scored on Cali Hartung’s single.
Keystone was unable to put any runners on in the fifth and sixth innings, but Ashley Nugent did hit a single to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Baldwin, though, then turned a double play on a Kadence Massey bunt. A strikeout ended the game.
Massey pitched a complete game, giving up seven hits and one walk. She had seven strikeouts.
The Indians went 1-1 in their previous two games, beginning with a 6-5 loss to host Trinity Christian on April 18.
With two outs in the top of the third, Roach and Kinsall hit back-to-back singles before scoring on a Channell double, putting Keystone ahead 2-1.
The Conquerors tied the score with a home run to lead off the bottom of the third and took advantage of a walk, an error and a ground ball to score another run and retake the lead.
Riley Shuford hit an RBI single for Keystone in the top of the fourth, but Trinity hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to go up 5-3.
Roach, who went 2 for 4, led off the top of the seventh with a single. One out later, Channell, who also went 2 for 4, drove the first pitch she saw over the fence in center for a two-run homer, tying the score at 5-5.
In the bottom of the seventh, Trinity drew four consecutive walks with two outs to win the game.
On April 19, Kinsall and Channell drove in four and three runs, respectively, as the Indians defeated host Santa Fe 10-7.
Keystone trailed 3-0 before scoring three runs in the second. Caitlin Frampton, who drew a leadoff walk, scored on an error. After consecutive singles by Massey and Amber Wagner, Shuford, who went 2 for 3, hit a two-run, two-out double.
The Indians then scored two runs each in the third, fourth and fifth innings to go up 9-4. Channell, who went 2 for 5, hit a two-run homer in the third and a run-scoring double in the fourth. Kinsall, who went 4 for 5, also drove in a run in the fourth (on a single) as well as two on a double in the fifth.
Kinsall added an RBI single in the seventh.
Keystone hosts Middleburg on Tuesday, April 25, at 6 p.m. and will host Clay on Thursday, April 27, at 6 p.m. The Indians conclude the regular season with a road game against University Christian on Friday, April 28, at 6 p.m.
