Eagles Thrown Out In Comeback Attempt
Apr 04, 2024 10:23AM ● By Alejandro Barron
The Pleasant Grove Eagles were aggressive in trying to get runners in scoring position as an Eagle player tried to steal second base and was thrown out in their league opener at home against the St. Francis Troubadours on March 27. Photo by Alejandro Barron
ELK GROVE (MPG) - Despite their attempts at a comeback, the Pleasant Grove Eagles fell to the St. Francis Troubadours 3-1 in their league opener, ending their five-game win streak with a 3-run third inning from the Troubadours.
All of the Troubadours' runs came in the third inning when a diving attempt on a line drive to left field allowed the ball to rattle in the corner for a two-run inside-the-park home run to open the scoring and a single with a runner on second later drove in the third run.
These would be the only runs that starting pitcher Madeline Lawson would give up, as she would go on to pitch a complete game with 10 strikeouts, five hits and took the loss.
Throughout the game, the Eagles would get runners on but couldn’t capitalize on those run-scoring opportunities as they couldn’t make adjustments at the plate, according to head coach Brian Cherry.
“We played solid defense, which is one of our strengths, and we had a lot of solid contact but we just kept the ball in the air too much,” Cherry said. “I think 12 of our outs were fly-outs so we didn’t make the offensive adjustment to keep the ball out of the air.”
Despite the struggle to adjust, the game was finalized with the tying runs stranded on second and third. Offensive standouts include senior Carly Henderson with a 3-3 with three singles and senior Riley Bigley going 2-3 with a single and a double.
“We’re proud of them for never giving up and they give us a full seven innings every time. I have 12 seniors so I have 12 big leaders on the team that keep us in the fight,” Cherry said.
Cherry said it’s fun to coach a team with this type of experience and drive to play, and it’ll help them throughout the season.
Overall, Cherry was happy with his team's performance, despite the loss, besides a few offensive adjustments that need to be made.
The Eagles fall to 6-2 on the year and 0-1 in league, as they look to improve and win their first league game in the competitive Delta League.
