Canton softball comes close but finds wins are elusive

Senior Ainsley Hill had a double in Wednesday’s loss to Coventry and in Thursday’s loss to Windsor Locks. (Photo courtesy Bill Brewster)

CANTON, May 9 – The Canton High girls softball is team is coming close but can’t get over the finish line. The Warriors have lost four games in a row and nine of their last 10 contests.

Three losses have been one-run defeats and another two have been three-run losses.

This week, the Warriors dropped a 3-2 decision to Stafford on Monday only to follow that up with a 1-0 loss to Coventry on Wednesday in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Patriots are 15-1 and lead the North Central Connecticut Conference.

On Thursday, Canton gave up just four hits but committed four errors in a 5-2 loss to Windsor Locks.

Sophomore pitcher Loren Mossey struck out eight and allowed just three hits in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Coventry. (Photo courtesy Bill Brewster)

The Warriors (3-10, 3-8 NCCC) will get two more opportunities to earn a win this week. Canton hosts Haddam-Killingworth on Friday at 4 p.m. in a non-league contest and gets another shot at Coventry on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in Canton.

Against Stafford, the Warriors led 1-0 after four innings but Stafford scored three runs in the fifth inning thanks to a pair of errors that put runners on base. Samantha King’s two-run single with two outs but the Bulldogs ahead for good, 3-1.

Thanks to a pair of Stafford errors, Canton cut the lead to one run in the sixth inning but that is as close as they would get. Canton hurler Loren Mossey gave up just three hits and struck out seven in seven innings of work and took the loss.

Freshman Madison Van Horn takes a cut at a pitch in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Coventry. (Photo courtesy Bill Brewster)

Against Coventry, it was a scoreless game going into the bottom of the seventh inning. Coventry’s Delaney Harrington led off the inning with a single to center field and moved to second on a successful sacrifice bunt. Harrington stole third base.

Mossey got two outs before Kailey Bennett came to the plate. As Harrington successfully tried to steal home, Bennett lined a single to center field as Coventry walked off with a 1-0 victory.

Mossey struck out eight and allowed just three hits in the defeat. Coventry pitcher Abby Boya allowed just four hits and struck out seven for the Patriots.

Ainsley Hill doubled for Canton while Mossey tripled in the seventh. Hill doubled in the fourth inning but Boya responded with back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat. In the seventh, Mossey tripled with one out but Boya retired the next two batters in order to keep the game scoreless.

Windsor Locks (7-6) took a 5-0 lead after three innings. The Raiders had just four hits but they took advantage of four Canton errors. For the second straight game, Hill had a double with Mossey getting a triple.

Windsor Locks 5, Canton 2
At Canton
Windsor Locks (7-6)            131  000  0  — 5-4-1
Canton (3-10)                        001  100  0  — 2-5-4
Emily Tarko and unknown; Loren Mossey and Morgan Giblin; WP: Tarko; LP: Mossey (3-10); 2B: Tarko, Ainsley Hill (Ca); 3B: Mossey

Coventry 1, Canton 0
At Coventry
Canton(3-9)                         000  000  0  — 0-4-0
Coventry (15-1)                    000  000  1  — 1-3-0
Loren Mossey and Morgan Giblin; Abby Boya and unknown; WP: Boya; LP: Mossey (3-9); 2B: Ainsley Hill (Ca); 3B: Mossey

Stafford 3, Canton 2
At Canton
Stafford (8-5)                         000  030  0  — 3-3-4
Canton (3-8)                           000  101  0  — 2-5-2
Emily Padegimas and unknown; Loren Mossey and Morgan Giblin; WP: Padegimas; LP: Mossey (3-8)