Published: June 07, 2009 01:51 am      

2A SOFTBALL: Clarksville’s bats go silent in regional loss

FERDINAND — Clarksville softball coach Tim Hauber said he watched his team take one of its best batting practices of the season early on Saturday morning.

The hits, though, failed to keep on coming when game time rolled around.

Clarksville managed just one hit off Tell City starter Jossalyn Ress, who faced the minimum 21 batters as the Marksmen handed the Generals a 3-0 loss in the Class 2A Forest Park Regional semifinal.

“She pretty much handled us start to finish, didn’t she?” said Hauber, who saw his team’s season end at 20-9 overall. “I’m pretty surprised really. I thought we had a great (batting practice) this morning, really seemed like we were hitting the ball real well.”

Clarksville’s lone hit was a leadoff infield single by center fielder Bronte Miley. who moved to second base on a sacrifice by Amber Wingler but was thrown out attempting to steal third.

“You can’t win when you don’t hit the ball,” Hauber said. “It doesn’t really matter how you pitch or play defense when you don’t hit it. We didn’t have a threat really all day out there.”

Tell City’s big blow came in the top of the third, when senior first baseman Amber Thomas slapped a two-run double to deep right-center field.

From there, it was simply all Ress.

The sophomore simply overpowered the Clarksville hitters, striking out seven and recording eight more outs via groundouts.

“I thought we’d come out here and get something going. But we never really could,” Hauber said. “There is not really a whole lot you can say after one like this.”

Clarksville says goodbye to two seniors in catcher Kelsey Becker and right fielder/pitcher Kelly Betz. The Generals expect to return four seniors, two juniors and four sophomores to next season’s squad.



CLASS 2A FOREST PARK REGIONAL

SEMIFINAL

TELL CITY 002 000 1—3 4 0

CLARKSVILLE 000 000 0—0 1 2

W — Ress. L — Wingler. 2B — Thomas (T).

Record — Clarksville 20-9, Tell City 17-8.