SHELBYVILLE — Hauser’s softball season didn’t start the way coach Craig Sims and the rest of the Jets would have liked after Thursday in a loss at Shelbyville.
The Jets outhit the Golden Bears 5-4, but Shelbyville capitalized on a few stolen bases that helped it come away with extra runs in a 4-2 victory. Sims said Hauser didn’t do a good job of making adjustments in the batter’s box, either.
“I thought we continued to hit the ball out in front,” Sims said. “I thought we made too many mistakes defensively. They took too many extra bases, as in stealing.”
The Golden Bears took an early one-run lead after the first two innings. The Jets had a chance to tie the game in the third inning with Zoee Nading on third base and two out, but a strikeout left her on base. Shelbyville scored its second run on a sacrifice fly that put the Golden Bears up two runs at the end of the third.
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Hauser had another chance to score a run with Tessa Sims on third and Sydney Schoen at bat in the top of the fourth. Schoen connected on the pitch but grounded back to pitcher TeAnn Bringle, who threw Tessa Sims out at the plate.
The Golden Bears created more distance in the fifth when Addisenn Weaver smacked a home run. Another run pushed the lead to 4-0.
The Jets got on the board in the sixth with a Shelby Fugate RBI-single. Katie Taylor cut the Shelbyville lead in half with an RBI-single in the seventh.
Tessa Sims had a double for one of Hauser’s five hits. Fugate, Taylor, Schoen and Mykenzie Ault all had singles.
“We have to work on our battery, our pitchers and catchers,” Craig Sims said. “They’ve got to do better. (Shelbyville) took second base; that can’t happen. That’s like walking a batter and giving up a single that automatically turns into a double. Now, you’ve got a runner in scoring position.”
Tessa Sims, who pitched only a few games last year and had shoulder surgery after the season, pitched the entire game for Hauser, throwing a four-hitter. She struck out four and did not walk a batter.
“I thought we did a good job pitching for the first five innings, but then we got tired,” Craig Sims said. “We have a lot of work to do.”
