NORTH EAST — A core of Elkton softball’s roster has played alongside each other dating back to their little league days. That team unity is something the Elks are benefitting from in the first half of the spring season.
Elkton picked up its sixth straight win in a five-run victory over North East on Tuesday afternoon. The Elks have yet to lose since a season-opening defeat to Havre de Grace on March 25.
“I think those kids from the little league teams that went to states have that long-term play, they know what it’s like to play ball game after ball game, week after week,” Elkton head coach Ashley Silverman said of her girls that have played together since little league. “And then the same thing with my travel ball players, they have that same mentality and they’re used to that rhythm, so I think once they all come together, it works.”
After taking a 1-0 lead in the top half of the first off an RBI single from Maddie Holmes, LeeAnn Pugh increased the Elks’ lead to three on a two-run triple. A ground ball scored Pugh later in the inning and put Elkton up 4-0. The Elks capitalized on a North East error that scored Katelyn McCullough and Holmes in the following inning to go ahead six.
North East cut Elkton’s lead to five in the next half inning with an RBI from Jazmyn Martin that scored Skyla Contreas. The Indians’ momentum however, came to an end on the next at-bat. A double by Jahnel Ledford resulted in an out on a play at the plate to conclude the inning. It was one of many chances for North East to put runs on the board. The Indians left three runners in scoring position in the home half of the first and second innings, including a chance with the bases loaded in the first. Contreas finished with three hits, while Ledford added two for North East.
After scoring nine runs in a victory over Harford Tech on Monday, Indians head coach Matt Armour said his team still needs to find a consistent rhythm on offense. North East scored eight runs or more in its three wins on the season. In each of their five losses, the Indians scored two runs or fewer.
“We’re starting to get runners in scoring position and then you got to do whatever you can to get them in and we’re just not doing that job right now,” Armour said. “We did that yesterday, which I was really proud of the girls. We’re just very inconsistent right now.”
Pugh, Elkton’s starter, allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases in the first inning. The Elkton senior got out of the jam with a strikeout. Following a walk of North East’s Alycia McGee to start the home half of the second, Haven Anton laid down a sacrifice bunt and moved McGee to third with one out. Pugh struck out back-to-back hitters to escape the inning unscathed. Pugh finished with seven strikeouts across a full seven innings of work.
“My job as a pitcher is to focus on the batter, it’s important to be smart around the bases knowing the situation, but it’s important to not let that get in my head and focus on one pitch at a time,” Pugh said. “I think that is what I really do when there is runners on in scoring position, I just have to dig deep in myself and trust my team that they will make the plays for me.”
Elkton’s offense is averaging nine runs per game in its last six wins, including 10-plus runs in victories over Edgewood, Perryville and Bohemia Manor. For Pugh, Elkton’s ability to produce at the plate is key to keep its winning streak going.
“Our defense has been clean, but really how you win a ball game is you got to hit,” Pugh said. “And we’ve been stringing hits together, sometimes it’s late in the game, sometimes it’s early, but we’ve just had those innings where we can get two or three runs and that really has been some momentum for us.”
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