Freshman outfielder Morgan Kenney has been out with an injury since the beginning of the season, delaying her regular-season debut for Francis Scott Key. Wednesday, she made her presence known to all, contributing a double and two singles to lead the host Eagles over Winters Mill, 15-5, in a five-inning game.
“I’m really happy for her. She got hurt in our first scrimmage, when she rolled her ankle,” Eagles head coach Steve Turner of Kenney. “She’s been working hard to get back, and she showed what she could do today.”
Although Kenney had provided much of the firepower, it was Infielder Joelle Staub who had the biggest hit of the day. Her home run to center field broke open the game in an eight-run bottom of the third.
The Eagles (5-3, 4-1) entered the inning trailing, 4-2, but wasted little time getting started. Jasmine Kline and Caitlyn Miller had RBI singles, tying the game at 4. After Kendall Jackson hit a double, Winters Mill manager Felicia Knill called for a pitching change. But soon after the change, a wild pitch allowed Miller to score from third and give the Eagles a 5-4 lead.
Staub was the next batter, and she didn’t miss on a mistake, depositing it over the center-field fence for a two-run shot giving Francis Scott Key a 7-4 lead.
“I just saw it, and it came right down the middle and I swung,” Staub said. “I wasn’t really looking for anything, but I hit it pretty good. The game started a little rough for us, but we knew we could make it up.”
“She was due,” Turner said. “I was really proud and happy for her when that happened. She has been in a little slump lately, and I hope this busts open her confidence and energizes her.”
The Eagles, who sent 12 batters to the plate in the third, went on to score three more runs in the inning to lead 10-4.
In the circle, Kline struck out six in her five-inning complete game and only gave up four hits. She held kept the Falcons scoreless in the fourth, and the Eagles hitters weren’t done. FSK got five hits in their half of the inning and added another five runs to make it 15-4 after four innings.
The Falcons (1-7, 0-5) took advantage as Kline began to tire, getting two walks that eventually led to a run when Sydney Dryden crossed the plate to make it 15-5 in the top of the fifth. They could get no closer, though, as the game ended on two ground outs to the pitcher.
“I was a little surprised we came out a little flat,” Turner said. “I wasn’t surprised, though, by the way we came back. We are a good hitting team and we showed it today.”
For the Falcons, it was another frustrating day in a season that has had many of them.
“That seems to be the way it’s been for us this year,” Knill said. “We have a hiccup and it gets us down and keeps us down. We’ll keep fighting, though. We’re still learning and we’ll get better.”
