05-25-2012, 07:22 AM
Nobody felt worse about it than Ellery Kring.
The Conner senior shortstop had just thrown wide of the first-base bag on a first-inning bases-loaded infield grounder, allowing three unearned runs to score for Ryle in Thursday's 33rd District tournament softball final at Cooper.
Kring threw her glove to the ground as the ball rolled into right field and Ryle runners rounded the bases. The Raiders went on to win their third straight district title with a 6-3 victory.
Both teams advance to next weekâs 9th Region tournament at Northern Kentucky University. The two-time defending champion Raiders (18-13), ranked No. 1 in the final Enquirer Northern Kentucky coachesâ poll, will go as a No. 1 seed.
Conner (26-11), ranked second, must play a No. 1 seed in its tournament opener. Kring was left to ponder what might have been.
âThere were base runners everywhere on that ball hit to me and I thought too much about the throw and I slipped,â said Kring, who has been a multi-sport standout at Conner. âI feel bad because Ryle always seems to be better no matter what we do.â
Ryle has won seven of the last eight district crowns while beating Conner in the final six times. The Raiders and Cougars have played for the regional championship five years in a row. Ryle won them all except for the 2009 title which went to Conner.
âItâs always tough when we lose to Ryle but we do get another chance next week,â Conner coach Kristin Koors said. âHopefully, weâll play better.â
Benefiting from Thursdayâs first-inning scoring was winning pitcher Ali Crupper, who helped herself. The sophomore hit the ground ball to short on which Kring misfired the throw, and struck out eight. Crupper, named tournament MVP, pushed her season strikeout total to 163 in 124 innings.
âI go out there thinking every pitch matters,â said Crupper, who ascended to co-ace, allowing coach Patti Oliverio to move all-region pitcher Haylee Smith to shortstop. âGetting a three-run lead doesnât take the pressure off, but it helps you relaxâ
Conner scored twice in the fifth on a Kring sacrifice fly and a run-scoring single by Katelynn Halcomb to pull within a run at 4-3.
The Raiders responded with two runs in the sixth on a sacrifice bunt and Kelsey Hammesâ single to left. Hammes reached base four times, adding three walks. Smith also reached four times, with an RBI single in the fourth. Halcomb went 2-for-3.http://preps.cincinnati.com/nky
The Conner senior shortstop had just thrown wide of the first-base bag on a first-inning bases-loaded infield grounder, allowing three unearned runs to score for Ryle in Thursday's 33rd District tournament softball final at Cooper.
Kring threw her glove to the ground as the ball rolled into right field and Ryle runners rounded the bases. The Raiders went on to win their third straight district title with a 6-3 victory.
Both teams advance to next weekâs 9th Region tournament at Northern Kentucky University. The two-time defending champion Raiders (18-13), ranked No. 1 in the final Enquirer Northern Kentucky coachesâ poll, will go as a No. 1 seed.
Conner (26-11), ranked second, must play a No. 1 seed in its tournament opener. Kring was left to ponder what might have been.
âThere were base runners everywhere on that ball hit to me and I thought too much about the throw and I slipped,â said Kring, who has been a multi-sport standout at Conner. âI feel bad because Ryle always seems to be better no matter what we do.â
Ryle has won seven of the last eight district crowns while beating Conner in the final six times. The Raiders and Cougars have played for the regional championship five years in a row. Ryle won them all except for the 2009 title which went to Conner.
âItâs always tough when we lose to Ryle but we do get another chance next week,â Conner coach Kristin Koors said. âHopefully, weâll play better.â
Benefiting from Thursdayâs first-inning scoring was winning pitcher Ali Crupper, who helped herself. The sophomore hit the ground ball to short on which Kring misfired the throw, and struck out eight. Crupper, named tournament MVP, pushed her season strikeout total to 163 in 124 innings.
âI go out there thinking every pitch matters,â said Crupper, who ascended to co-ace, allowing coach Patti Oliverio to move all-region pitcher Haylee Smith to shortstop. âGetting a three-run lead doesnât take the pressure off, but it helps you relaxâ
Conner scored twice in the fifth on a Kring sacrifice fly and a run-scoring single by Katelynn Halcomb to pull within a run at 4-3.
The Raiders responded with two runs in the sixth on a sacrifice bunt and Kelsey Hammesâ single to left. Hammes reached base four times, adding three walks. Smith also reached four times, with an RBI single in the fourth. Halcomb went 2-for-3.http://preps.cincinnati.com/nky