Kellam overcame an early 3-0 deficit and erupted for nine unanswered runs Thursday in a pivotal 9-4 Coastal Conference win against First Colonial.
The Knights extended their six-game winning streak and evened the season series against the Patriots while staying tied with Ocean Lakes for the conference’s No. 1 seed.
After a scoreless two innings against First Colonial starter Shelly Culotta, Kellam exploded for nine runs off 14 hits from seven batters.
“We just have to keep the energy up the whole time,” senior Taylor Telford said after the game. “It’s the people in the dugout that have the most energy and keep us up at bat going.”
The Patriots (11-6-1, 8-4 Coastal) struck first in the top of the third when Madison Roberts cleared the bases with a double that scored Christy Blough, Skylar Johnston and Jessica Williams. The Knights responded in the bottom of the inning with RBI singles from Hannah Hummel and Allie Jarrett to pull within 3-2.
Kellam senior Cameron Thompson put the Knights up for good in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run shot to left field that scored Telford and Madison Wilson. Rachel Bolin lined an RBI double to right field that scored Briana Brown to give Kellam a 6-3 lead at the end of the fifth.
The Knights (11-7, 8-3 Coastal) added three insurance runs in the sixth. Hummel blasted a two-run double that plated Wilson and Kyleigh Allen-Cason, and Jarrett lined another RBI single to put Kellam up 9-3. First Colonial’s Kerry Flanagan connected on an RBI single that scored Blough for the Patriots’ final run in the top of the seventh.
Thompson and Hummel each had three hits and three RBIs, while Telford and Jarrett had two hits apiece.
Knights starting pitcher Krista Waller (eight hits, four runs in seven innings) kept an explosive lineup relatively quiet, including the feared Meaghan Barfield, who had set the Virginia High School League career home run record earlier this week against Landstown. The Patriots entered Thursday on a four-game winning streak in which it had outscored opponents 36-13. Johnston and Blough each had three hits.
The Knights stranded nine runners, five in scoring position. The Patriots stranded seven, three in scoring position. Kellam continued its solid defense, committing just one error while putting away tough outs from a Patriots lineup that kept every at-bat in play.
“We just work hard on talking and making sure everyone knows what to do on every single play,” Thompson said.
Kellam closes the regular season Friday against Cox with a chance to remain tied with Ocean Lakes for the conference’s top seed. If the Knights win, they will face the Dolphins on Monday in a playoff for the No. 1 seed.
“We have to keep hitting, keep the motivation up and the errors low like we have been,” Wilson said.
