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Tough times continue for Sikeston with shutout loss
SIKESTON — A late push wasn’t enough as Sikeston faced another setback, falling 7-0 to East Carter at the Sports Complex on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
The Lady Bulldogs (2-18) losing streak was extended to 12 games as the team struggled to find its footing against the determined Lady Redbird (9-8).
“We waited a little too long to get going there,” said Sikeston coach Wyatt Pratt. “We didn’t decide to hit until the last inning but that’s the way it rolls sometimes.”
Mykencie Hutchinson, a key contributor for East Carter, initiated the scoring in the first inning with a daring steal of home plate. She continued her offensive surge in the fourth, singling to drive in Jaidah Jones and extend the lead.
A crucial error later in the inning allowed Hutchinson and McKinley Burkhart to capitalize, giving East Carter a comfortable 4-0 advantage.
The fifth inning saw Jones single on a ground ball, scoring Kadence Newton and extending the lead to 5-0.
East Carter solidified its commanding position in the sixth inning when Macenziy Brewer’s triple scored Newton, followed by Jones singling to bring Brewer home.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Sikeston’s Lillyahna Nelson delivered an impressive double to right field, seemingly breaking the shutout.
However, a moment of confusion led to a controversial umpire decision, as the baserunner was called out for not tagging home plate, leaving the Lady Bulldogs without a score.
“We’ve had some spurts hitting the ball,” Pratt said.“It’s definitely been a trend lately where we have one good inning, but we’re putting a little bit too much pressure on ourselves for the rest of the game.”
Sikeston’s Chloe Hamby, despite her resilience, faced a challenging outing, allowing four runs on twelve hits. Despite the difficulties, Hamby battled through, recording eight strikeouts.
“[Hamby] did a great job and mixed it up well,” Pratt said. “She did not give up a lot of hard contact. [East Carter] placed the ball and ran the bases well and the ball just didn’t fall our way.”
In contrast, Calleigh Miller, a standout pitcher for East Carter, delivered a complete game shutout. She struck out seven batters and only walked one, showcasing her command.
“[Miller] did a phenomenal job,” said East Carter coach Teresa Kerbey-LeGrand. “She battled the entire time and shut them down.
“We started coming around on the ball and making better contact as the game went on,” she concluded. “They maintained their composure but we didn’t play our best game. We can play better than this.”
Sikeston hosts Farmington (8-15) on Wednesday, travels to Doniphan (11-9) on Thursday, and hosts Notre Dame (15-8) next Tuesday in its regular season and home finale.