Softball Recap: Gallia Academy Comes Up Short

Gallia Academy extended their losing streak to five on Monday, dropping their season record down to 8-10 in the process. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 9-7 heartbreaker at the hands of the Portsmouth Trojans. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Trojans this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 8-7 on April 11th.

Chloe Bennett was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Reagan Skidmore was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.

As for Portsmouth, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-11 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games.

On Portsmouth's side, Katie Ankrom was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Ankrom has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March.

In other batting news, Karlee Galloway was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since April 2nd. Another player making a difference was Kya Barton, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Gallia Academy is set to take on their familiar foe Ironton at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Portsmouth will face off against rival Rock Hill at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.