Staff
It was feast or famine for Karma Andy and the defence behind her.
The Couchiching Lady Raiders used two big innings to down Andy and the visiting Manitou Blaze 12-3 in Rainy River District Women’s Fastball League action last night.
Andy, whose pitching led the Blaze (0-1) to the league final last year before they lost to the Red Gut Babes, fanned 16 in her season debut.
But seven walks, a flurry of wild pitches, and several errors by her defence proved costly in the end.
After her RBI groundout put Manitou ahead 1-0 in the top of the first, Andy had trouble finding the strike zone in the bottom half.
She issued five walks—two with the bases loaded—and also threw two run-scoring wild pitches as Couchiching (2-0) scored four times to go up by three.
With the Lady Raiders up 7-3, Andy struck out the first two batters she faced in the fifth before things fell apart in a five-run meltdown.
Amber Morrisseau was hit by a pitch and then scored on Stephanie Racine’s triple to left.
Racine then raced home on another wild pitch for a 9-3 lead.
Singles by Jen Singleton and Darcy Jones were followed by Katie Mowe’s grounder to Blaze shortstop Kayla Allan.
The teenaged rookie’s throw to an unguarded third base wound up in the Manitou dugout to allow two more runs to cross.
Courtney Morrisseau’s follow-up grounder then snuck under Allan’s glove for another error to bring home Mowe.
Sydney Jones earned the win—giving up three runs on seven hits while going the distance.
She had 10 strikeouts while issuing three walks.
In other RRDWFL action last night, the Fort Frances Juniors started their season on the right foot with a 12-9 triumph over Sabaskong Tebinaak (1-2) at the St. Francis Sportsfields.
Rylee Redford got the win on the mound while Devin Kelly took the loss.
The Fort Frances Herricanes, meanwhile, opened with a 15-7 victory over host Northwest Bay (0-1-1).
Micaela Jack, picked up from Red Gut in the off-season, sparkled in her debut with the Herricanes as she went the distance.
Darcy Smith took the loss.
But the Fort Frances Mud Dogs were not as fortunate. The expansion team fell 4-2 to the host Big Grassy Lynx (1-0).
The league’s other expansion team, the Pinewood Diggers, took it on the chin from the two-time defending champion Babes 17-2 in Red Gut.
Taylor Windego crushed a homer while Tracy Morningstar grabbed the win on the mound for the Babes (1-0-1), who took over sole possession of second place.
Alicia Anderson was tagged with the loss.
The Sabaskong Cougars evened their record at 1-1 with an 11-8 road win over the Big Island Wildcats (0-1).
Candace Kelly got the victory while Candace Handorgan took the loss.
Action resumes Monday at 6:30 p.m., with the Herricanes hosting the Lynx at VanJura.
The Mud Dogs, meanwhile, will play their first home game against the Babes while the Juniors are in Sabaskong to face the Cougars.
Couchiching heads to Northwest Bay, Manitou visits Sabaskong Tebinaak, and Pinewood hosts Big Island.
