Krist homer tops off T-Girl win over Sonoma

Petaluma continued to hit the ball solidly as the T-Girls won their third softball game of the week with a 6-2 win over visiting Sonoma Valley on Thursday.

The hard-hitting Petaluma club managed to move the line along in every inning, and finished with 13 hits against quality Lady Dragon pitcher Hannah Herrick. Herrick came into the game with a solid 1.14 earned-run average, and she kept her team in the hunt until the final frame by consistently getting out of tight situations.

The main tormentor for the Lady Dragons on the day was heavy-hitting Petaluma first baseman Joelle Krist. She had ripped three solid singles in earlier trips to the plate, and she came up again in the sixth inning with two outs and one runner aboard.

Sonoma coach Dean Merrill called time to discuss the strategy for facing Krist in a close 4-2 contest, and the Dragons opted to pitch to the University of Arizona-bound senior. It proved to be a major mistake. Krist let out some shaft this time around, and rifled the ball over the left-center fence to give the T-Girls two more runs and some needed breathing room.

The blast came at the right time because Sonoma Valley came right back to load the bases against T-Girl pitcher Emily O’Keefe in the top of the seventh inning. With the tying run at the plate represented by Kasey Richards, the Petaluma hurler got the final out of the game on a fly ball.

Krist wasn’t the only T-Girl threat on the warm afternoon. Lily Ryan also had outstanding numbers with three consecutive doubles. Ryan scored two runs as Petaluma improved to 5-0 in Sonoma County League play.

Sophomore right fielder Alexis Silinonte also played a big role in the victory. In addition to banging out two hits, Silinonte made a lunging catch on a ball fading away from her with runners aboard in the final frame. A wrong angle on the drive by Shawney McVeigh might have cost Petaluma as many as three runs.

O’Keefe had another strong outing for the T-Girls. She struck out seven batters and gave up two runs in the second inning on batted balls that could not break an egg. Consecutive plays with short fly balls that bounced in front of charging T-Girl defenders produced the runs.

Bella Fanucci had the second base hit for an RBI that twisted in front of O’Keefe. Richards banged out a hit and scored for the Lady Dragons, who fell to 3-2 in the SCL and 8-8 overall.

Petaluma continued to play heads up defensively with a well executed relay from left fielder Emily Corda that resulted in an out at second base. The T-Girls again didn’t beat themselves, and used small ball effectively with five bunt attempts as they improved to 14-2 for the season.

The win over Sonoma followed a 10-0 five-inning victory over Healdsburg.

Kailee Silacci pitched that win, allowing just three hits.

Brie Gerhardt continued her batting surge with a 3-for-3 game for the T-Girls. She doubled, scored three runs and drove in two. Krist also had three hits, including a double, while Baddeley tripled and scored twice and Lilly Ryan had two hits, drove in three runs and scored twice.