There might have been nerves but also some bad luck Monday for Community R-6.

The Lady Trojans committed five errors that led to seven unearned runs against Central Activities Conference foe and reigning district champion Cairo and a 12-4 loss at home. Community was down 7-1 after two innings and didn’t get any closer than 8-4 after a two-RBI home run from freshman Jocelyn Curtis.

Curtis started for the Lady Trojans in the circle, going two innings but allowing six hits, but finished 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and her first career home run. Junior Paige Painter allowed five runs on six hits in five innings afterward but only one of those runs were counted as earned. Sarah Angel went 2-for-4 with a triple and a stolen base.

Head coach Kody Asquith said it was a big game against a conference opponent as Community wants to win another CAC title after going 7-0 last season. Because of that, there might have been nerves, but particularly in the first inning, the Lady Trojans’ positioning might not have been the best as multiple fly balls dropped on the infield.

“Some of them were perfectly placed balls,” Asquith said. “They just fell in the holes, and there was nothing we could do about it. We moved the girls up and they hit it over our heads, or we moved them back and they dropped right in front of us.”

Community’s third error gave way to Cairo’s 7-1 lead in the second inning before the Lady Bearcats scored two in the next four innings. To slow Cairo’s offense down, Asquith said Community relied on Painter’s slower delivery to the plate because he thought the Lady Bearcats timed Curtis.

“I think Curtis, she didn’t do too bad,” Asquith said. “We just wanted to shake things up because they got in a rhythm with Jocelyn. We wanted to change the pace of the game with that move. We just wanted to throw off their timing. Delivery to the plate played a little bit of a factor in that.”

Cairo had an 8-2 lead in the fifth inning but allowed Olivia Kuda to reach base on one of its four errors. Kuda didn’t have a hit but scored two runs, with the first happening on a rundown she wriggled out of in the third inning. She could just stroll home for the second one after Curtis hit the ball over the center field fence to give the Lady Trojans their first varsity home run of the season.

Painter had muscled up for her first career home run in a 10-9 junior varsity win against Silex earlier in the year. Asquith was impressed that Curtis went deep this early in her career and hopes this is the start of a trend for the Lady Trojans.

“As a freshman, coming out and being the first one to hit a varsity home run, that’s a big deal for her and all the other girls,” Asquith said. “To me, that should motivate the other girls to continue working and doing their job at the plate and maybe it will fall for them some time.”

Lady Trojans finish 4th at New Franklin tournament

Community R-6 was close to taking third place at the Terry Early New Franklin Softball Tournament, but still put up a fight for it.

The Lady Trojans defeated Atlanta 13-2 and lost 6-1 to Fayette to set up their final third-place title match against Westran, who was knocked to the third-place game at last year’s tournament after losing 11-4 to Community. The Lady Hornets scored five runs in the sixth inning to come back from a 7-6 deficit after five innings and defeat the Lady Trojans 12-10.

Community outhit Westran 10-7, thanks largely to three hits from Sarah Angel — who went 8-for-12 in the three games — and two hits each from Brooklynn Glasgow and Paige Painter. Painter had two RBI and was one of six Lady Trojans to drive in a run.

In the first round against Atlanta, Community had a season-high 18 hits that were led by three-hit games from Angel and Olivia Kuda and four RBI on a triple and double by Jocelyn Curtis. Five other Lady Trojans had multi-hit games. Painter struck out four and allowed one earned run on five hits in six innings.

Community compiled eight hits against Fayette but were scattered by Fayette’s Skylar Sunderland. Angel and Painter each had two hits with Painter driving in the lone Community run on a double in the fifth inning.

The Lady Trojans trailed Westran 6-3 after three innings but tied the game at 6 on a Painter single following one of eight Westran errors. Rylee Rafferty bunted home the go-ahead run in the fifth inning.

The lead didn’t last long as the first five Lady Hornets reached base to begin the sixth inning. Community committed one of its four errors to start the frame and then either walked or hit a batter three times.

The Lady Trojans were one run away from tying the game in the sixth inning after a run scored on another Westran error, but a fielder’s choice thwarted their last good scoring chance.

Community (3-6, 1-2 CAC) played at conference opponent Slater on Tuesday before hosting Paris today and traveling to CAC foe Sturgeon on Thursday.

Fall baseball

Trojan errors give Cairo 7-5 edge

Community R-6 had to play as clean as possible Friday at Cairo.

Cairo is coming off a Class 1 third-place season and defeated the Trojans 9-0 in the meeting last season. Community dropped another to the Bearcats, this time falling short 7-5, after committing four errors that turned into five unearned runs.

Gavin Allen pitched six innings while striking out 14 and allowing six hits but was credited for seven runs, with only two of them going as earned. Ean Johnson had two of Community’s four doubles that led to his three RBI, and Brant Cope picked up a two-RBI double.

Cope’s double gave the Trojans a 2-0 lead in the first inning that was equaled in the bottom half of the frame. A single gave Cairo the 4-2 lead in the second inning, which the Bearcats maintained until Johnson’s two-run double in the fourth inning.

Community couldn’t prevent Cairo from responding quickly as the Bearcats took a 7-4 lead in the bottom of the fourth thanks partly to an infield error.

Community (1-2) will play another road game Sept. 23 at La Plata (7-2).