By SPENCER BATES
ALLEGANY — Over the course of her team’s season thus far, Allegany-Limestone softball coach Kaelyn Arnold has raved about the resilience and collective growth she has seen.
The Gators’ 14-1 five-inning run-rule win over Southwestern was just about as perfect of an example that she could have to back up those beliefs.
The last couple of weeks has not been easy scheduling-wise for a number of local teams with adverse weather conditions postponing or canceling a number of games, and A-L found itself in that mix as well. So, as Arnold noted, after having had a good portion of the season disrupted, she was happy to see her team come out of the gates firing in a league affair that moves them to 9-2 on the year.
After failing to record a hit in the first frame, A-L batted through the lineup in the second, scoring seven runs on just two hits, placing a firm grasp on the affair almost immediately.
“It was a good league win, we definitely needed to see this,” Arnold said. “It was great to see us jump on the ball right away. We attacked right away, and that really helped us all the way throughout the game. It was the whole lineup today. It wasn’t just the top, it was the bottom, it was the middle, it was everybody. So that helps out a lot.”
And a major credit that Arnold gave her team was for the resilience it took to comprise such a lead.
While it may have not been the “back-against-the-wall, fight to come back from a deficit” imagery that is typically instilled by the word resilience, her players managed to remain composed and score six of their seven runs in the second inning with two outs on the board.
“This team, it’s a different type of team,” Arnold said. “I think I get more nervous than they do. The resiliency is just there all the time. It doesn’t matter how many outs there are, doesn’t matter who’s up, they can all do the job. So, it’s really nice to see this year.”
And just how well-rounded the Gators are was on full display against the Trojans as just one of their 10 players that recorded an at-bat in the win failed to record a hit, walk or run. And for Arnold, having all of her players on the same page and operating on the same wavelength is the most important aspect when it comes to playing at the highest level.
“The biggest thing is we just got to have everyone doing the same thing and doing the right thing,” Arnold said. “We can’t have errors. We’ve seen before, we had a couple there, but it’s fixable. And I know these girls can do it.”
Allegany-Limestone’s Peyton Truman (9) connects for a hit against Southwestern. (Spencer Bates)
Leading the charge for A-L, offensively, was Kailey Truman, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, five RBI and two inside-the-park home runs — a possible third ending up a ground rule double. But not only was she dominant at the dish, she was on the verge of throwing a no-hitter before a single in the top of the fifth — the only hit she allowed on the day — broke it up.
“Today, what I really noticed is that she started early,” Arnold said of Truman. “She got strikes early in the count, and I think that really helps her. It just goes to show she’s finally getting there. She’s getting to that next step. It’s great to see.
“She can do it all. She’s a utility player, and we can use her in any spot, in any position, too. … She’s an all-around great player.”
Behind Truman, Kennedy Honeck (2-for-3, 3 runs), Abby Peck (2-for-3, run, RBI), and Kendall Lemon (2-for-3, 2 runs, RBI) all stuffed the stat sheet as well and helped the Gators bring seven more runs across between the third and fifth innings — scoring four in the bottom of the fifth to force the run-rule.
Allegany-Limestone will now hope to take the momentum it gained from the big win, into its next game — an away affair at Fredonia on May 8 beginning at 5 p.m. — and into the remainder of its schedule, which features just one more CCAA Div. I home game.
AT ALLEGANY
R H E
Southwestern 000 01X X 1 1 1
Allegany-Limestone 071 24X X 14 12 1
SW: Burnett (5 SO, 3 BB) and Beckarine
A-L: K. Truman (10 SO, 2 BB) and P. Truman
