AMBOY – Throughout the season the Amboy softball team has become known for big hits in timely situations.

In a Class 1A Amboy Regional Semifinal on Wednesday, May 15 against Annawan-Wethersfield, those big hits couldn’t be found. After a troublesome second inning, No. 3-seeded Amboy trailed and couldn’t catch up falling in upset to the No. 6-seeded Titans, 6-1.

“We didn’t come up with the big hits that we’re used to,” Amboy coach Kelly Whitman said.  “We only had four hits total and four hits isn’t going to win you ball games.

“Aside from the second inning when we gave up a couple walks early, they loaded the bases, we didn’t make a couple of plays, and they scored four runs, you take that away, and we still lost 2-1. We didn’t push enough runs across, we left some runners on base, and when we did get them on, we couldn’t push them around.”

A-W scored four runs with its first four hitters of the second inning on two walks, a fielder’s choice and an RBI single.

The Lady Clipper defense tightened after, but the damage had been done. The Titans added a run in the fourth inning and a run in the sixth inning, while Amboy couldn’t put together more than two base runners or five hitters in an inning during any of the contest’s seven frames.

Junior Tyrah Vaessen scored the Lady Clippers lone run in the bottom of the seventh after hitting a triple. She was 3-of-3 with a triple, two singles, and a run scored.

Sophomore Ellie Mclaughlin was the losing pitcher on eight hits, six earned runs, five strikeouts, and four walks.