PLATTSBURGH — It was a tough pill to swallow Saturday afternoon.
Not only did Fort Ann end Crown Point’s season, but also the career of Panther’s head coach Mike Ross.
The Cardinals would win 6-0 as Fort Ann’s Jadyn Mitchell struck out 16 of the 27 batters she faced.
“The reason she had so many strikeouts, and we were aggressive at the plate,” Ross said. “We did a lot of swinging. We weren’t hitting it, but we were swinging. You can’t hit it, you don’t swing.”
It wasn’t that Crown Point didn’t have opportunities. Fort Ann allowed four runners to reach on five errors, but Mitchell didn’t give the Panthers any chance to find rhythm.
The Cardinals scored two runs in the top of the first, second and fourth innings. They even left the bases loaded in the third, but Kaitlin Ross and the Panthers shut them down.
Mike Ross went out early in the game to calm his players down. He said the early runs weren’t a dealbreaker; he just wanted his players to breathe.
“That’s why I called time out. Went out early and told them take a deep breath, that play doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “The next one is going to mean something.”
But the next play for Crown Point didn’t come. They were unable to get the bat on the ball.
“I think we were a little unprepared considering the pitching we see during the season is not quite what Jadyn throws,” Kaitlin Ross said. “She’s a great pitcher. She knows what she’s doing out there, and I think if we had a little more time, we could’ve done something.”
Kaitlin Ross happened to have a strikeout to end her career as a Panther. She finished the day with four strikeouts to add to her career mark of over 600.
She wasn’t the only granddaughter Mike Ross coached.
“They’re both pitchers,” he said. “I was just reminded that Chelsea (Loitsch) had six no-hitters in her career. Kaitlin had nearly 630 strikeouts and a perfect game. It’s not only that, but all the other girls, they give me what they got, and I just appreciate what they do for me.”
For Mike Ross, he said he decided to hang it up due to simply not being able to do it anymore. The softball coach since 1999, Ross said he is not just going to disappear on the team.
“I started out wanting to coach baseball, but that opportunity never came about,” he said. “But when I got softball, I never looked back. I love coaching the girls. They work hard, and they leave it on the field.
“The girls give me a little boost of energy, and I would keep going if my body would let me.
“But the girls that I’m leaving behind, I’m not going to just walk away from them. I’m going to watch them and cheer them on. I mean, let’s face it, when my son died (last year), they were all there. They came for me, so I’m going to be there for them.”
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Fort Ann 6, Crown Point 0
FA;220;200;0;—;6;6;5
CP;000;000;0;—;0;2;3
Mitchell and Lashinsky. Ross and Hurlburt. WP- Mitchell. LP- Ross. 2B- Londrigan (FA), Hurlburt (CP). 3B- Lashinsky (FA).