Between last week’s earthquake and Monday’s eclipse, something “normal” needed to happen to balance out the universe — something people were used to seeing and experiencing.
A dominant Jasmine Kline performance may have been just the thing.
Kline struck out 16 Monday night as Francis Scott Key added another county win to its resume, defeating Century, 7-1.
Francis Scott Key moves to 6-1, 2-0 in Carroll County. Century drops to 3-2, 1-1.
While some of the junior’s performances through her time as an Eagle include frustrated offenses that can barley get off a foul tip, the sophomore had to pitch her way through some trouble in order to get the job done Monday.
After striking out the side in each of the first two innings, Kline found herself in a bit of a jam in the third as the first two batters reached base thanks to a walk and a Kate Murr single.
The sophomore didn’t flinch, instead striking out three straight batters to end the inning.
“You kind of gotta get down and gritty,” she said. “I have to trust myself and my teammates behind me.”
As the game wore on, Century batters were able to, at the very least, extend at-bats and make Kline work, adding an occasional hit here and there. But it was all to no avail as the Knights couldn’t push a run across until the final inning.
In times of trouble, Kline did a great job of not just composing and trusting herself, but her teammates as well.
“This was her best game by far this season,” FSK coach Stephen Turner said. “Yes, she was great on the mound, but she was much better at keeping her cool and with controlling her reactions when pitches and calls didn’t go her way.”
The Eagles bats also came to play Monday with 11 hits, a far cry from the seven they had in their last county game against Liberty. Turner was pleased at the progress of the bottom of his lineup, with freshman Maddie Rill leading the way, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
“I saw she was pitching me outside,” Rill said. “I just had to wait and take the ball where it needed to go.”
Along with Rill, Kendall Jackman also paced the Eagles with three hits of her own as the Eagles showcased the versatility of their lineup.
Now on a five-game winning streak, Turner knows with experienced, all-county players like Kline and Jackman leading talented newcomers like Rill, he has a well rounded team that is now even more of a threat as they vie for another county and regional championship.
“I thought we we showed what damage we can one through nine today,” he said. “We still got some things to work on, but we did a great job.”
Francis Scot Key — 103 110 0— 7 11 0
Century — 000 000 1 — 1 3 1
WP: Jasmine Kline (FSK) LP: Jordan Currie (C)
2B: Lilly Reiter (FSK); Abby Mastira (C)