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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

CHELSEA – Aiming to stay perfect in the month of April, the Chelsea Hornets brought their best offense to the field to defeat the Mortimer Jordan Blue Devils in a non-area contest.

Chelsea took down Mortimer Jordan 12-2 in six innings on Thursday, April 3, securing its third win of the month before heading back into area play.

From the first inning, this game seemed as if it would be a showcase on the scoreboard, as both teams got across the plate with ease. As this showdown progressed though, the narrative changed.

The Blue Devils took the plate to start the game and got runners on second and third following an error. A couple of batters later, with one out, Mortimer Jordan scored a run on a ground out, going up 1-0. A single on the next batter up scored the runner on third base, quickly putting the score at 2-0.

The Hornets did not let that lead last for long however, making themselves known early on. Katie Hopson led the frame off with a walk before Sydney Carroll reached with a single to put runners on the corners. Hopson then scored during Lorelei Beck’s at-bat, while Carroll tied it up when Beck laced a single into right field, making it a 2-2 game.

Following the tying sequence, Olivia Palfreeman walked before Lauren Hilyer reached on an error, allowing a third run to score. Following that, Palfreeman crossed the plate on a ground out by Emma Parmley, giving Chelsea a 4-2 lead heading towards the second.

The Hornets struck once again in the bottom of the third inning, already looking to put the nails in the coffin on this game. A walk from Carroll followed by back-to-back walks juiced the bases with no outs. This gave Hilyer a chance to drive in a run, and she did with a single to left field.

Soon after, Parmley hit a fly ball into left field that resulted in a double and two plated runs. Madeline Kelley then reached on an error, allowing the team’s eighth run to score before Allie Scott hit a two-RBI double to follow before Caroline Brown later reached on another error and drove in one more run. Suddenly, the game sat at 11-2 in favor of Chelsea.

The Blue Devils threatened with one out in the top of the sixth inning, loading the bases as a result of a single, error and a walk, but back-to-back outs put the danger to bed.

In the bottom half of the inning, Carroll led things off with a monumental triple into left field, and just two pitches later, Beck got a hold of a pitch and sent it into center field. The ball was caught deep enough that Carroll came in to cross the plate, winning the game for the Hornets 12-2 by run rule.

Not only did Beck record the game-winning contact, but she also got the win in the circle for Chelsea. The young sophomore pitched all six innings of action, giving up two runs on two hits while striking out six and walking four.

Carroll recorded three hits on the day, while Parmley put up three RBI, each cementing themselves on the stat sheet in their own separate ways.

With the win, the Hornets improve to 20-9-1 on the season and hold a three-game winning streak. They now head back to area play to face the Pelham Panthers for the second time this season after winning 14-5 in the first meeting on March 13. 

The second contest between the area foes will take place on Tuesday, April 8 at Chelsea High School, with first pitch set for 4:30 p.m.