In what was another great game in the recent tradition of close one-run games between the Halifax County High School and Franklin County High School softball teams, the Comets pounded on the door of opportunity but couldn't get the door ajar.

The Comets got a pair of runners on the sacks in the sixth inning, and got a runner on base in four other innings, but couldn't come up with the hit needed to punch a run across the plate in a 1-0 loss to the Eagles Thursday night at Halifax County High School.

It was the third straight game between the two teams that was decided by one run.

"The situation came up where we couldn't scratch up a hit when we needed to," said Comets Head Coach Woody Bane, "but my girls played their hearts out. We played good defense. Lauryn Chappell pitched well. We're headed in the right direction. We've got to scratch for that hit when we need to."

The Comets, 4-4 on the season, had six hits in the game, with Megan Watts leading the team with a 3-3 effort at the plate that included a double. Jeri Lynn Tyler, Mackenzie Lawter and Anna Clowdis each had one hit.

Halifax County High School played solid defense throughout the game, holding the Eagles scoreless when they had two runners on base in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. The Comets had one double play in the game, that coming in the top of the fourth inning when Watts snared a line drive and fired the ball to Karina Velazquez at second base to pick off an Eagles runner.

Chappell threw a good all-around game from the mound, striking out two batters while scattering six hits and two walks.

Trailing 1-0, the Comets produced their best scoring opportunity in the bottom of the sixth inning. Tyler, the leadoff batter, opened with a base hit. Chappell hit a hard line drive shot to leftfieldthat was caught for the first out of the inning. Lawter hit a screaming line drive right at the Franklin County High School second baseman that was caught for the second out. Clowdis reached base with a hit that sent Tyler to second base. A wild pitch allowed the two runners to move to second base and third base. The inning ended when Katie Cole went down on strikes.

Earlier, the Comets got Watts, their leadoff batter in the third inning, on base with a hit. That threat went by the board when Watts was erased on a double play that started with Kaitlyn Richardson popping up a bunt to the Eagles' third baseman.

Chappell led off the fourth inning for the Comets by getting on base with a walk. A sacrifice bunt by Lawter moved Chappell to second base, but that was as far as Chappell would get.

Franklin County High School was able to take advantage of an opportunity in the top of the second inning to produce what would become the game-winning run. With one out, the Eagles' Karle Cundiff got on base with a hit. A sacrifice bunt from Kelsey Pendleton moved Cundiff to second base. Caroline McConnell followed with a base hit, with Cundiff sliding across the plate, missing the attempted tag by Lawter, the Comets' catcher, by inches to score the run.

"You couldn't have asked for a better high school setting, high school game," said Franklin County High School Head Coach Bryan Forbes after the win that improved his team's record to 6-0 on the season.

"For a high school game, it was a great competition. Our girls battled and they (Halifax County High School) battled. The run we scored probably shouldn't have scored. I didn't give the bunt (signal to Pendleton) but the young lady put it down anyway."

Forbes said this was the first game this season that his team had been held to less than six or seven runs in a game.

"This showed me that we can play with anybody on a given day even if our bats are not as hot as they have been lately," he remarked.

While the Comets came up shy on the scoreboard against the Eagles, the good play on the part of the Comets in this game and in the team's wins in its three previous games has Bane feeling good about the direction the team is heading.

"I'm really happy with my team," Bane pointed out.

"We're really going down the right road right now. We're getting healthy. We're going to be alright."

Prior to the game, Franklin County High School made a donation to the Olivia Noblin Scholarship Fund, and the Eagles softball team gave Stanley Noblin, father of late Comets second baseman Olivia Noblin who lost her life in a highway traffic crash in late December, an Eagles team shirt with his daughter's No. 9 on it in honor of the late Comets second baseman.

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Comets knock on door of opportunity, but fall to Franklin County HS 1-0 - YourGV.com