Keinsley coming around for Panthers

After a rough first inning that included a couple passed balls and an error on bunt coverage, host Corydon Central settled in and used South Central’s erratic play to come away with a 6-2 victory Monday afternoon in Corydon.
‘We are dealing with the lack of wanting to be a leader and very inconsistent play,’ said Corydon head coach Kim Briscoe. ‘Most runs we seem to give up this year have been unearned because of a lack of focus.’
The lack of focus was in the first inning.
After freshman pitcher Jenna Keinsley struck out Brittany Schoen, the junior reached first on a passed ball. Schoen moved to third on a stolen base, then Lady Rebel hitter Kayla Hurley turned a sacrifice bunt attempt into a run. Keinsley fielded the bunt but threw the ball into left field trying to cut down Schoen at third. Hurley advanced to third on the play and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
‘I don’t know how to coach that (focus) in a player,’ Briscoe said. ‘But if you want to be a player, that has to be within you.’
After the first inning blunders, Corydon settled in out in the field.
The same couldn’t be said for their counterparts.
South Central (1-8) committed eight errors, including four in Corydon’s five-run third inning. With two on, Shelby Short plated one with a single to center. Back-to-back sacrifice flies by Josey Kintner and Savanah Cesar plated two more, giving the Lady Panthers the lead at 3-2. Then three consecutive errors led to two more Corydon runs before Courtney Cato popped out to end the inning.
Keinsley has settled down in the circle for the Lady Panthers. She improved her record to 10-7 by compiling seven strikeouts. As the game went on, she got stronger, retiring the final 10 batters consecutively to end the game.
‘I did expect a lot of this talent,’ said Briscoe of her freshman pitcher. ‘She has pitched very mature at times and has been immature at times. We’re learning the zones and what pitches to throw where.’
Keinsley’s arsenal in the circle is full of variety. Briscoe said the right-hander can throw eight different pitches and is pretty consistent with three or four of them each time out. Being a freshman, the future looks bright for the Corydon Central program.
South Central hit the ball well early on against Keinsley, out-hitting the Lady Panthers 4-3 overall. Led by Candice Cartwright’s two hits, South Central put runners on in the second, third and fourth innings, but couldn’t push another run across.
‘Our offense hasn’t clicked yet, when it needs to click,’ Briscoe said.
In the circle, South Central senior Justine Huffman pitched well despite taking the loss, striking out four and not allowing a walk.
As for Corydon Central, Briscoe sees the talent on the field, and is looking for that game when her team jumps out to an early lead with aggressive confidence.
‘I know these kids have extreme potential, but I don’t know if they know it,’ Briscoe said. ‘Hopefully by the third week of May (sectionals), we’ll be doing what we are supposed to be doing.’
Upcoming games for Corydon Central include a trip to Salem on Thursday for a 4:30 p.m. game. They will also host a junior varsity tournament which starts at 10 a.m.
South Central will try to get on track as they return to the diamond on Thursday as well, hosting New Washington at 5 p.m. On Saturday, the Lady Rebels will travel to Paoli for a noon contest.