The frigidly cold Friday evening temperatures may have kept the Patrick Henry bats in check early but could not cool them down all game as the No. 3 ranked Patriots rumbled past No. 7 Atlee 16-2.

  Despite the potency of the Patriot offense, Atlee admittedly did their own part to contribute to the final outcome. Though the official stat line only showed one error, the Raiders repeatedly misjudged catches and bobbled away throws that they would normally pull off without thought.

  “Oh my gosh,” Atlee head coach John Early added emphasis to the miscues. “We’ll go a couple of games and just play great defense. Then we’ll go a game and just fall apart. It’s been that progression where we’ve played two good games then played a bad game and lose because of errors.”

  Because the Raiders are so young, each mistake compounded the pressure. “I think when someone makes an error the next person gets a little more tight,” Early said. “They don’t want to be the next one to make an error and they’re in that situation where they have to be perfect and you can’t be perfect. You have to stay loose and play your game. It fed and it just kept building and building. Patrick Henry’s a good team but we really made them look real good.”

  Though Early felt the frigid temperatures played no role in the game, Patriots’ coach Matt Crowder felt otherwise when it came to his team, especially on defense.

  “We’re not a cold weather team and it made me nervous today because it’s cold today,” Crowder said. “It’s hard to stay loose when you’re standing on the field and cold wind’s blowing down on you…Your hands get cold and you can’t quite get a grip on the ball.”

  Patrick Henry had to overcome more obstacles than the weather by taking the field absent three starters. But Crowder reiterated the depth of talent on his squad and it showed as the game progressed.

  Early on it looked as if it was going to be a battle to the wire as Atlee found an answer for every Patriot score.

  With one out in the top of the first, the Patriot’s fill in second baseman Ellen Davidson reached and advanced to second on a bunt when the throw to first was wide. Next up Ashley Samuels sent a RBI single down the first base line to drive in Davidson for a 1-0 lead.

  Atlee’s Taylor Sutherland led things off in the bottom of the inning with a double down the left field line then tied the game 1-1 when Jessica Holte’s pop up to short left fell to the grass.

  PH regained the lead in the top of the third when Davidson once again reached on a bunt and advanced on a walk of Samuels. A groundout by Sam Moore moved Davidson to third and Katie Woody’s single to short brought her home.

  Once again Atlee found an answer in the bottom of the inning. Mackenzie Keyes led off with a single to left and reached third on a double by Holte. A walk of Delani Farrar then loaded the bags with no outs as PH pitcher Emma Mitchell struggled.

  Crowder admits his star sophomore has had a up and down early season.

  “I think Emma’s probably not where she wants to be,” Crowder said. “Emma’s a perfectionist and I know she’s struggling a little bit but she’s keeping us in the game. She’s not going to give up too many walks. She’s walked a few more people this year. I just think it’s, she hasn’t found her rhythm yet.”

  Atlee’s Lexi Cumbia’s singled to short center bringing Keyes home to tie the game and keep bases loaded with no outs. But the Raiders could not take advantage because when backed into a corner Mitchell showed her best stuff; striking out the next three Atlee batters to escape the inning.

  “When push comes to shove and she had to get the outs then she made the pitches she needed to make,” Early said.

  In the bottom of the fourth with one out, Atlee loaded the bases once again but could not take advantage, watching the next two batters fall to Mitchell Ks.

  “We had bases loaded in the third and the fourth, one time with one out, one time with no outs and we scored one run,” Early said. “We were sitting in the dugout saying, we’re letting them hang around. If you can’t score then they’re going to jump up and get you at some point in time and we didn’t do it.”

  Early’s prediction held true in the top of the fifth when Patrick Henry broke the game open.

  Davidson once again reached on a lead off bunt, Samuels singled to left and Moore was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Next up Woody drilled a shot up the middle plating the trio for a 5-2 PH lead.

  With one out, Kendalle Weaver singled to center and Woody scored. Next up, Anna Hogue singled to center but a good throw caught Weaver at the plate. Sammi Livingston joined Hogue on base after being walked and a single to short left by Allison Tingler brought both runners home. Next up, Davidson singled to right and an errant throw allowed Tingler to score for a 9-2 Patriot lead.

  Though Atlee pitcher Jessica Holte, playing her fourth game of the week, has been on target throughout the young season, Early pulled her in the top of the sixth simply to give her a break.

  “I don’t think we gave her a lot of support,” he said. “When they scored all those runs we had three or four errors. They maybe should have scored two runs and that’s frustrating on a pitcher. When it gets to the point where you think you have to make the perfect pitch and you start guiding the ball a little bit of you lose a little focus because you’re worried about your defense behind you.”

  Freshman pitcher Blair Jones came to the mound in relief and it appeared the pressure of the moment got to her. “She wants to get everything right and I think that was bothering her a little bit,” Early said. “She wasn’t able to stay loose.”

  To add to Jones’ problems, she came to the mound just as the PH offense caught fire. The Patriots loaded the bags with one out then scored three straight on a single and two walks. Then with two out and bases still loaded, Moore stepped to the plate and drilled a grand slam shot over the left field fence to produce the final score.

  After being upset in their opener against Maggie Walker, Patrick Henry appears to be getting back on the right track as they prepare to host Hanover this Friday. “It will be a good measuring stick for us to see how far we’ve progressed. Hopefully we’ll have all our players back then,” Crowder said.

  For Early, there was little to be positive about but he was glad his Raiders do not start district play until this week. “If you need to get embarrassed this is probably the time to do it,” he said.

Patrick Henry 16, Atlee 2
P. Henry…......... 101 068 — 16 15 2
Atlee…............... 101 000 —  2   7 1
Mitchell and Samuels; Holte, Perkins( 5), Holte(6) and Keyes. L — Holte.
Highlights: Ellen Davidson (PH) 3 for 4, 4 runs, 2 RBIs; Sam Moore (PH) 2 for 4, HR, 4 RBIs, 2 runs; Katie Woody (PH) 3 for 4, 2B, 4 RBIs, 2 runs; Mackenzie Keyes (A) 2 for 3, run; Jessica Holte (A) 2 for 3, 2B.
Records: Patrick Henry 3-1; Atlee 4-2