The Taylor Ducks varsity baseball team dropped its district opener, falling 14-3 to Lampasas on Tuesday, March 10.
Taylor struggled in multiple areas throughout the game, finishing with just four hits while committing six errors in the field. Lampasas took advantage of the miscues to build separation early and never looked back.
Sophomore utility player Tayden Talley got the start on the mound for the Ducks and took the loss. Talley pitched three innings, allowing five runs on three hits while striking out seven batters. Despite the strong strikeout total, control issues proved costly as he issued seven walks.
Lampasas broke through first in the top of the opening inning. After loading the bases, Talley hit a batter to force in a run and give the Badgers a 1-0 lead.
Taylor had a chance to respond in the bottom half of the inning. The Ducks loaded the bases with one out but were unable to capitalize as a strikeout followed by a flyout ended the threat.
Lampasas extended its lead in the second inning with four more runs. Two of the runs came across on basesloaded walks before another scored on a passed ball during a strikeout, pushing the advantage to 5-0.
The Ducks answered in the bottom of the third when Talley helped his own cause at the plate. The sophomore delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-1.
However, Lampasas quickly got the run back in the top of the fourth. A fly ball was misplayed in the outfield, allowing the batter to circle the bases and score, extending the lead to 6-1.
Taylor showed some life in the bottom of the fourth inning. With runners on base, Angel Rodriguez delivered a two-RBI single to bring the Ducks within three runs at 6-3.
That would be as close as Taylor would get.
Lampasas pulled away late, scoring eight unanswered runs over the final innings as a combination of defensive errors and walks continued to put runners on base and create scoring opportunities for the Badgers.
The loss continued a difficult stretch for the Ducks early in the season. Taylor has averaged just under 3.5 runs per game offensively while allowing double-digit runs in multiple contests.
With the loss, the Ducks fell to 2-11 overall and 0-1 in district play.
Taylor will look to bounce back as it finished the series against Lampasas on Friday before returning to action on March 24 with a road matchup against Jarrell scheduled for 7 p.m.
