It wasn’t the start the Newburgh Free Academy Goldbacks were looking for.
Newburgh’s Alina Ferguson was touched up for seven runs in four innings in the Goldbacks’ season-opening 7-2 loss to the Valley Central Vikings on March 26 at Valley Central High School in Montgomery.

“I think it’s a learning experience today,” said Newburgh coach Edwin Quezada, who coached his first game. “Obviously, we’ve got some things we’ve got to clean up and we’ve got to work on. But we’ll be ready to go come next week for Goshen.”

Ferguson kept the Vikings scoreless for the first two innings, despite working around base runners in both, but the runners started coming around in the third.

Mackenzie Hinspeter and Adrianna Ferraro led off the inning with singles, and then with runners on second and third base, Eleanor O’NeilL laid down a bunt in front of home plate. Hinspeter raced home and slid in to score the game’s first run under the tag of Newburgh catcher Melissa Schulze.

Emma Moore singled home a run and then Kayla Fenner drove in another with a sacrifice fly before Audrey Conklin stepped to the plate.

Conklin capped off the inning when she drilled a pitch from Alina Ferguson into the right-center field gap, splitting Newburgh center fielder Parker Mullarkey and right fielder Morgan White. With no fence enclosing the Valley Central High School field, Conklin was able to keep running, giving the Vikings a 5-0 lead after three innings.

They tacked on two more runs in the fourth inning as O’NeilL singled home a run and Amelia Brundage scored when Moore was hit by a pitch, giving the Vikings a 7-0 lead.

“Those were tough innings,” Quezada said.

White struck out four batters in her four innings. Samantha Williams finished the game with two shutout innings, allowing two hits.

“I think our girls are prepared each and every single practice, and I think, like I said, we’ve just got some things we’ve got to clean up going into the season.”

The Goldbacks had their best offensive inning with two outs in the fifth inning. With the Vikings already leading by seven, the Goldbacks got to Emily Sharpe in her first inning.

Parker Mullarkey singled, and Madison Gravel and Taryn Judson walked to load the bases. Then Sharpe threw two straight wild pitches, scoring Mullarkey and Gravel.

The Goldbacks put two runners on in the sixth, but Sharpe struck out White to end the inning.

“I think the great thing about this team is how close-knit they are,” Quezada said. “they’re not really worried about taking this loss. Obviously, the expectation is to win, but we’ll clean those things up and be ready for next week.”