The E-gals grabbed their first win of the season ina doubleheader split on Monday, while the Lady Raiders grabbed a clutch win and Owensboro and Owensboro Catholic fell short on their respective matchups.
Apollo vs Madison Central, Henry County
Apollo split its spring break doubleheader on Monday, falling to Madison Central 5-4 due to some late offense while defeating Henry County 11-5 in their second game.
Despite giving up a run to Madison Central in the top of the first, a pair of runs in the bottom of the first and third had the E-gals leading 4-1 going into the fourth. However, Madison Central got an RBI single and double to cut it to 4-3, before two more runs came in to score on a two-out single to leave Apollo trailing 5-4.
Junior Cassiday Gentry then closed out the rest of the way, wrapping up her complete-game performance and securing the 5-4 victory.
The E-gals fared much better on offense in their second game of the day, as a hot start propelled them to an 11-5 win over Henry County. That hot start came in the second, with Apollo taking advantage of a barrage of hits and a trio of Henry County errors to lead 4-0.
The E-gals didn’t take their foot off the gas either, grabbing five more in the top of the third to take a 9-0 lead. Apollo never looked back either, scoring two more runs while giving up five en route to the 11-5 win.
Senior Emmie Bullington had a strong start in the circle, allowing one run on one hit, and five walks while striking out six. Freshman Liza Paige led the way with a pair of RBIs on the day, while Bullington, freshman Arianna Ramirez, freshman Taylor Clark, eighth grader Lily Logsdon, senior Morgan Julian and sophomore Macy Calhoun all got one each.
Apollo improves to 1-5 with their first win of the season, as they look to make it two in a row when they take on Bethlehem at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
Owensboro vs Bethlehem
The Lady Devils had five errors and gave up six unearned runs Monday, as it led to a 12-8 loss to Bethlehem in their second straight loss to start the Florida Softball Beach Bash.
Owensboro was able to grab the first lead of the contest, as singles from junior Emmi Connor and junior Sophie Moorman led to a two-run double from senior K’Asia Palmer to give them a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Bethlehem was able to get two back in the bottom half of the inning though, as a pair of Lady Devils errors led to the runs.
Bethlehem scored three more runs over the next two innings, but Owensboro was able to match them over the top of the fourth and fifth to even things up at 5-5 heading into the bottom of the fifth. It was there that Bethlehem took over, as four straight singles and an RBI groundout led to four runs and a 9-5 lead after five.
They followed that up with three more runs in the bottom of the sixth, eventually nullifying the three-run top of the seventh for Owensboro in the 12-8 loss. Palmer handled the first 4 ⅓ innings in her start, allowing nine runs—six earned—on eight hits and a walk while earning one strikeout.
Sophomore Kirsten Tindle had the last 1 ⅔ innings in relief, giving up three unearned runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one. Palmer led the way at the plate with a pair of RBIs, while sophomore Hessi Johnson, sophomore Addison Hill and freshman Reese Boswell all chipped in one each.
The Lady Devils fall to 1-7 overall with their fifth straight loss, as they’ll look to reset with a day break before taking on Reavis at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
Owensboro Catholic vs Ballard
Ballard’s Brooke Gray tossed a gem on Monday, as the Lady Aces were limited to one hit in a 3-0 loss in their second game of the Florida Softball Beach Bash.
Owensboro Catholic was in a true pitcher’s duel on Monday, as neither team was able to score in the first four innings of play. Two-out hitting then proved to be crucial, as the Bruins got a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth and a two-out two-run double in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 3-0 game heading into the seventh.
It was there that Brooke Hamilton was able to give the Lady Aces their first hit of the game, but Gray grabbed her 14th strikeout in the ensuing at-bat to wrap up the 3-0 win. Hamilton had a solid day in the circle as well, giving up two earned runs on five hits and four walks, while striking out six in the loss.
Owensboro Catholic falls to 5-2 overall after back-to-back losses, as they hope to turn things around against Ft. Walton at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
Trinity (Whitesville) vs Randolph
Strong pitching and some late offense proved crucial for the Lady Raiders on Monday, as their late outburst at the plate helped them to a 5-3 win over Randolph to kick off the Grand Strand Softball Classic.
Both teams tried to take control of the game from the jump, grabbing two runs each in the top of the first to find themselves in a neck and neck game early. However, the Cardinals were able to get the lead back in the top of the third, getting a run on a two-out RBI single to make it a 3-2 game.
Junior Georgia Howard came up big in the bottom of the fourth for Trinity to even things right back up though, earning a walk and later scoring on a passed ball to make things 3-3 heading into the fifth. After a scoreless inning it was sophomore Madison McDaniel that gave the Lady Raiders the lead, getting a two-RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 5-3 game.
Seventh grader Sophie Hatfield then closed out the game, getting a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh to secure the 5-3 victory. Hatfield tossed the last three innings of relief, allowing no runs and no hits, while walking two and striking out seven.
Senior Allie Graham tossed the first four innings with the starting nod, giving up two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four. McDaniel led the way with a pair of RBIs on the day, while Hatfield and Howard had one each.
Trinity advances to 5-6 overall with the win, hoping to stay strong in their Tuesday afternoon game against Friendship, New York, at 2 p.m.
