Lady 'Cats total 28 runs in season opening win against Fayetteville
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
MOWRYSTOWN – Before the game, Whiteoak head coach Brett Malone had concerns about starting the season with a league opponent.
The concerns went away fast once the Whiteoak Lady 'Cats flexed their muscle and added run after run after run in their season opener against the Fayetteville Lady Rockets. With 28 total runs scored by Whiteoak, the Lady 'Cats surged to a 28-3 victory Tuesday at Whiteoak High School.
The Southern Hills League contest was originally scheduled to be played in Fayetteville, but due to field conditions, the game location was changed to WHS, where the Lady Rockets were the home team.
The most memorable moment during the five-inning affair came in the fourth inning as Haley Bingamon hit an inside-the-park grand slam, with her swing rocketing the ball near the right-center field fence, scoring not only herself but three teammates.
Bingamon wasn't finished at the plate because in the fifth inning she gained a triple. In her first four trips to the plate, Bingamon drew four walks.
"It was good to see that our girls were focused at the plate and took their time to get the pitches they wanted," Malone said.
The Lady 'Cats (1-0) scored one run in the first inning when Ashley Nichols stepped on home plate. In the second inning, Juanita Nichols (twice), Sarah Smith (twice), Taryn Christy, Ashley Nichols, Bingamon, Ashley Frazer and Monica Palmer all scored runs to give WHS a commanding 10-run lead.
WHS added more runs in the third with Bingamon, Palmer, Juanita Nichols, Smith, Ashleigh Blair, Brittany Tolliver and Christy all touching home plate in the inning to put the Lady 'Cats ahead 17-0.
The pedal was pushed as far as it would go when Whiteoak added seven runs in the fourth inning to their already double-digit advantage. New to the scoring for WHS were Blair Maynard and Stephanie Creamer. Also scoring runs in the fourth were Ashley Nichols, Bingamon, Juanita Nichols, Smith and Blair.
Five runs were scored by WHS in the fifth and final inning. Scoring were Ashley Nichols, Bingamon, Juanita Nichols, Smith and Creamer.
Fayetteville scored their runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
Juanita Nichols earned the win for WHS. She finished with eight strikeouts, along with three runs (none earned), on two hits in five innings.
"Our pitching from Juanita was great," Malone said. "It was good to she was hitting her spots and she worked hard in the preseason. She is not only mentally tough, but physically tough. When she is on the mound, it is all business."
Juanita Nichols scored five runs, followed by Smith, Ashley Nichols and Bingamon crossing home plate four times.
"With all the different pitchers Fayetteville threw at us, I was glad to see we swung at strikes, because each pitcher had different deliveries and locations," Malone said.
WHS will take the field again Wednesday as they play in a make-up game at Paint Valley High School against the Lady Bearcats at 5 p.m.
BOX SCORE
SCORE BY INNINGS
WHS - 197 65x x - 28
FHS - 000 21x x - 3[[In-content Ad]]
The concerns went away fast once the Whiteoak Lady 'Cats flexed their muscle and added run after run after run in their season opener against the Fayetteville Lady Rockets. With 28 total runs scored by Whiteoak, the Lady 'Cats surged to a 28-3 victory Tuesday at Whiteoak High School.
The Southern Hills League contest was originally scheduled to be played in Fayetteville, but due to field conditions, the game location was changed to WHS, where the Lady Rockets were the home team.
The most memorable moment during the five-inning affair came in the fourth inning as Haley Bingamon hit an inside-the-park grand slam, with her swing rocketing the ball near the right-center field fence, scoring not only herself but three teammates.
Bingamon wasn't finished at the plate because in the fifth inning she gained a triple. In her first four trips to the plate, Bingamon drew four walks.
"It was good to see that our girls were focused at the plate and took their time to get the pitches they wanted," Malone said.
The Lady 'Cats (1-0) scored one run in the first inning when Ashley Nichols stepped on home plate. In the second inning, Juanita Nichols (twice), Sarah Smith (twice), Taryn Christy, Ashley Nichols, Bingamon, Ashley Frazer and Monica Palmer all scored runs to give WHS a commanding 10-run lead.
WHS added more runs in the third with Bingamon, Palmer, Juanita Nichols, Smith, Ashleigh Blair, Brittany Tolliver and Christy all touching home plate in the inning to put the Lady 'Cats ahead 17-0.
The pedal was pushed as far as it would go when Whiteoak added seven runs in the fourth inning to their already double-digit advantage. New to the scoring for WHS were Blair Maynard and Stephanie Creamer. Also scoring runs in the fourth were Ashley Nichols, Bingamon, Juanita Nichols, Smith and Blair.
Five runs were scored by WHS in the fifth and final inning. Scoring were Ashley Nichols, Bingamon, Juanita Nichols, Smith and Creamer.
Fayetteville scored their runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
Juanita Nichols earned the win for WHS. She finished with eight strikeouts, along with three runs (none earned), on two hits in five innings.
"Our pitching from Juanita was great," Malone said. "It was good to she was hitting her spots and she worked hard in the preseason. She is not only mentally tough, but physically tough. When she is on the mound, it is all business."
Juanita Nichols scored five runs, followed by Smith, Ashley Nichols and Bingamon crossing home plate four times.
"With all the different pitchers Fayetteville threw at us, I was glad to see we swung at strikes, because each pitcher had different deliveries and locations," Malone said.
WHS will take the field again Wednesday as they play in a make-up game at Paint Valley High School against the Lady Bearcats at 5 p.m.
BOX SCORE
SCORE BY INNINGS
WHS - 197 65x x - 28
FHS - 000 21x x - 3[[In-content Ad]]