Lady Lions rally by Whiteoak in late innings
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
MOWRYSTOWN — The Fairfield Lady Lions didn't score until the sixth inning, but it is a good thing they play seven, because that's when they took control of their Southern Hills Athletic Conference game at Whiteoak to eventually win by a 5-1 score, Tuesday.
The win by the Lady Lions at WHS (3-4, 4-6) wasn't as easy as the score shows, with it being a scoreless game through four and a half innings, and it was the host Lady 'Cats who scored first in the bottom of the fifth as Mikayla Burns singled in Morgan Miller on a 1-2 count for a 1-0 lead by WHS.
That run woke up the Lady Lions (5-1, 8-5) as they scored five runs in the next two innings, including taking the lead in the top of the sixth.
Grace Larrick (2-for-4) began the inning bunting the first pitch down the third base line for an infield single. She moved to second and scored on an RBI single by Shelby Smithson, who was able to hit a low pitch to the outfield.
Heather Sanderson continued the inning with a one-out single, and Cynnamon Sova-Davy took first on a fielder's choice. The go-ahead and eventual game-winning run came with Smithson racing to home from third base following a sacrifice fly to left field by Justice Hattan.
"We talked about how they scored first, but we had to come back," FHS head coach Matthew Zimmerman said. "When you face a pitcher like Kiley Sosby, you have to get bunts down and draw walks … and that's what we did in the last two innings.
"We got frustrated at times, but we didn't let it carry over. We played a great game defensively."
In the seventh, Halie Chain (2-for-4) collected three RBIs on an inside-the-park home run, hitting the first pitch to the outfield. Also scoring on that round tripper were Larrick and Smithson. Larrick reached the bases on a two-out single, and Smithson walked.
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"The small details were big in this game," Zimmerman said. "Shelby had some good base running, but I want to stress that Kiley is a fantastic pitcher."
Before all the runs, the game was all pitching as Arica Melson of FHS and Whiteoak's Kiley Sosby dominated the pace of the game.
For Melson, the winning pitcher, she finished with 10 strikeouts in seven innings. The sophomore ace for the Lady Lions allowed one earned run on two hits and eight walks, as she moves to 8-2 on the season.
"Our game as a team is coming together, and Arica battled out of some tough innings," Zimmerman said. "Arica threw around 150 pitches, and again, she pitched a great game.
"Hats off to Whiteoak … they will surprise some people in the tournament."
Sosby (4-7) had another tough loss, as she also pitched seven innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk. The WHS sophomore ace struck out 16 of the 32 batters she faced.
Sosby had a no-hitter through 4.1 innings, striking out the side in the second and third innings on 18 pitches. Sosby also struck out three batters in the fifth, though the no-hitter was broken up by Sova-Davy with a one-out single.
FHS will play again on Wednesday as they restart their game at North Adams. The game is currently in the bottom of the sixth inning with a 0-0 score.
WHS will host North Adams on Thursday in their SHAC game.
The win by the Lady Lions at WHS (3-4, 4-6) wasn't as easy as the score shows, with it being a scoreless game through four and a half innings, and it was the host Lady 'Cats who scored first in the bottom of the fifth as Mikayla Burns singled in Morgan Miller on a 1-2 count for a 1-0 lead by WHS.
That run woke up the Lady Lions (5-1, 8-5) as they scored five runs in the next two innings, including taking the lead in the top of the sixth.
Grace Larrick (2-for-4) began the inning bunting the first pitch down the third base line for an infield single. She moved to second and scored on an RBI single by Shelby Smithson, who was able to hit a low pitch to the outfield.
Heather Sanderson continued the inning with a one-out single, and Cynnamon Sova-Davy took first on a fielder's choice. The go-ahead and eventual game-winning run came with Smithson racing to home from third base following a sacrifice fly to left field by Justice Hattan.
"We talked about how they scored first, but we had to come back," FHS head coach Matthew Zimmerman said. "When you face a pitcher like Kiley Sosby, you have to get bunts down and draw walks … and that's what we did in the last two innings.
"We got frustrated at times, but we didn't let it carry over. We played a great game defensively."
In the seventh, Halie Chain (2-for-4) collected three RBIs on an inside-the-park home run, hitting the first pitch to the outfield. Also scoring on that round tripper were Larrick and Smithson. Larrick reached the bases on a two-out single, and Smithson walked.
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"The small details were big in this game," Zimmerman said. "Shelby had some good base running, but I want to stress that Kiley is a fantastic pitcher."
Before all the runs, the game was all pitching as Arica Melson of FHS and Whiteoak's Kiley Sosby dominated the pace of the game.
For Melson, the winning pitcher, she finished with 10 strikeouts in seven innings. The sophomore ace for the Lady Lions allowed one earned run on two hits and eight walks, as she moves to 8-2 on the season.
"Our game as a team is coming together, and Arica battled out of some tough innings," Zimmerman said. "Arica threw around 150 pitches, and again, she pitched a great game.
"Hats off to Whiteoak … they will surprise some people in the tournament."
Sosby (4-7) had another tough loss, as she also pitched seven innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk. The WHS sophomore ace struck out 16 of the 32 batters she faced.
Sosby had a no-hitter through 4.1 innings, striking out the side in the second and third innings on 18 pitches. Sosby also struck out three batters in the fifth, though the no-hitter was broken up by Sova-Davy with a one-out single.
FHS will play again on Wednesday as they restart their game at North Adams. The game is currently in the bottom of the sixth inning with a 0-0 score.
WHS will host North Adams on Thursday in their SHAC game.