The E-gals and the Lady Raiders used some strong offense to grab wins on Tuesday, while the Lady Aces comeback efforts fell short in an extra-innings loss to Fort Walton.
Apollo vs Bethlehem
Steady offense from a number of players led Apollo to its second straight win of the season, topping Bethlehem 14-7 on Tuesday.
The E-gals got on the board first with a one-out double from freshman Arianna Ramirez, followed up by a run on a fielder’s choice the following at-bat and later again on a wild pitch to make it a 3-0 game heading into the second. Apollo got going again in the bottom of the third, as a pair of one-out walks led to an RBI single for eighth grader Lily Logsdon and a two-RBI single from senior Morgan Julian to take a 6-0 lead.
Bethlehem then went on to score seven runs over the course of the remainder of the game, but the E-gals knocked in eight of their own en route to the 14-7 win. Freshman Taylor Clark led the way with three RBIs on the day, while Julian and Ramirez both had a pair and Logsdon, senior Emmie Bullington, senior Morgan Frizzell, junior Mallory Velotta and sophomore Macy Calhoun all had one each.
Julian tossed the first four innings in her start, allowing two earned runs on three hits, while walking one and striking out two. Bullington handled business the rest of the way, allowing five runs—two earned—on five hits and a walk.
Apollo improves to 2-5 overall with the win, as they now have a day break before they take on Bath County at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
Trinity vs Friendship
The Lady Raiders caught fire at the plate late on Tuesday, as some added insurance runs in the sixth and a strong pitching performance from seventh grader Sophie Hatfield led to a whopping 12-1 win over Friendship.
Trinity (Whitesville) got on the board first in the contest, as Hatfield delivered an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead following a one-out double and walk. An error in the bottom of the first cost the Lady Raiders a run and evened things up, but they bounced right back offensively in the fifth.
It was Hatfield who delivered again to get things going, getting an RBI double before a pair of two-out singles from seventh grader Ella Morris and senior Allie Graham to take a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth. The following inning Friendship’s struggles were magnified, as an array of errors paired with a barrage of singles for Trinity led to an eight-run top of the sixth and eventually the 12-1 win for the Lady Raiders.
Sophomore Madison McDaniel led the way at the plate with three RBIs, while Hatfield and Morris both had a pair each and Graham, sophomore Sarah Payne, senior Allie Barnett and eighth grader Emma Whitehouse all had one each. Barnett pitched one third of an inning and surrendered three walks in her start, while Hatfield came in for the last 5 ⅔ innings and gave up one unearned run on two walks and a hit while striking out 13.
Trinity improves to 6-6 overall with its second straight win, as they will look to keep things rolling against Penfield at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
Owensboro Catholic vs Fort Walton
The Lady Aces got off to a slow start on Tuesday and it came back to bite them, as their late comeback effort was snuffed out and led to a 4-3 extra innings loss against Fort Walton.
Fort Walton had control of the game for the first four innings of play, getting a one-run double in the bottom of the second and a sacrifice fly and an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to take a 3-0 lead. Owensboro Catholic was able to bounce back though, scoring on an error in the top of the fifth and earning a walk and a hit by pitch to get a two-run double from senior Abbie Dukate to knot things up at 3-3 in the top of the sixth.
The Lady Aces nearly struck again in the top of the seventh after loading the bases with two outs, but a fly out by junior Ruth Jones ended the scoring threat. Fort Walton loaded the bases themselves with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but senior Brooke Hamilton got a big strikeout to send it to extra innings.
Owensboro Catholic could never get a spark going again on offense though, as Fort Walton got a sac fly in the bottom of the eighth in order to grab the 4-3 win.
Brooke Hamilton pitched the entire game for the Lady Aces on Tuesday, allowing three earned runs on six hits and six walks while striking out six. Dukate led the way at the plate, serving as the only player to have an RBI with a pair.
The Lady Aces fall to 5-3 overall with the loss, as they look to snap their three-game losing streak against Springboro and Woodford County at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
