Lady Eagles lose extra-inning game
PHEBA – A 5-2 deficit was not something the Hebron Christian Lady Eagles wanted to see in their season opening softball game at home Monday night.
The Lady Eagles showed character and rallied to tie the game at 5-5 to get extra innings.
Visiting Calhoun Academy scored the one run in the eighth which was the difference and left Clay County with a 6-5 victory.
Despite the tough loss, Hebron softball coach Rease Gairham was proud of the fight out of his team.
“It’s our first game and it was about all I could ask for them not to give up,” Gairham
said.
After Calhoun Academy scored its run to get the lead in the eighth, the Lady Eagles started their half of the frame with a runner at second base under the international tiebreaker rules used in extra innings. Sara Kentrell had an infield single and Sydney Benson was hit by a pitch around the head area that caused her to leave the game to load the bases, but Hebron came up short in getting one run to tie or two runs for the win.
“We got about as close as we could with bases loaded (in the eighth inning) with one out trying to get the runner in and did what we were supposed to do,” Gairham said. “There were a couple of mistakes that if they don’t happen, we may not even go into extra innings. A couple of plays could have easily changed the game for us or even them.”
It was a good start for the Lady Eagles as senior Paityn Fulgham had an infield single and scored on a wild pitch in the first inning.
After the Lady Cougars gained a 2-1 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third, Hebron answered with a run in the bottom half when Katelyn Hill was hit by a pitch and scored on an RBI hit by a pitch to Abby Staten.
Calhoun Academy built its 5-2 advantage with one run in the fourth and two more in the fifth, but the Lady Eagles scratched their way back to tie the outing with single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh.
Fulgham singled and scored again in the fifth on a wild pitch, while Logan Williams walked and scored in the sixth on an RBI single by Benson, then Julie Moore was hit by a pitch in the seventh and came home on a ground out by Staten.
The senior Fulgham had a pair of hits to lead Hebron offensive effort.
Gairham liked the effort he received from starting pitcher Aubrey Eaton and the defense behind her.
“The pitcher came out ready to go right away,” Gairham said. “She was on and the defense played behind her and each other.”
The Lady Eagles will try to bounce back with a road trip today to Carroll Academy.