Shelby triumphs over Norwalk in softball season opener
Shelby girls softball started the season off on a winning note, beating Norwalk on Monday evening.
The visiting Lady Whippets cruised to an 8-1 victory behind a complete game from Lexi Booker and a solid night at the plate and an errorless defensive performance.
Booker pitched strong seven innings, striking out eleven and limiting the Truckers to four hits and one earned run. The Lady Whippet defense backed up Booker’s pitching, playing errorless ball for the game.
The Lady Whippets totaled 10 hits, highlighted by a Braylee Sturts’ home run and two hits apiece from Maggie Bogner, Natalie Kennard
and Mallary Gundrum.
Norwalk jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after scoring on a hit, stolen base and RBI groundout.
Shelby took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third. Bogner walked, Kennard stroked a base hit, Bogner scored on a passed ball and then Gundrum smacked a double to center field to score Kennard.
Shelby then blew things open in the fourth inning. After Adey Cornette hit a single, freshmen, Sturts cracked a home run over the centerfield fence to make the score 4-1.
After a couple of outs, Bogner smashed a double, advanced to third on a Kennard single then both runners scored on an error to make the score 6-1.
The Lady Whippets added two more runs in the sixth.
Alyssa Booker reached on an error, Bogner singled then Booker scored on a passed ball and Bogner moved to third. Kennard then knocked in Bogner with a groundout to wrap up the scoring.
Shelby coach Sami Martin spoke about her team’s performance.
“I told the girls at the start of the game that if we focus on making all the routine plays and communicating about what we see from the pitcher at that plate – that those would be the keys to winning the game and the girls did just that,” Martin said.
“They played an errorless game and made adjustments at the plate after the first time through seeing a really nice pitcher,” Martin said. “Lexi pitched a heck of a game doing all we could ask, which is just not giving the other team free bases. The 11 strikeouts were a bonus. It was nice to see the girls hit with power and be aggressive on the base paths.”
Bogner, Gundrum and Kendal Parsons each had a double, Katie Taylor added a base hit.
The Lady Whippets were set to open MOAC play with a road trip to Harding on Tuesday evening.
The JV Lady Whippets were also victorious, walloping Mohawk 17-0.