Middle School Softball: Gordon Lee outslugs LaFayette
LaFayette and Gordon Lee Middle Schools opened up the North Georgia Athletic Conference fastpitch softball season this past Tuesday by playing a game that looked like a throwback from the old slowpitch days.
In a game that featured several ties and lead changes throughout, the Lady Trojans pushed home four runs in the top of the ninth inning to finally put away the Lady Ramblers, 16-12, in LaFayette.
Gordon Lee led 5-1 after one inning, only to see LaFayette cut the lead down to 6-5 by the end of the second. The Lady Trojans pushed home a run in the third and added three in the fourth on a Paxton Grimes homer to go back in front, 10-5.
Back came LaFayette, who scored five in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game before taking their first lead of the game, 11-10, after a solo run in the fifth.
However, Gordon Lee would tie the game on a solo run of their own in the top of the sixth and game would eventually go to extras.
With the international tiebreaker in place, both teams scored in the eighth, but Gordon Lee would finally take the lead for good in the top of the ninth before shutting down the Lady Ramblers in the bottom of the inning.
Grimes went 4-for-5 and hit for the cycle in her season debut, while Maddie Clark, Kirbie Bradley and Laine Hicks delivered clutch hits in the win. Hicks turned in a great defensive play in the seventh, throwing home from her knees to gun down the potential winning run at the plate.
Ansleigh Gitgood and Emma Minghini split the pitching for Gordon Lee. Gitgood started and went 4 1/3 innings before Minghini went the rest of the way in relief.
Shyenne Youngblood had a double and a run-scoring single for LaFayette. Sydney Marshall had an RBI-single. Keelie Mauk layed down two sacrifice bunts and Shelby Adkins doubled.
Ashton Stalling took the loss in relief, throwing the final seven innings for LaFayette.
Gordon Lee 6, Saddle Ridge 4
The Lady Mustangs led the Lady Trojans, 4-3, going into the sixth inning on Thursday, looking to pull the upset. But the Navy-and-White pushed home a pair of runs in the top half of the inning and held on for the NGAC victory.
Regan Thompson went 3-for-4 for Gordon Lee (2-0, 2-0). Clark had two hits and Minghini came through with a key RBI-double.
Nicky Yancy pitched for Saddle Ridge and went 3-for-4 at the plate. Maddie Williams was 2-for-4 with a double, while Sierra Bowman also doubled. Gracie Burns was 2-for-4 and played solid defense at third base.
Results of Gordon Lee’s home game against Heritage on Friday were not available as of press time.
Trion 3, Saddle Ridge 1
The Lady Mustangs got a home run from Paytn Cripps last Tuesday night, but it was not enough as they dropped an NGAC road game at Trion.
Cripps finished 2-for3, while Bailey Coker added a double in the seventh inning for Saddle Ridge (0-2, 0-1).
Dalton 5, Saddle Ridge JV 3
The junior varsity Mustangs lost a tough decision to Dalton last Monday. Saddle Ridge led 3-2 in the sixth inning, but could not hold on to the lead.
Yancy pitched for Saddle Ridge, while Ashlyn Jenkins and Brooklyn Potts played solid defense despite the loss, according to Coach Carrie Scoggins.
LaFayette 10, Calhoun 9
Stalling slapped a walk-off, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the seventh inning to score Erin Hughes and lift LaFayette to a nonleague victory over the visiting Lady Jackets last Monday.
Stalling finished 3for-5 at the plate with a double and four RBIs. She also got the win in relief of starter Madison Pettigrew in the circle.
Hughes and Megan Wilson each went 3-for5 with Wilson driving in two runs as part of a seven-run fourth inning. Youngblood was 3-4 with one RBI, while Adkins went 4-for-5. Mauk was 2-for-4 and drove in a run, while Marquila Howell had a single that plated two runs in the big fourth inning.
LaFayette 9, Chattanooga Valley 6
The Lady Ramblers found themselves in another softball shootout on Thursday and the Or- ange-and-Black was able to rally from an early 5-1 deficit to claim a win and move to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in NGAC play.
Kierra Foster’s solo homer in the first inning staked the Lady Eagles to a 1-0 lead and they would add four more runs in the next two innings to build a cushion.
But LaFayette would answer and eventually take the lead for good, spurred by a two-run double by Stalling and a RBI-double by Adkins in the top of the fifth. Both players would finish the game with two hits, along with Hughes, Youngblood and Riley Smith. Mauk came through with three hits in four at-bats.
Pettigrew worked all seven innings in the
circle, finishing with 10 strikeouts and three walks. She helped herself at the plate with a hit and an RBI.
Foster went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, while Cierra Foster and Katie Davis were both 1-for-3 with one stolen base. Grayson James swiped a pair of bases, while Hailey Bryant went 1-for-3.
Rossville 5, Chattanooga Valley 4
It’s been a number of years since the Lady
Bulldogs could claim a middle school softball win over their neighbors, but that all changed last Tuesday afternoon as Danielle Cross’ two-run, bases-loaded double in the bottom of the seventh gave Rossville a dramatic victory.
“I thought our girls played really well together,” Rossville head coach Tammy Lambert said. “Even when we got down, we never gave up. They believed they could come back.”
Kierra Foster’s RBIhit in the top of the first gave the Lady Eagles Lady Eagles (1-2, 0-2) a 1-0 lead, but the Lady Bulldogs would score
three unanswered runs to take a 3-1 lead into the fifth inning.
But three disastrous errors would allow CVMS to score three times and they would take the 4-3 lead into the last of the seventh. However, the Lady Bulldogs would load the bases with two outs, setting up the heroics for Cross.
Jennifer Coates got the victory in the circle for Rossville, allowing just two hits and five walks with four strikeouts in seven innings pitched.
Makenzie Howard, Kelci Sparks and Vanessa Hart had two hits each in the win, while Rachel Crawford added a two-run single.
Ringgold 6, Rossville 3
The Lady Bulldogs managed 10 hits on Thursday, but also stranded 10 runners on base as their seasonopening three-game winning streak was snapped with a home loss to Ringgold.
Coates and Macey Gregg each went 2-for-4 for Rossville (3-1, 2-1) in the loss, while Cherokee Revis was 1-for-1 with an RBI.
Coates suffered the loss in the circle, allowing eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts in seven innings.