Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Lady Wolves Swamp Green Forest 20-0
LINCOLN — Lincoln bashed Green Forest, 15-0 and 20-0, to sweep a double-header in 3A-1 Conference softball action on Monday, March 15.
In game one, Lincoln starter Alyssa Bryant threw a no-hitter shutout while striking out seven in four innings and yielding three walks. The Lady Tigers were a collective 0-for-14, leaving five runners on base, three of whom got aboard through walks.
Youngblood took the loss for Green Forest. She lasted 3.1 innings, allowing 15 runs on seven hits, walking five and recording two strikeouts. Lincoln was just 7-for23 at the plate but drove in 10 runs and took advantage of seven Green Forest errors.
Bryant helped her cause by going 2-for-3 with a double, scoring twice and driving in a pair of runs. Ryleigh Landrum tripled, drove in a run and scored three runs. Paisley Curtis had a double with two RBIs and scored a run.
Green Forest fared worse in game two. Lincoln starter Paige Umberson retired the Lady Tigers in order, then Lincoln unleashed an 11-run attack in the bottom of the first.
“Paige Umberson did good work in the second game,” said Lincoln coach Beau Collins. “She was really efficient. She faced only nine batters. It was probably her best performance of the year.”
Lincoln streaked around the bases, making Green Forest pay for every wild pitch, passed ball or defensive lapse, taking a 1- 0 lead without a hit. Ryleigh Landrum led off with a walk, stole two bases and scored on a passed ball. Saylor Stidham walked and moved up two bases on the passed ball that scored Landrun. Lily Riherd plated her with a triple that might have gone out of the ballpark except for the wind holding it up.
Riherd scored on the first pitch to Umberson, which got past the catcher, pushing Lincoln’s lead to 3-0. Umberson walked, as did Bryant. Curtis drove in both base runners with an infield single which Green Forest had trouble getting a handle on. Eventually Lincoln loaded the bases with freshman catcher Rhine up.
Kristen Rhine took a wild pitch and moved out of the way, allowing a run to score. She then banged out an RBI single into right center field, stretching Lincoln’s lead to 7- 0. Green Forest got the next two batters out with the catcher throwing to first in time for a tag after a dropped strike three, followed by a pop-up to second.
Riherd blasted an RBI single, which smartly turned into a double on the throw home. Umberson reached on an error, going all the way to second while the 10th Lincoln run crossed the plate. Bryant smashed a double into center field, plating the Lady Wolves’ 11th run that became a triple while Green Forest threw to the plate.
Collins said a concentrated effort on improving base-running during the offseason is paying dividends.
“We worked on base running throughout the summer, teaching them how to make decisions. They want that extra base,” Collins said.
The second inning featured more of the same. With Green Forest struggling to get an out and Lincoln leading 20-0, Collins finally resorted to telling a runner on third to leave early. It was a gracious gesture that helped the Lady Tigers finally get out of the inning.
Umberson struck out the side to finish the game.
Curtis had five RBIs on the day.