Westview, Dresden strong-arm victories

Posted: Wednesday, April 17, 2013 12:00 pm

Pitching rules in softball just as it does on the baseball diamond.
Westview’s pitching ruled the day against Gibson County in a doubleheader sweep on Monday. The Lady Chargers won the first game 3-1 behind Meagan Prince’s 13 strikeouts, and then Becca Ussery handcuffed the Lady Pioneers in the nightcap with a two-hit, 10-0 shutout.
Westview is not the only team in the county with quality pitching.
Dresden showed what its pitchers can do in the circle against Fulton City in a Friday doubleheader.
Abigail Lockhart struck out nine batters in the Lions’ 11-2 win in the first game, and she picked up seven more in a shutout in the nightcap as the Lady Lions won 12-0.
Westview 3, GC 1
Prince set the tone for the day in the first inning by striking out the side in a 1-2-3 inning, and Kayla Guthrie got the offense going in the bottom half.
Guthrie laid down a perfect bunt for a single to lead off the bottom of the first, and Alex Hughey drove her home on a fielder’s choice to give the Lady Chargers a 1-0 lead.
Prince struck out the side in the top of the second, but not before GC scored a run on a throwing error.
Kendall Harrelson led off the bottom of the third and scored on Guthrie’s bunt single that caught the Lady Pioneers off guard. Guthrie came around and scored after the throw got away on Prince’s base hit to make it 3-1.
That was all Prince needed as she struck out five of the next six batters she faced for the win. Prince held GC to just two hits and one walk.
Guthrie went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two stolen bases and one RBI. Harrelson went 1-for-2 and scored once, while Hughey had one RBI and one stolen base.
Westview 10, GC 0
Ussery did not record the number of strikeouts in the nightcap that Prince got in the first game, but she was effective in the circle and the defense played well behind her.
Ussery kept GC off-balance with good movement on her pitches and kept the ball down that resulted in seven ground ball outs. She also recorded seven strikeouts and allowed only two hits.
The Westview hurler had a no-hitter going into the fourth inning when it was broken up on a base hit with two outs.
The Lady Chargers led 2-0 going into the top of the fifth on a run-scoring single by Hughey in the third. She came in to score on Harrelson’s RBI single.
Westview blew the game open with an eight-run fifth inning that started with a bunt single by Hailey Coleman. The Lady Chargers sent six batters to plate and scored four runs before the first out was recorded.
Guthrie had three RBIs in the inning on a pair of hits, while Hughey, Harrelson, Erin Bell, Coleman and Elizabeth Plunk each drove in a run.
Guthrie went 4-for-4 in game, while Hughey went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Coleman went 2-for-3 and Plunk also went 2-for-3 and scored once.
Dresden 11, FC 2
Lockhart was virtually untouchable until Fulton scored on a two-run triple in the top of the fourth in the first game of Friday’s twinbill.
Lockhart gave up the two runs on just two hits and one error, while the offense took advantage of three Fulton City errors and six walks. Dresden added six hits, three going for extra bases.
Kayla Hayes had a run-scoring double in the first and a two-run triple in the bottom of the third. Lockhart had a double in a six-run fourth inning.
Samantha Seat and Haley Hart each drove in a pair of runs, while Allie Randolph and Taylor McAlpin each had one RBI.
Hayes had three RBIs on a 2-for-2 performance, and Carrie Hatchel scored three runs on one hit and a pair of walks.
Dresden 12, FC 0
Lockhart was just as untouchable in the second game as she was in the first — this time pitching a two-hit shutout while striking out seven.
Randolph had the big game at the plate with a pair of home runs and four RBIs. She hit a solo shot over the leftfield fence in the first and a three-run shot over the centerfield fence in the top of third.
Hatchel drove in two runs in the top of the fourth with a double to leftfield. Seat also had two RBIs in the fourth on a single.
Hayes drove in one run, while Hart had one RBI on one base hit. KJ Smith drove in one run on two hits, and Carly Greer had a run-scoring single for the Lady Lions.

Published in The WCP 4.16.13

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