A fast start for the Allen County-Scottsville
Lady Patriot softball team turned into a long and disappointing night Monday.
South Warren rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat the Lady Patriots 10-3
in the AC-S season-opener.
For senior Kalee Skaggs, the start could not have been better. On the sixth pitch she saw on the season, Skaggs turned on a fastball from Lady Spartan pitcher Karson Williams and powered it over the left field wall for a home run and a 1-0 lead for AC-S.
Skaggs’ homer would be followed by singles off the bat of Taylor Stamps and Ryley Whitney. After Maddie Gregory and Alex Coleman grounded into fielder’s choice situations, junior pitcher Kris-Anne Pardue grounded out to second---a play that allowed Stamps to score the second run of the game.
A RBI single by South Warren’s Kaitlyn Conley scored the Lady Spartans first run of the game in the top of the second. South added a second run on a two-out RBI single by Bailee Collins to tie the game at two after three innings. The Lady Spartans then plated three runs on two walks, three singles, and a sacrifice fly to take a 5-2 lead.
With the exception of a triple by Whitney in the bottom of the fifth, the Lady Patriots would go in order in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. Patriot pitcher Allie Byrn relieved Pardue in the fourth and held South Warren scoreless until the seventh. The Lady Spartans added five runs on three singles, a walk, an error, and a hit batter to open a 10-2 lead. Skaggs scored AC-S final run in the seventh, scoring on a double by Whitney.
AC-S finished the night with six hits---Skaggs’ homer, three hits by Whitney (who finished needed a homer to hit for the cycle), and singles by Stamps and Coleman. Skaggs and Pardue reached on errors. AC-S left seven runners on base and finished the game six of 31 at the plate.
South Warren (2-0) ripped 14 hits in the game off the pitching tandem of Pardue and Byrn. Pardue gave up five runs on eight hits. Byrn surrounded five runs and six hits. Pardue had three strikeouts and walked five. Byrn struck out one and walked one. AC-S’s defense also allowed three runners to reach base on errors.
The Lady Patriots (0-1) will see their first taste of tournament action this weekend. After hosting Franklin-Simpson (1-0) Thursday, the team will be in Murfreesboro Friday and Saturday to play in the Riverdale Tournament. Monday, the squad goes to Russellville (1-0) before hosting Glasgow (0-2) in a district game on Tuesday.