Lady Tigers earn home shutout softball win over Lady Wildcats
Published 11:00 am Wednesday, March 20, 2024
- LEFT: Straughn’s Alcee Radford winds up to deliver a pitch to the plate. Radford threw four shutout innings and finished with eight strikeouts for the Lady Tigers. RIGHT: Florala’s Bella Bookout fields a groundball at shortstop. Bookout earned a walk in two trips to the plate for the Lady Wildcats. (PHOTOS BY ZACK MAIO)
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Straughn scored early and often for a 16-0 shutout win at home against county rival Florala in a varsity softball game on Monday, March 18.
The Lady Tigers pushed their record to 6-1 on the season, while the Lady Wildcats fell to 2-8 for the year.
Jailee Jones reached on a bunt single in the top of the first. Ella Caraway then walked to put runners at first and second with one out. After Caraway moved to second on a wild pitch, Alcee Radford battled back with two strikeouts and kept Florala off the board. Kyleigh Bennett started a two-out rally in the home half with a walk. Maddie Williamson doubled and set up a two-run single from McKenzie Castleberry. Payton Murray recorded a flyout as Straughn held a 2-0 lead at the end of one inning.
Julia Leonard took a leadoff free pass in the visiting second. Radford continued to bring the heat and struck out two more for another scoreless frame. Blakeley Smith and Sophie Pettus each reached in the bottom half and put runners at the corners. Allyx Williamson drove Smith and Pettus home with a one-out triple and extended the lead to 4-0. Logan Parrish followed with an RBI single and sent A. Williamson to the plate. After Bennett reached on a force, M. Williamson slashed an RBI triple. Castleberry capped the scoring in the second with an RBI single as M. Williamson scored for a 7-0 margin after two.
Murray started the top of the third with a single but was out at first. Caraway walked as Radford notched two more strikeouts. Smith reached on a bunt and made it all the way to third to start the home half. Pettus delivered an RBI double and then scored on an RBI triple by A. Williamson. Following an RBI double from Parrish, Bennett pushed the lead to 11-0 with an RBI single. M. Williamson cashed in Bennett with an RBI double, and Adelaide Dunn tripled home M. Williamson. Dunn then scored when Smith reached on an error. Isabella Brooks took over in the circle and ended the inning with a pop-up. That left the score 14-0.
Radford retired the Lady Wildcats in order in the top of the fourth. The Lady Tigers called the game early with two runs in the last of the inning. A. Williamson led off with a double, and Bennett hit a two-run walk-off homer two batters later for the final 16-0 tally.
Bennett and M. Williamson each went 3-for-3 with three RBIs. A. Williamson was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Pettus was also 3-for-4 with an RBI. Parrish and Smith rounded out the multi-hit effort for Straughn who racked up 20 hits. Radford earned the win with four shutout innings and allowed two hits on three walks and eight strikeouts.
Murray and Jones both finished 1-for-2 at the plate for Florala. Murray threw 2 1/3 innings as Brooks went 2/3 of an inning in relief.
Both teams are back in action for area matchups on Thursday, March 21. Florala heads to Houston County (0-7), while Straughn takes on Opp (12-1).