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The Rockbridge County High School softball team split a pair of nondistrict games in its opening week, suffering a 10-2 road loss to Fort Defiance on Thursday before cruising to a 19-0 home win over Staunton in five innings on Friday.
In their home opener against Staunton (1-1), the Wildcats (1-1) got a stellar performance from pitcher Sadie Moore. The freshman pitched all five innings, striking out nine and allowing just one hit and no walks.
“She’s gonna be our main pitcher this year,” said fourth-year head coach Keston Pelter of Moore. “She’s young, but she’s a force to be reckoned with, so she’s very calm and composed on the mound. She doesn’t let anything rattle her. She can only go up from there.”
The Wildcats didn’t let the periodic rain rattle them either.
After struggling to get their offense going against Fort, the Wildcat bats came alive early against Staunton. Following the Storm’s lone hit, a single on a grounder by Hayley Brust in the top of the second, RC scored four runs in the bottom of the second.
RC’s Lilly Purcell doubled on a fly to left field, and Moore brought her home with a double on a fly ball to right field. Moore then scored on an error to extend the Wildcats’ lead to 2-0, and the Wildcats added two more runs when Parker Dameron and Page Wright scored on another error.
The Wildcats carried the momentum into the third inning, racking up eight runs. Purcell scored on a double to right field by Dameron, and Kaydence Wilson scored on a grounder by Wright. Dameron then ran home on a wild pitch, and Chasity Southers hit a fly ball to center field to bring home Wright.
Marla Zollman’s grounder drove in Southers and Kelsie Caldwell for two more runs, and Purcell doubled on a fly ball to center field to bring home Zollman and Isabella Dorey, making it 12-0.
For the game, the Wildcats racked up 12 hits.
Praising her players for their strong hitting, Pelter said, “We told the girls yesterday that they’ve got to be aggressive at the plate from the first inning. They can’t wait a couple of innings. They’ve got to get on it from the beginning.”
The Wildcats finished the game strong, scoring seven runs in the fourth inning and ending the game early due to the 10-run mercy rule. After loading the bases, Dorey walked to drive in a run, Zollman and Purcell each grounded in a run. Wilson hit a fly ball past the Staunton shortstop to bring in another run, Moore drove in two runs with a line drive to right field, and Dameron brought home the final run with a grounder to left field.
Purcel l and Caldwell led RC with three hits each, with Purcell bringing in three runs. Moore had two hits and three RBIs, Dameron added two hits and two RBIs, and Zollman had three RBIs.
The Wildcats committed no errors while capitalizing on seven Staunton errors.
Hindered by an injury and seven errors, the Wildcats suffered a 7-3 loss in their season opener on Thursday at Fort Defiance.
Wright, a freshman third baseman for RC, was injured at the plate early in the game, so the Wildcats had to make adjustments.
Fort (2-0) scored the first run of the game in the second inning and racked up eight runs in the third. The Wildcats scored a run in the fifth to cut the lead to 9-1, but Fort added a run in the sixth before RC scored the game’s final run in the seventh.
Aiden Murphy and Riley Davis led the Indians with two hits each, while Emma Hall paced RC with two hits and two RBIs.
On the mound for Fort, Abigail Campbell pitched a complete game, striking out five and allowing six hits, no walks and two runs (one earned). Pitching a complete game in her debut for RC was Moore, striking out six and permitting 10 hits, no walks and 10 runs (two earned).
RC was scheduled to have a rematch at home against Fort yesterday and will play host to Alleghany today, Wednesday, before continuing their homestand against James River on Friday and FD 10, RC 2
against Stuarts Draft on Monday. All games are scheduled for 5 p.m.
The Wildcats hope to improve on last year’s season, when they went 7-13 overall and 2-6 in the Valley District.
From that team, the Wildcats graduated five seniors: starting pitcher Margaret Dudley, an all-district second team selection, along with Maddy Falls, Sage Marcum and Haley McDaniel.
This year, the Wildcats have five returning players, led by four seniors: Caldwell, Southers, Wilson and Purcell. Caldwell, a center fielder, was an all-district second team selection last year. RC also returns Zollman, a second baseman who is a powerful hitter. New to the varsity level are sophomores Dameron, Hall and Cameron Terry and freshman Dorey, Moore and Wright.
Joining the coaching staff is Pelter’s father, Wayne Beverley, who joins the Wildcats after serving as a longtime assistant coach for Parry McCluer. The Wildcats look forward to two showdowns with the Blues: at PM on Friday, April 14 and at RC on Monday, May 1.
The Wildcats will play nondistrict games before beginning Valley District action at Harrisonburg on Tuesday, April 11, at 5:30 p.m.
