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Tuesday, April 11 – With strong hitting, fielding and pitching, the Parry McCluer High School softball team earned a 12-8 home win over previously undefeated Temple Christian on Tuesday evening in Buena Vista.
With the victory, the Fighting Blues (3-2) avenged their 11-5 road loss to Temple Christian on April 3.
In the rematch, the Crusaders (6-1), who won the Virginia Association of Christian Athletics state championship last year, jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, scoring two runs on a double by Madison Cofer and adding another run on a bunt by Reagan Hensley.
PM responded by scoring four runs in the second to take a 4-3 lead. The Blues’ first two runs came on a grounder by Gracey Shafer that brought home Olivia Julian and Claudia Coleman. Later in the inning, Payton Emore then doubled on a fly ball to center field that drove in Julian and Natalie Mohler.
The Blues added three more runs in the fourth. Logan Vest hit a grounder to bring home Emore, Vest scored on a groundout by Julian. Coleman then hit a grounder to left field to drive in Autumn Mundy, extending PM’s lead to 7-3.
The Crusaders came storming back in the top of the fifth. Cofer hit a fly ball to left field to bring home Zarihyah Harvey. Addy Camden then brought in two runs with a single to center field. After stealing second base and then third, Camden stole home to tie the game 7-7.
PM broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth when Emore singled on a grounder to left field to drive in Shafer, giving the Blues an 8-7 lead.
In the sixth, Julian singled on a grounder to bring home Mundy, and Victoria Hamilton hit a fly ball to center field to drive in Julian. Coleman then scored on a groundout by Shafer, and Alysa Wheeler doubled on a fly ball to center field to bring home Hamilton, extending PM’s lead to 12-7.
TC scored one more run in the top of the seventh when Kylie Ewers doubled on a fly ball to left field to drive in Gabbie Walton. The Crusaders got a single and a walk before Wheeler made a catch in left field to end the game.
Emore led the Blues with three hits, while Coleman, Hamilton and Julian added two hits each. Hensley paced the Crusaders with three hits, while Cofer, Camden, Harvey and Millie Cundiff added two hits each.
Coleman pitched the first 4.2 innings for PM, and Julian pitched the final 2.1 innings.
The Blues will return to action on Friday when they play host to county rival Rockbridge County at 7 p.m., following the 5 p.m. junior varsity game between the two schools.
For full coverage of this week’s action, please see our April 19 newspaper.
