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Friday, April 14 – In the first county rivalry games of the season, the Parry McCluer High School baseball team earned a 6-5 comeback win over Rockbridge County, while the RC softball team defeated the Fighting Blues 13-8 in nine innings on Friday evening at PM.
On the baseball field, the Wildcats (4-5) took a 3-0 lead in the top of the second, but the Blues (6-2) scored a run in the bottom of the second, and Jase Barger hit a three-run home run to left field to give PM a 4-3 lead. The Blues added two runs in the fifth to go up 6-3.
The Blues recorded eight hits, while the Wildcats had six. RC scored a run in the sixth and added another run in the seventh to cut PM’s lead to 6-5, but Aaron Pruett caught a fly ball in center field for the final out.
Peyton Ramsey led PM with three hits, while Braedyn Houck added two hits. Tucker Hopkins paced RC with two hits and an RBI, and Nolan Stines had an RBI.
Barger pitched the first inning for the Blues, and Houck pitched the final six innings, striking out two and allowing six hits, no walks and two earned runs. Cohen Paxton pitched the first 4.1 innings for RC, striking out six and surrendering six hits, two walks and six runs (five earned). Tucker Entsminger pitched the final 1.2 innings for the Wildcats.
RC committed two errors, while PM had one.
The Blues swept the season series with the Wildcats last year, winning 2-1 both times.
In a back-and-forth battle on the softball field, the Wildcats (4-5) broke away from a 7-7 tie by racking up six runs in the ninth inning while holding the Blues (3-3) to one run. It was the third consecutive win for the Wildcats.
PM took a 1-0 lead in the first when Payton Emore scored on a grounder by Autumn Mundy.
The Wildcats answered back with three runs in the fourth, two on a fly ball to center field by Chasity Southers and one on a line drive to left field by Bella Dorey.
PM cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth when Olivia Julian hit a solo home run to left field, but RC went up 4-2 when Lilly Purcell hit a fly ball to left field to bring home Page Wright.
The Blues scored two runs in the sixth to tie the game 4-4, with Logan Vest stealing home and Julian hitting a line drive to center field to drive in Mundy. Gracey Shafer then hit a grounder to drive in Julian, giving PM a 5-4 lead.
The Wildcats answered with two runs in the seventh on a fly ball to left field by Purcell, and Marla Zollman hit a grounder to drive in Purcell, giving RC a 7-5 lead.
PM scored two runs on grounders to tie the game 7-7.
In the ninth, after the stadium lights were turned on, the Wildcats went on a hitting surge and scored on two errors to pull away. Emore scored PM’s final run on an error in the bottom of the ninth, but the Wildcats ended the game with a groundout at first.
The Wildcats racked up 17 hits, while PM had six. Purcell led the way with four hits and had two RBIs, Purcell had three hits and three RBIs, and five Wildcats recorded two hits each.
Emore paced PM with two hits, while Julian had one hit and three RBIs.
Zollman pitched the first five innings for RC, striking out 11 and allowing four hits, one walk and three runs (one earned). In the final four innings of her first game back from an ankle injury suffered in late March, Sadie Moore struck out six and surrendered two hits, one walk and three runs (two earned).
For PM, Claudia Coleman pitched the first six innings, allowing 10 hits, one walk and seven runs (six earned). Julian came to the mound for the final three innings, striking out two and permitting five hits, two walks and five runs (two earned).
RC committed four errors, while PM had three.
The Wildcats and Blues will meet again at RC, with the baseball teams facing off on Thursday, April 27, and the softball teams, meeting on Monday, May 1.
RC and PM will return to district action on Tuesday, with both RC teams playing host to Spotswood and both PM teams playing at Craig County. All games are scheduled for 5 p.m.
For the full stories and photos from this week’s action, please see our April 19 newspaper.
