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Friday, April 21 – The Parry McCluer High School softball team concluded a busy week by earning a 12-6 home win over Roanoke Catholic on Friday evening in Buena Vista.
With their third consecutive victory, the Fighting Blues (6-4) swept the regular-season series with the Celtics (6-11). When the teams met on Wednesday in Roanoke, PM won 15-5. Friday’s game was PM’s fourth game in four days.
The Blues took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Logan Vest doubled to bring home Payton Emore, and Olivia Julian singled to drive in Vest.
PM added two more runs in the third, as Julian tripled on a fly ball to left field to bring home Autumn Mundy, and Julian ran home on a wild pitch.
The Celtics got their offense going in the top of the fifth. Harper Sawyer doubled on a fly ball to center field to bring home Kyra Leonard, and Amelia Hamrick hit a fly ball to center field to drive in Sawyer, cutting PM’s lead to 4-2.
PM answered back with an offensive surge in the bottom of the fifth, racking up seven runs to extend its lead to 11-2. Mundy scored on a fly ball to left field by Julian, and Victoria Hamilton doubled to center field to bring home Julian and Claudia Coleman. Emore then tripled on a fly ball to right field to drive in Hamilton and Gracey Shafer, and Julian hit a grounder to center field to bring in Coleman and Emore.
RC wasn’t done, scoring four runs in the sixth. Kyra Leonard brought in two runs with a fly ball to center field, and Sawyer drove her in. Alyssa Leonard then brought home Sawyer with a grounder to cut PM’s lead to 11-6.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, the Blues scored the final run of the game when Hamilton hit a fly ball to left field and hustled around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
The Blues ended the game in the top of the seventh with three consecutive groundouts.
Julian led PM with four hits, while Emore and Coleman each recorded three hits.
Coleman pitched the first five innings for the Blues, striking out four and allowing four hits, one walk and two runs. Julian came to the mound for the final two innings, striking out one and surrendering two hits, one walk and four runs.
PM committed two errors, while RC had none.
The Blues will return to action when they play host to nondistrict rival Nelson County on Monday, with the 5 p.m. junior varsity game preceding the 7 p.m. varsity game.
For the full story and photos from this week’s action, please see our April 26 newspaper.
