.jpg)
The Rockbridge County High School softball team lost a pair of home games last week, falling to Valley District rival Broadway 10-0 last Tuesday before suffering an 11-1 loss to James River in nondistrict action on Thursday.
In last Tuesday’s game, Broadway racked up 12 hits while holding the Wildcats (4-9 overall, 1-3 district) to three hits. The Gobblers improved to 3-1 in the district and ended the week at 11-4 overall, following a 4-3 road win over East Rockingham on Thursday.
In the top of the first, Broadway’s Emma Morris hit a grounder to bring home Jasmine Jett, and Morris scored on a groundout to make it 2-0.
The Gobblers extended their lead to 3-0 in the second when Kaleigh Harper scored on a bunt by Gett.
In the third, Broadway added four more runs to stretch its lead to 7-0. Ashlyn Spitzer hit a grounder to bring home Brooklyn Spitzer, and Harper tripled on a fly ball to right field to bring home Lilah Deavers and Iris Kline. Harper then scored on a groundout.
The Wildcats loaded the bases in the bottom of the third, with no outs, but the Gobblers ended the inning with a strikeout, a catch in center field, and a groundout.
Broadway added two more runs in the sixth, with Gett scoring on an error and Morris scoring a fly ball to center field by Taylor Suters, to make it 9-0. The Gobblers’ final run came in the seventh when Kline hit a grounder to drive in Harper.
Commenting on the Gobblers, RC head coach Keston Pelter said, “They’re tough, but I don’t think they’re any better than anyone we’ve played. I don’t think they’re any better than us, but they were focused.”
“They have that speed out in center field, and we had the chance to tag, but sometimes, we hit them in the holes and they fall, and sometimes they don’t,” added Pelter.
Harper and Morris led the Gobblers with three hits each, while Suters added two hits. Recording one hit each for the Wildcats were Parker Dameron, Sadie Moore and Chasity Southers.
Hoping to see better overall play from her players, Pelter said, “We’re kind of back in that little slump of not being disciplined at the plate and, still, those routine plays. We go over them in practice. We do well in practice, but in the games, they freeze up a little bit. It’ll come.”
Morris pitched the first three innings for Broadway, striking out five and allowing two hits and two walks. Deavers came to the mound for the final four innings, striking out eight and surrendering one hit and two walks.
Moore pitched a complete game for RC, striking out five and allowing 12 hits and no walks.
JR 11, RC 1
The Wildcats suffered their fourth consecutive loss with an 11-1 home setback in five innings against James River on Thursday.
It was the fourth win in a row for the Knights (12-1), who took a 4-0 lead in the first inning and added three more runs in the second to go up 7-0. JR tacked on two more runs in the third and another in the fourth before the Wildcats scored their lone run in the fourth. The game ended after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.
The Knights recorded seven hits while holding RC to two hits. Ripley Barry had two hits and four RBIs for JR, while Eleanor Lackey added two hits and three RBIs.
Registering one hit each for the Wildcats were Marla Zollman, who hit a double, and Kaydence Wilson, who had an RBI when she brought home Dameron in the fourth.
Austyn Moran pitched all five innings for the Knights, striking out five and allowing two hits, one walk and one earned run.
Zollman pitched the first four innings for the Wildcats, striking out one and surrendering seven hits, one walk and 11 runs (seven earned). Moore came to the mound for the fifth and allowed no hits, no walks and no runs.
The Wildcats committed two errors, while JR had one.
RC was scheduled to play host to district rival Harrisonburg on Friday, but that game was postponed due to rain.
The Wildcats were scheduled to play host to Parry McCluer on Monday and will play at Alleghany on Thursday at 5 p.m. before returning to Valley District action at Spotswood on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. They’ll have a rematch at JR on Monday at 5:30 p.m. before playing host to district rival Turner Ashby on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
In order to get out of this slump, Pelter said, “Overall, the girls just need to find that spark again to stay focused in the field, making the routine plays, and at the plate, swing at strikes and be aggressive when putting the ball in play offensively.”
