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‘Cats Fall To Fort, Dominate Staunton
The Rockbridge County High School softball team split a pair of nondistrict road games in its opening week, coming up short 6-5 last Wednesday at Fort Defiance before cruising to a 17-1 win in five innings on Friday at Staunton.
On Friday, the Wildcats (1-1) racked up 22 hits while holding Staunton (1-2) to two. The Wildcats scored two runs in the first and two in the second before exploding for seven runs in the third and six in the fourth. The Storm’s lone run came in the fifth.
Fifth-year RC head coach Keston Pelter said it was “a really great game” for her team. “The girls had to adjust to the pitching, but once they adjusted at the plate, the bats came alive. They put the ball in play and they were aggressive on the bases.”
Sophomores Sadie Moore and Page Wright led the Wildcats with four hits each, and Moore had three RBIs. Adding three hits each were junior Parker Dameron and sophomore Bella Dorey, while sophomores Gabriella Brown and Willow Rogers had two hits each.
RC committed four errors, while the Storm had two.
On the mound for RC, Moore pitched a complete game, striking out nine and allowing two hits, no walks and one unearned run.
“The girls had fun Friday night, and that’s what we want to see,” said Pelter. “If we keep with this momentum, we will win ballgames and continue to have fun.”
FD 6, RC 5
In a thriller of a season opener, the Wildcats suffered a 6-5 loss in eight innings last Wednesday at Fort Defiance.
The Wildcats took a 2-0 lead in the first and added two more runs in the third to go up 4-0, but the Indians (1-1) tied the game with four runs in the fourth. Each team scored a run in the fifth to make it 5-5, but Fort scored the winning run in the eighth.
Fort racked up nine hits, while RC had eight. The Wildcats committed four errors, while the Indians had one.
Leading the Wildcats with two hits each were Dorey, Wright and sophomore Landrey Campbell. Pacing Fort with two hits apiece were Laura Brown, Jadin Brown and Sara Turner.
Moore pitched a complete game for RC, striking out nine and allowing nine hits, three walks and six earned runs. For Fort, Turner pitched a complete game, striking out 11 and surrendering eight hits, four walks and five runs (three earned).
Reviewing the game, Pelter said, “I’m really proud of the girls. Even though we are young and we had a few jitters, it was an overall great game! We hit the ball really well, we are still fine tuning making the plays in the field, but overall it’s coming together. We had one inning that snagged us, but we learned from that.”
Last year, the Wildcats went 6-13 overall and 2-6 in the Valley District. They earned the 10th and final spot in the Region 3C tournament and ended their season with a 3-2 loss to Liberty (Bedford) in the first round.
From that team, the Wildcats graduated four seniors: Chasity Southers and alldistrict selections Kelsie Caldwell, Lilly Purcell and Kaydence Wilson.
This year, the Wildcats have one senior, Marla Zollman, who missed the first week of the season with an ankle injury. Zollman, entering her fourth year of varsity softball, pitches and plays third base and in the outfield. “She complements our sophomore pitcher, Sadie Moore, very well, so getting her back healthy and in the game is really important to us,” said Pelter.
Joining Zollman are two juniors and eight sophomores.
The Wildcats’ co-captains are Moore, Zollman and Dameron, their catcher. Pelter said Dameron “sees the whole field at all times, she sets the speed for the game by calling in the pitches to Sadie and knows where the next play and the one after that needs to be made.”
Pelter said Moore, who had an impressive freshman season as the Wildcats’ main pitcher, “is a natural leader. Her quiet strength and positive attitude help keep our players in the game.”
Of her co-captains, Pelter said, “I expect big things from all three of these athletes this season.
Returning to serve as Pelter’s assistant coach for the second season is her father, Wayne Beverley.
The Wildcats were scheduled to play at Alleghany on Monday and will have their home opener against Staunton on Saturday at 1 p.m. They’ll have a rematch with Fort Defiance at home on Monday at 5 p.m.
