Wildcats Fall To Broadway, Spotswood
The Rockbridge County High School softball team suffered a pair of Valley District road losses last week, falling at Broadway 6-0 last Tuesday before coming up short 7-4 at Spotswood on Friday.
The Wildcats (4-6 overall, 2-5 district) ended the week with a 5-1 road win over local rival Parry McCluer on Saturday in Buena Vista. (See separate story.)
Against Broadway (10-2, 7-0), after two scoreless innings, the Wildcats faced a barrage of bunts, giving up three hits on bunts to fall behind 3-0 in the bottom of the third.
“We’re a little rusty on coverage of bunting,” said RC head coach Keston Pelter.
After Broadway’s April Gingerich singled on a bunt to first base, the Gobblers took a 1-0 lead when Kaleigh Harper singled on a bunt to first base to bring home Courtney Hensley. Brooklyn Spitzer then singled on a bunt to RC pitcher Sadie Moore to drive in Gingerich and Harper, making it 3-0.
In the fifth, Gingerich scored on an RC error, and Broadway’s Madalyn Wolfe singled on a grounder to shortstop to bring home Harper, extending the Gobblers’ lead to 5-0.
Broadway scored the final run of the game in the sixth when Spitzer ran home on an RC error.
For the game, the Wildcats committed three errors, while the Gobblers had one.
Gingerich led Broadway with two hits, while five other Gobblers each recorded one hit.
Parker Dameron paced RC with two hits, while Kayleigh Rosson had one hit.
On the mound, Lilah Deavers pitched the first five innings for Broadway, striking out 10 while allowing two hits and no walks. Emma Morris pitched for the final two innings of the shutout, striking out three while surrendering one hit and one walk.
Spotswood 7, RC 4
The Wildcats racked up 10 hits on Friday at Spotswood, but they left too many runners on base in the 7-4 loss.
“We’re hitting the ball, but we’ve just got [to get] it to fall in the gaps,” said Pelter.
Spotswood (8-6, 3-3) recorded 11 hits in the game, which was much closer than the teams’ previous meeting on April 8 in Lexington, a 13-0 win in five innings for the Trailblazers.
RC took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Bella Dorey stole home.
The Blazers answered back in the bottom of the first by scoring three runs to take a 3-1 lead. Charlotte Bentley singled to center field to bring home Alexa Lind, and Bentley later scored on a groundout by Maycee Dean. Addyson Moats scored Spotswood’s third run by stealing home.
Spotswood extended its lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the second when Moats singled to center field to drive in Chillie Crummett.
In the top of the fourth, after the Wildcats loaded the bases, Brooke Hostetter scored on a passed ball to cut Spotswood’s lead to 4-2.
The Blazers responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Moats doubled to left field to bring home Addison Weldon, and Lind and Moats both scored on an RC error, extending Spotswood’s lead to 7-2.
RC loaded the bases again in the top of the fifth, and Brooklyn Beverly scored when Willow Rogers was hit by a pitch. Lily Thomas then scored the final run of the game when Cameron Terry singled on a grounder to shortstop, but the Blazers wouldn’t allow a Wildcat on base for the rest of the game.
Bentley led Spotswood with three hits, while Lind, Moats and Weldon each recorded two hits.
Dorey and Page Wright paced RC with two hits each, while six Wildcats each had one hit.
Spotswood used three different pitchers, combining to strike out two. Moore pitched a complete game for the Wildcats, striking out seven while allowing 11 hits, one walk and seven runs, five of them earned.
The Blazers committed two errors, while the Wildcats had one.
RC was scheduled to play host to William Monroe yesterday and will play a nondistrict home game against Fort Defiance on Thursday at 5 p.m. before returning to district action at Harrisonburg on Friday at 6 p.m. The Wildcats will continue district play at home against East Rockingham on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
