RC Shuts Out Staunton, Riverheads, Falls At Fort
The Rockbridge County High School softball team shut out Staunton and Riverheads last week before falling 11-0 on Thursday at Fort Defiance in Shenandoah District action.
The Wildcats ended the week at 5-2 overall and 4-3 in the district.
RC started the week with a 26-0 road win in five innings over Staunton (0-9 overall, 0-6 district). It was the highest-scoring game and most lopsided victory of the season for the Wildcats.
In the first inning, the Wildcats erupted for 10 runs. RC added eight runs in the second and two in the third before scoring three runs in the fourth and another three in the fifth.
The Wildcats racked up 20 hits, while the Storm had none. Leading RC with four hits was Kayleigh Rosson, while Bella Dorey and Landry Campbell each recorded three hits, and Brooke Hostetter, Sadie Moore and Willow Rogers had two hits each.
Moore, a senior, pitched the first three innings of the no-hitter, striking out eight and allowing no walks. Junior Harley Tomlin pitched the final two innings, striking out four and surrendering just one walk. “Harley came in, and she complemented Sadie,” said RC head coach Keston Pelter. Between the two of them, they had a great game. It’s tough to adjust to different pitching styles. They were focused and locked in.”
Staunton committed four errors, while RC had none.
RC 6, Riverheads 0
Led by strong pitching, fielding and timely hitting, the Wildcats earned a 6-0 home win over Riverheads (4-6, 1-6) on Tuesday of last week Lexington.
The Wildcats scored three runs in the second inning and added three runs in the fifth.
Moore pitched a complete game for RC, striking out 10 while allowing five hits and no walks. “Sadie continues to hit her spots,” said Pelter. “She’s bringing it across the plate.”
Pelter noted that Hostetter moving from second base to catcher helped the Wildcats as well. Previously, Kayleigh Rosson was playing catcher, but she moved to third base.
“We made an adjustment behind the plate a couple games ago, and we have stuck with that, and I think that it’s totally shifted the dynamic of my infield,” said Pelter. “Brooke [Hostetter] complements Sadie. Sadie complements her, so they work well together.”
After loading the bases in the second, RC took a 1-0 lead when Dorey singled on a line drive to right field to bring home Rosson. Page Wright then singled on a line drive to right field to bring home Lilly Thomas and Brooklyn Beverly, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 3-0.
In the fifth, Rogers singled on a hard grounder to right field to drive in Hostetter and Moore, and Rogers scored RC’s final run when Lilly Thomas singled on a line drive to center field.
The Wildcats racked up 10 hits, led by Hostetter with three and Thomas with two. Riverheads recorded five hits, led by Sadie Poole with two.
For the Gladiators, Hattie Croft pitched the first two innings, surrendering five hits, two walks and three runs (one earned). Emmy Fitzgerald came to the mound for the final four innings, striking out seven while allowing five hits, one walk and three earned runs.
Riverheads committed one error, while RC had none.
Pleased by how her players performed, Pelter said, “They’re having fun, and we’re telling them, one game at a time, one team at a time.”
FD 11, RC 0
The Wildcats concluded the week with an 11-0 road loss in five innings to Fort Defiance (4-5, 4-2).
The Indians capitalized on four RC errors while committing none.
In the first inning, Fort scored on a double and a single and a steal of home to take a 3-0 lead. The Indians added two more runs on an RC error. in the second to extend their lead to 5-0.
Fort scored its final six runs in the fourth, on two doubles, a triple and an error, to put the game away.
The Indians recorded nine hits, while RC had just two. Leading Fort with two hits each were Emma Stone, Taylor Shuler, Lydia Smith and Alexis Miller. Recording one hit each for RC were Moore and Gracie Pelter.
On the mound, Brailyn Breeden pitched a complete game for Fort, striking out seven while allowing two hits and two walks in the shutout.
Moore pitched a complete game for RC, striking out six while surrendering nine hits, three walks and 11 runs (seven earned).
The Wildcats were scheduled to play host to Rocktown on Monday before visiting local rival Parry McCluer yesterday. They’ll return to district action at home against Alleghany on Friday before playing host to Staunton on Tuesday, with both games scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
