The bats went silent for the Parry McCluer High School softball team last week.
Averaging over 13 runs per game in their previous five outings, the Fighting Blues were held to just six hits and were shut out three times in a trio of five-inning losses. In addition to a 22-0 setback to rival Rockbridge County last Tuesday (see separate story), the Blues were blanked by visiting Liberty 11-0 on Monday of last week and fell to Eastern Montgomery 11-0 on Thursday in Elliston.
After those three setbacks, the Blues fell to 3-8 overall and 1-5 against Pioneer District competition.
Against Liberty (4-9), the Blues found themselves in a pitchers’ duel for three innings last Monday night in Buena Vista as PM’s Caroline Watts and Liberty’s Bella Pierro allowed just one run, an unearned tally for Liberty in the third. But a seven-run fourth inning for the visitors blew this one wide open.
Watts, a freshman, induced a double play after allowing a hit to start the inning, but two singles and a walk loaded the bases. Then an error opened the door to three consecutive hits, and by the time the inning was over, Liberty extended its lead to 8-0.
That was all the help Pierro needed. She allowed just three base runners in the contest, retiring 10 straight PM batters at one point, and only one hit, a one-out single off the bat of Harleigh Fulwider with one out in the fifth. Pierro finished the game with nine strikeouts.
Watts fanned three in her five innings of work, allowing 13 hits but only one earned run. The Blues committed seven errors in the game.
Reagan Jones paced the Liberty offense with two hits in four trips to the plate. She scored twice and drove in two runs.
EM 10, PM 0
The offensive woes continued when the Blues traveled to Eastern Montgomery to begin their second trip through the Pioneer District on Thursday. PM was held to just four hits in the game, and another big inning proved to be its undoing.
The Mustangs tallied six runs in the third inning, and just like Monday’s game, the big rally began with an error. Mary Miller made it all the way to third base on that miscue, and after Macie Akers was intentionally walked, Kenzie Dunbar chased both the plate with a double. Two more PM errors and RBI singles from Alanna Collins and Chelsie Kennedy followed, and Eastern Montgomery had a 6-0 lead.
The Mustangs (10-5 overall, 6-0 district), who had beaten the Blues 14-0 on March 31 in Buena Vista, added four more runs in the home half of the fourth inning of the rematch, but that was just icing on the cake, as Miller shut down the Blues from the mound. Miller scattered four hits in the contest and did not allow a runner past second base, striking out six and walking none.
Kendall Painter had two of those hits, both singles, for the Blues. Zoey Tolley and Sophia Bouchelle accounted for the other PM hits.
Dunbar was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate for EM, finishing the game with a double, triple and three RBIs. Sam Brein and Lexi Perkins also drove in two runs for the Mustangs.
The Blues were scheduled to play host to Patrick Henry (Roanoke) on Monday and will have a key district home game against Craig County on Thursday at 5 p.m. They’ll pay host to nondistrict rival Nelson County on Monday at 5:30 p.m. before visiting district rival Narrows on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
