Softball: Baynard tosses shutout for Woodland, Lady Canes win with late rally
Sarah Baynard tossed a three-hit shutout Thursday night as the Woodland softball team blanked Hiram at home, 7-0, for their first win of the year.
Baynard needed only 89 pitches and threw over 58 percent of those pitches for strikes while scattering three hits and four walks in her shutout. She fanned seven.
The Lady Cats took a 1-0 lead in the third inning and added on in each of the next three frames as they totaled 10 hits.
Brittany Cox and Ansley Evans had three hits each to lead the Lady Cats’ offense. They each drove in a run.
Madgie Robinson, Caroline Higdon (double, RBI), Morgan Bailey, and Bella Carnes had the other Woodland hits. Skylar Chappell added one RBI.
Hiram fell to 2-4 overall and 2-3 in Region 7AAAAA with their loss.
Woodland is now 1-3 overall and in region play.
The Lady Cats will host games in the Allatoona Buccaneer Bash Friday and Saturday. Woodland plays Armuchee and Sprayberry Friday evening and will host Campbell (9 am) and Sequoyah (3 pm) Saturday.
CARTERSVILLE 7, CHAPEL HILL 4
A three-run top of the seventh was enough for the Cartersville softball team to escape with a 7-4 Region 5AAAA win Thursday night at Chapel Hill.
The Lady Canes led 4-1 through two innings, but the host Lady Panthers tied the game with two runs in the third inning and another in the bottom of the sixth.
Paris Poston walked to open the decisive Cartersville seventh inning rally and moved to third on a single by Colbi Ballard and a sacrifice bunt by Lauren McElhaney. AnnaKate McElhaney followed one out later with an RBI single and Kalli Scheff doubled home two more insurance runs with a liner to center field.
Ballard (7 IP, 4R, 3ER, 7H, 4BB, 3K) earned the complete game pitching victory.
Poston, who homered in the first inning, had two hits and two RBIs. Ballard also finished with a pair of hits. Scheff had two RBIs with her double. Jolea Prokop, AnnaKate McElhaney (RBI), and Lauren McElhaney had the other Lady Canes’ hits.
Chapel Hill fell to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in Region 5AAAA with the loss.
Cartersville (3-3, 2-2) plays in the Allatoona Buccaneer Bash this weekend with games at East Paulding Friday night and against Cherokee (9 am) and Jackson County (1 pm) Saturday at Boling Park in Canton.
VILLA RICA 7, CASS 3
The tough start to the opening of the 2017 season continued for the Cass softball team Thursday night as they lost at Villa Rica 7-3.
The host Lady Wildcats scored four times in the second inning and three runs in the third inning to take a 7-1 lead they would not relinquish.
Villa Rica out hit Cass eight to six.
Cass rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, but still came up short.
Two Lady Colonels’ pitchers performed well in the circle, allowing only one earned run. Cass committed four errors in the contest that led to six unearned runs. Taylor Gibson (3 IP, 7R, 1ER, 6H, 0BB, 1K) suffered the pitching loss. Macenzie Dougharty (3 IP, 0R, 2H, 3BB, 1K) pitched well in relief.
Alexia Najarro had two hits for Cass. Gibson hit a two-run homer. Mae Mae McIntyre, Sarah Fox, and Sarah Moore had the other Lady Colonels’ hits.
Villa Rica improved to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in Region 7AAAAA with their win.
Cass (0-5, 0-3) will host a pair of games in the Allatoona Buccaneer Bash Friday evening at Georgia Highlands’ home field on the campus of Stars Pre-K. Cass will play Campbell at 5 pm and Sequoyah at 8:30 pm. The Lady Colonels will play two more games in the tournament Saturday at Kennesaw Mountain facing Coffee County at 9 am and Sonoraville at 1 pm.
COAHULLA CREEK at ADAIRSVILLE
To be updated.
