The South Greene softball team was able to run wild on the basepath on Thursday night as it ran away to a 13-6 win over West Greene in District 1-2A play.
The Lady Rebels managed just nine hits, but they took advantage of eight walks, four hit batters, and took 24 extra bases on steals, passed balls and wild pitches.
“I felt like we started off really well, but then we put the brakes on and had an inning where we looked like the Bad News Bears,” South Greene coach Amy Hawk said. “I feel like we were really aggressive on the bases, and that really helped us in several situations. That led to several runs, we took home plate a few times. But I feel like we were aggressive early and jumped on then, but then we stopped.”
The Lady Rebels running started early and they took a 2-0 lead with just two runners reaching base. Kortnei Bailey got things started by skipping a single by second base and then quickly stole second and third before Allison Penley knocked her in with a fly ball to left field.
Penley stole second and scored on a passed ball. Paisley Brobeck reached base on a walk and scored after she tagged up on a pop fly to the second baseman for a 3-0 South Greene lead.
West Greene answered with one run in the second inning. Hayley Arnold led off the side by lacing a line drive into left field for a triple. She scored when Alexis Cutshall smacked a line drive into centerfield.
In the bottom of the second frame South Greene stretched its lead to 9-1 by scoring six runs on just one hit. The first two batters of the inning were hit by pitches and the next three were walked. Madison Penley and Kaylee Whitson each scored on passed balls. Brobeck then cleared a loaded base path by splitting the right-center gap with a three-RBI double.
Brobeck scored on a groundout for the final run of the frame.
The Lady Buffaloes scored one more run in the third inning. Alissa Lawson led off the side by firing a single into centerfield. She scored when Hope Sexton skipped a single through the right side of the infield.
In the fourth inning the Lady Rebels’ lead grew to 10-2. Madison Penley reached base on a fielders choice that gave West Greene two outs. Katie Willett and Whitson loaded the bases with singles before Bailey put a single into left field. The inning ended on the play when Willett was thrown out trying to advance to third.
In the fifth inning West Greene plated another run when Cutshall launched a triple deep into the right-center gap that scored Mara Reagan.
In the bottom of the frame South Greene’s lead grew to 12-3. Brobeck reached on an error and stole home when the Lady Buffs tried to pick her off at third base. Whitney Reaves was then knocked in on a single by Madison Penley.
South Greene’s defense then ended the game on a sour note when it committed four errors with two outs that allowed West Greene to score three runs in the sixth inning. Lawson reached on a booted groundball at first and scored from second when Evenly Moreno hit into another error. Moreno scored on another infield error, and Hope Sexton scored when Reagan put a line drive into centerfield.
“In the three games that we have played, we have one bad inning,” Hawk said. “We do have a lot new kids, and they are going to make mistakes. We’ll get better as the year goes on, but some of those are plays you should make in the second grade. You have to catch the ball when it’s thrown to you, you have to catch pop flies.”
In the bottom of the sixth Willett reached on a walk and then stole second and third. Baily scored her on a sacrifice fly.
Allison Penley led South Greene’s offense by going 2-for-4 with a double. Bailey went 2-for-3.
For West Greene Arnold and Cutshall both went 2-for-4 with a triple. Reagan and Maddie Bryant were both 2-for-4.
In the circle Whitson earned the win. She went seven innings, with three strikeouts, one walk and 12 hits allowed.
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