East Surry defeated Mount Airy 3-0 on Tuesday to hand the Granite Bears their first loss of the 2021 season.
Mount Airy came into its Northwest 1A Conference opener averaging more than 10 runs through its first three wins. East, however, held opponents to an average of fewer than four runs through its first four games.
The Cardinals (3-2) used two pitchers to hold Mount Airy to just three hits. Senior Hali Scott started the game and threw four strikeouts in three innings while allowing just one hit. Sophomore Riley Pennington pitched the final four innings, racking up seven strikeouts and allowing two Bear hits.
Granite Bear pitcher Sydney Seagraves threw all seven innings for Mount Airy and had 15 strikeouts. Seagraves had at least two strikeouts in 6-of-7 innings, including three in both the sixth and seventh innings.
Seagraves and the Bears defense only allowed one hit in the first five innings, which came in the form of a Tynlee Jones single in the top of the second. The Cardinal senior was left on base after Clara Willard flied out and both Kenzie Shoffner and Maggie Clement struck out.
East Surry’s only other baserunner in the first five innings was Scott. Scott was walked in the top of the first inning, and her courtesy runner Maegan Banks even stole second. She too was left on base.
Mount Airy’s best scoring chances came in the first and last innings of the game. Leadoff Morgan Mayfield doubled to right-center field in the first, but was caught stealing third later in the inning. Scott struck out Sofia Stafford and Seagraves for the other two outs.
The Bears also recorded a hit in the fifth inning, but the runner wouldn’t advance past first. Chloe Potts singled to left field with no outs. With Addie Phipps at the plate, Potts stole second but was thrown out by East’s Rosie Craven.
After being held to just one hit in the first five innings, East exploded for three hits in the top of the sixth.
The inning began with Seagraves recording a strikeout. Then, Craven singled down the first-base line. Haley Chilton hit a grounder to third that was fielded by Phipps, but Craven beat the throw to second before Skylar Partincould tag her.
Scott came to the plate and crushed a 3-run home run out of center field to get East Surry on the board. It was Scott’s second home run of the season.
Pennington followed Scott’s homer with a deep shot to left field that earned her a double. Banks entered the game as Pennington’s courtesy runner and stole third.
Mount Airy was faced with a runner on third with just one out. Seagraves kept her composure and struck the next two batters out to prevent any further damage.
The Bears’ Natalie Poteat was hit by the first pitch of the bottom of the sixth, but three strikeouts from Pennington left her on base.
Stafford flied out to begin the bottom of the seventh inning. Seagraves took advantage of a bad throw to first to get on base, then was moved to second when No. 5 hit a laser to right-center field.
Pennington struck out Phipps to force the second out. Then, Partin approached to the plate and hit a line drive to center. East’s Addy Sechrist made the play to end the game.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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