Things are looking up for North Surry’s varsity softball team.
After a 1-4 start to the season, the Lady Greyhounds have won 4-of-6 games. The most recent of these wins came against county and conference foe Surry Central on April 7.
A four-run first inning set the tone for North Surry on a night the team would finish with 12 hits. Surry Central failed to score more than one run, while also struggling to contain the Hounds’ offense.
North improved to 5-6 overall with the 10-1 win over Central.
Greyhound pitcher Trista Berrier struck out seven batters and gave up four hits in seven innings. Berrier did walk four batters, but the Hounds’ defense did well to stifle Central’s offense which left seven Eagle runners on base.
Carlee Jones threw all six innings for Surry Central. The Eagle senior had five strikeouts, no walks and allowed 12 hits.
Fielding errors proved costly for the Golden Eagles, and this was seen as early as the first inning. After Jones struck out North’s leadoff, Sarah Mauldin singled and Carley Puckett reached first on an error. Central forced a fielder’s choice at third base for the second out.
Jordan Snow scored Puckett with an RBI single, then moved to second on the throw home. Marissa Casstevens came up next and crushed a 3-run home run out of left field to make it 4-0 right off the bat.
Central looked like it might retaliate in the top of the second inning. Kaylin Moody singled to start the inning, then a Kailea Zurita single and Kylee Schendel walk loaded the bases with just one out. Moody scored on an Erica Coe fielder’s choice. Central still had two runners on base, but would strike out to leave both stranded.
Micah Felts had her first of two doubles in the game to start the bottom of the second. Felts only stayed on base for four pitches as she was soon scored on an RBI single hit by Sarah Sutphin, increasing the Hounds’ lead to 5-1.
Central put runners in scoring position in next three innings, but couldn’t make it past second base. North Surry, however, tacked on two more runs before the fifth inning.
Felts was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth. Sutphin put the ball into play with an infield ground ball, and a throwing error by the Eagles allowed her to safely reach first while Felts went to third. A Bella Aparicio slap put the ball in right field and scored Felts.
Central’s Clara Brooks did make the throw from right to Emma Gentry at the plate to get Sutphin out, though it didn’t hold off North for long. Mauldin got her first RBI of the game with a single to center field. Aparicio sped around third and reached home to score run No. 7.
Surry Central put runners on base in each of the next two innings, but once again failed to move them. Central even tried small ball in the fifth. Arial Holt led off with a walk, so Gentry sacrifice bunted to put Holt on second with one out. A ground out forced out No. 2 while keeping Holt on second, then Puckett made a diving catch in center field to keep the scoreboard clean.
After a calm fifth inning, North Surry ramped back up for three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Felts hit her second double to lead off the inning, and then scored when a fly ball hit by Sutphin was dropped in the outfield. The error allowed Sutphin to move all the way to third.
Mauldin hit an RBI single to score Sutphin and make it 9-1, then Puckett doubled to score Mauldin and make it 10-1. Berrier hit a double that put Mauldin on third as the Greyhounds had a chance to win via mercy rule, but a fly out forced the seventh inning to be played.
The Eagles went three-up three-down in the seventh to drop the Foothills 2A Conference game.
Surry Central drops to 3-6 overall, with Thursday’s game being the team’s sixth consecutive loss. North Surry improves to 5-6 overall.
Scoring
Surry Central – 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 = 1
North Surry – 4, 1, 0, 2, 0, 3, X = 10
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com