Lady Raiders unable to overcome error-plagued performance in loss to Westwood

Published 2:11 pm Wednesday, September 15, 2021

From Staff Reports

 

CAMILLA – The Southland Academy Lady Raider Softball Team (SAR) committed four errors in the first inning against the Westwood Lady Wildcats (WS). As a result, WS took advantage by scoring six runs in the bottom of the first to take an early 6-1 lead. Unfortunately for the Lady Raiders, it was a hole from which they could not climb out of and it played a factor in their 12-4 defeat at the hands of the Lady Wildcats on Tuesday, September 14 at the Westwood School in Camilla.

This took place one day after SAR’s error-free performance in its 11-3 victory over First Presbyterian Day School at Southland Academy.

In total, the Lady Raiders scored four runs on eight hits, but committed a total of seven errors on the day, with four of them being committed in the bottom of the first inning.

SAR got off to a great start when Morgan Minick led off the game with a single and stole second base. Minick would later give the Lady Raiders a 1-0 lead when she tagged up from third and scored on Avery Ledger’s sacrifice fly. However, that would be the last time in the game that SAR would have the lead.

In the bottom of the first, SAR’s defensive miscues began when both WS batters Alyssa Howell and Emily Childress reached on errors, putting runners at first and second for the Lady Wildcats with nobody out. Robby Vann then took advantage of the situation by driving in Howell on an RBI double. Sarah Sheffield then reached on another error, allowing Childress to score and giving the Lady Wildcats a 2-1 lead. Later on in the frame, Bentley Palmer singled with one out to load the bases for Emma Shiver. Shiver popped out in foul territory to Jadie Burrell at third for the second out, but Victoria Lee drove in two more runs on an RBI single, putting the Lady Wildcats up 4-1. WS scored two more runs on a passed ball and another error to take a 6-1 lead before Howell grounded out to second baseman Maddie Godwin to end the inning.

WS added another run in the bottom of the second when Childress scored on a wild pitch, but the Lady Raiders responded in the top of the third with two runs on two hits. The big hit in the frame was an RBI double by Morgan Weaver. Landry Hart would later drive in another run on a sacrifice fly to cut the Lady Wildcats’ lead to 7-3.

However, the Lady Wildcats countered with two more runs in the bottom of the third on two hits, an error and a walk.

The Lady Raiders scored their final run of the game in the top of the fifth when Hart drove in Ledger on an RBI double to left field, but that would be as close as the Lady Raiders would get.

WS would later add three more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth on three hits and took advantage of another error to end the run-ruled game and salt away its victory over SAR.

Both Minick and Hart had strong offensive outings for the Lady Raiders. Each of them went 2 for 3 at the plate, with Hart driving in two runs and Minick scoring two runs. Weaver, Ledger, Godwin and Eva Grace Studdard each earned a hit in the contest, while Weaver and Ledger each drove in a run and scored one as well.

Chelci Woody got the start in the circle for SAR, but lasted only one inning. She gave up seven runs on four hits, but only one of those runs was earned, as the SAR defense struggled in the field. Ila Johnson pitched the rest of the game for SAR. In a little over four innings of work, Johnson gave up five runs on six hits, with three of those runs being earned. She walked one batter and struck out one.

Robby Vann led the Lady Wildcats’ offense by going 4 for 4 with a double and two RBIs and Bentley Palmer went 2 for 4 with two runs scored.

Vann also pitched the entire game and gave up four runs on eight hits, while recording two strikeouts.

The Lady Raiders are now 6-7 overall on the season and 2-3 in GISA Region 3-AAA competition. They will try to rebound from this setback when they travel down to Albany on Monday, September 20 to take on their archrivals, the Deerfield-Windsor Lady Knights. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.