The Potomac Highlands Dispatch
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6 IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB
Rams' Hardesty tosses no-hitter to lead Southern Garrett past BW
By Kevin Spradlin
PhDispatch.com
CUMBERLAND, March 22 -- It wasn't supposed to start out this way for the Southern Garrett softball team.
Sure, coach Mike Fulmer and the Rams have high expectations after a 8-13 campaign that ended last season with a second-round playoff loss.
But not even Fulmer expected senior Kendra Hardesty to dominate Bishop Walsh. And dominate she did. Hardesty tossed six no-hit innings, striking out nine, to lead the Rams past the Spartans in both teams' season-opener at Cavanaugh Field in south Cumberland with a 12-0 win.
The no-hit bid got a scare in the bottom of the sixth and final inning. It started out smoothly enough as Alyssa Cotton struck out - Hardesty's ninth K for the afternoon - and Abby Mathews grounded out to first base.
Senior catcher Sarah Bennett, though, made the best possible use of what turned out not to be the final out of the game. Bennett slapped a dribbler back toward Hardesty on the mound. The ball hit the pitcher's mound, and Hardesty muffed the rebound. A throw to first base was pointless.
Hardesty, the team's No. 2 pitcher, recovered well enough to get Kelsey Buser to ground out to second base for the 18th and final out.
Hardesty faced one batter over the minimum and struck out the side in both the third and fifth innings.
In fact, the only other misstep for the Rams on Tuesday other than the sixth-inning error was a home run. That's right. Fulmer asked junior Alycia Horner, already 2-for-3 with an RBI, to keep the ball in play in her fourth at-bat in the top of the sixth inning.
The purpose of that instruction, Fulmer said afterward, was to extend the game and let both teams get a regular seven innings on the playing field. The Rams' pre-season has been less than ideal due to weather. Many of the Spartans play in their school's basketball tournament and then volunteer for the annual ACIT.
Horner swung away, however, and the ball sailed on a high curve over the left-centerfield fence for a two-run home run and a 12-0 lead.
"Coach, I swear I did not mean to do that," Horner exclaimed as she rounded second base.
From the start, though, the Rams executed at a near-flawless pace. With one out in the top of the first, Lindsey Lipscomb singled to right field off Spartans freshman pitcher Hailey Mock, stole second and advanced to third base on Hardesty's single.
Alycia Horner singled to knock in Lipscomb and Hardesty scored on a passed ball as the Rams led 2-0 before Bishop Walsh even had a chance to bat.
Hardesty was just about as dominant as a pitcher could be, though. She sailed through the first five innings - striking out eight - without allowing a hit - and inducing seven infield groundouts.
Mock, meanwhile, struggled while working in front of what was, at times, porous defense. Southern Garrett went back on the offensive in the top of the second inning. Freshman Alicia Roth reached safely on a Spartan error and was driven in by the next batter, Hanna Wiltison, for a 3-0 Southern lead. Wiltison moved to third as the Spartans threw the ball around and scored on Ayla Fulmer's groundout.
The Rams scored twice more in the third. Horner led off with a single and Lindsey Brady doubled her home for a 5-0 lead. Brady later scored on Brooke Spiker's single. Spiker was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.
Mock was in trouble again in the fourth despite a good start. Wiltison grounded out to second base and Fulmer hit a soft pop fly to short. But Lipscomb drove a pitch to right field and sprinted to second base on an error. Mock got out the jam when she gloved a liner off the bat of Hardesty for the third out.
The Rams went to work again in the fifth inning. Brady was on second after doubling to left field. With two outs, Spiker ripped an RBI single to center for a 7-0 Southern Garrett lead. The Rams scored twice more in the inning for a 10-0 advantage after just four and one-half frames.
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Opening Day
Falcons issue nine walks, 9-4 game to Miners
SHORT GAP, W.Va., March 22 -- According to the Mountain Ridge High School website, pitcher Carlie Lewis allowed just four hits over seven innings as Miners picked up a 9-4 win over Frankfort in both teams' season opener.
The Miners took advantage of nine walks from Frankfort pitchers Taylor Rice and Mikala Miller.
Shae Winner led Mountain Ridge offensively with a two-run home run and an RBI double.
Anna Broadwater had a double and 2 RBI’s. Katie Llewellyn had a single and two RBI.
Senior Savannah Hose led the Falcons with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate, including a double and two RBI. She also scored a run. Miller and Rice each had two hits for Frankfort.
Get a grip
Campers eke out 3-2 win over Trojans
By Kevin Spradlin
PhDispatch.com
CRESAPTOWN, March 24 -- Allegany center fielder Bailey Ellsworth picked up the ball, then dropped it, in the top of the second inning as Hampshire's Heather Mathias took advantage of the extra time to earn the double.
With the game on the line with one out in the top of the seventh inning, though, Ellsworth had a chance for redemption. This time, her grip on the ball was perfect. So was her aim.
Ellsworth caught a pop fly off the of the Trojans' Sierra Blomquist - on the run - then fired to catcher Alexi Sivic, who applied the tag to Lyndsay Whetzel. The throw-and-tag completed the double play and finished off Hampshire in a 3-2 win for Allegany.
The play also served as redemption for Sivic, who had dropped the ball on a play at the plate on the previous at-bat. The drop allowed Kierston Davidson to cross the plate safely and pull Hampshire within one run.
"It's definitely a close one," Allegany starting pitcher Audrey Eisentrout said afterward, "but my catcher blocked the plate and she got (Whetzel) out. That's the way you gotta depend on your catcher for that."
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