Fairfield wins county rivalry over Whiteoak
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
LEESBURG — The Fairfield Lady Lions continued their improved play this season as they defeated Southern Hills Athletic Conference rival Whiteoak, 5-0 Monday in their Highland County rivalry matchup.
The Tuesday win by the Lady Lions (3-1, 6-5) wasn't easy, as they scored all but one run in the fourth inning, with their first run coming in the first for the five-run win.
"Our ladies did a nice job of doing what they were supposed to do, and they were aggressive on the bases," FHS head coach Matthew Zimmerman said.
Fairfield sophomore Arica Melson (6-2) was the winning pitcher as she held WHS to just two hits. Melson, in seven innings, walked juts three while striking out seven.
"Arica threw 91 pitches, and it was her first shutout," Zimmerman said. "She came out strong today, which is what we want to see, but overall, we did what we had to do to win the game."
For the Lady Lions' scoring, in the bottom of the first, Kaitlin Evans led off with a four-pitch walk, as she eventually moved to second. Evans scored on a base hit by Shelby Smithson for the 1-0 lead.
Evans walked twice and scored one run. Smithson finished 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.[[In-content Ad]]
That one run proved to be all the Lady Lions needed, but they added four insurance runs in the bottom of the fourth.
With one out, Shaylee Carson (1-for-2) had a single, followed by Courtney Huff taking first on a fielder's choice, which allowed Carson to go to third and Huff to second. Both runners scored on a double by Grace Larrick, who finished 2-for-4 with one run.
Smithson continued the inning by taking first on a fielding error. Both Larrick and Smithson crossed home plate on the error with two outs.
The two singles by the visiting Lady 'Cats came in the first inning with a single by Ashleigh Harless and a fifth inning single from Makayla Wescott. Drawing walks for WHS were Mikayla Burns and Jayde Parr.
One key point in the loss by WHS was they committed six errors, while the FHS defense used four double plays to their advantage as WHS left four runners stranded, though FHS left six on the bases.
FHS totaled nine steals with Evans gaining three and Smithson collecting two. Cynnamon Sova-Davy, Larrick, Carson and Huff each had one steal.
Drawing walks for FHS was Evans with two. WHS had three walks from Mikayla Burns, Jenny Westfall and Parr.
The loss was charged to Kiley Sosby, though she again totaled double-digit strikeouts. Sosby, a sophomore, faced 29 batters, striking out 15. She allowed five runs, with just two being earned on five hits and two walks in six innings.
"I want to compliment Kiley Sosby," Zimmerman said. "We had to play small ball against her and put pressure on their defense. She is a very good pitcher."
The Lady Lions will play again on Tuesday as they travel to face North Adams. WHS travels to play Fayetteville on Tuesday with both SHAC games beginning at 5 p.m.
The Tuesday win by the Lady Lions (3-1, 6-5) wasn't easy, as they scored all but one run in the fourth inning, with their first run coming in the first for the five-run win.
"Our ladies did a nice job of doing what they were supposed to do, and they were aggressive on the bases," FHS head coach Matthew Zimmerman said.
Fairfield sophomore Arica Melson (6-2) was the winning pitcher as she held WHS to just two hits. Melson, in seven innings, walked juts three while striking out seven.
"Arica threw 91 pitches, and it was her first shutout," Zimmerman said. "She came out strong today, which is what we want to see, but overall, we did what we had to do to win the game."
For the Lady Lions' scoring, in the bottom of the first, Kaitlin Evans led off with a four-pitch walk, as she eventually moved to second. Evans scored on a base hit by Shelby Smithson for the 1-0 lead.
Evans walked twice and scored one run. Smithson finished 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.[[In-content Ad]]
That one run proved to be all the Lady Lions needed, but they added four insurance runs in the bottom of the fourth.
With one out, Shaylee Carson (1-for-2) had a single, followed by Courtney Huff taking first on a fielder's choice, which allowed Carson to go to third and Huff to second. Both runners scored on a double by Grace Larrick, who finished 2-for-4 with one run.
Smithson continued the inning by taking first on a fielding error. Both Larrick and Smithson crossed home plate on the error with two outs.
The two singles by the visiting Lady 'Cats came in the first inning with a single by Ashleigh Harless and a fifth inning single from Makayla Wescott. Drawing walks for WHS were Mikayla Burns and Jayde Parr.
One key point in the loss by WHS was they committed six errors, while the FHS defense used four double plays to their advantage as WHS left four runners stranded, though FHS left six on the bases.
FHS totaled nine steals with Evans gaining three and Smithson collecting two. Cynnamon Sova-Davy, Larrick, Carson and Huff each had one steal.
Drawing walks for FHS was Evans with two. WHS had three walks from Mikayla Burns, Jenny Westfall and Parr.
The loss was charged to Kiley Sosby, though she again totaled double-digit strikeouts. Sosby, a sophomore, faced 29 batters, striking out 15. She allowed five runs, with just two being earned on five hits and two walks in six innings.
"I want to compliment Kiley Sosby," Zimmerman said. "We had to play small ball against her and put pressure on their defense. She is a very good pitcher."
The Lady Lions will play again on Tuesday as they travel to face North Adams. WHS travels to play Fayetteville on Tuesday with both SHAC games beginning at 5 p.m.