Lady Lions pace Paint Valley for shutout win
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
LEESBURG — Not only can Fairfield pitcher Kaiti White strike batters out when in the pitching circle, but the freshman can hit the ball as well. White tossed a shutout against the Paint Valley Bearcats, but she also batted in the go-ahead run to send the Lady Lions to the non-conference victory.
The Wednesday night win by the Lady Lions saw their two runs scored in the bottom of the fourth inning, not just breaking a scoreless tie, but those ended up being the only two runs scored in Fairfield’s 2-0 win on their home diamond, giving them a 3-1 record on the season.
White (3-0) was dominant in the circle, collecting 15 strikeouts in the non-conference win. The freshman hurler allowed no runs on just five hits and no walks. In four games this season, White has allowed just one earned run (22 innings). She’s also collected 38 strikeouts in those four starts.
The freshman even showed poise in her young varsity career as she worked out of a jam in the top of the fourth inning when PV loaded the bases with one out following three straight hits. She ended the short-lived momentum swing to the Lady ’Cats with consecutive strikeouts.
“She’s been pitching well,” FHS head coach Mark Dettwiller said. “She’s getting used to her teammates and defense. She’s relaxing a little, and that has been key. We are a young team, and they are all coming along pretty well.”
During the non-conference game, White struck out the side in the second and third innings, while having at least two strikeouts in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
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As for the scoring for the game, the bottom of the fourth began with Kourtnie Smith leading off with a base hit, followed by a stolen base. After the first out was recorded, the Lady Lions saw the hit of the game with White hitting a hard line that one-hopped to the right-centerfield fence for a triple that scored Smith from second base.
“Kaiti has been crushing the ball, and we were fortunate to have a runner on when she crushed the ball to the fence,” Dettwiller said. “She’s just a raw, talented, athletic kid who loves the game and works hard.”
The final run of the game came with two outs in the fourth when Macinzey Harvey, who was the courtesy runner for White, raced home following an error at first base by the Lady ’Cats for the two-run advantage.
White led FHS with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, with one RBI. Also for the Lady Lions, Grace Larrick had one hit, and Casey Carter forced a walk.
“Casey hit a nice line drive, and unfortunately for Paint Valley, they didn’t make the play,” Dettwiller said. “We were lucky enough to squeeze a couple runs out in the inning.”
Paint Valley’s Mikayla Newland, a past All-Ohio selection, allowed just four hits in the loss. In all, she walked just one batter and allowed two runs (one earned). She finished with 13 strikeouts. The junior hurler struck out the side in the second, third and fourth innings, and she had two strikeouts in the sixth inning.
The Lady Lions are scheduled to play again on Saturday, April 2 in a non-conference doubleheader at East Clinton High School.
The Wednesday night win by the Lady Lions saw their two runs scored in the bottom of the fourth inning, not just breaking a scoreless tie, but those ended up being the only two runs scored in Fairfield’s 2-0 win on their home diamond, giving them a 3-1 record on the season.
White (3-0) was dominant in the circle, collecting 15 strikeouts in the non-conference win. The freshman hurler allowed no runs on just five hits and no walks. In four games this season, White has allowed just one earned run (22 innings). She’s also collected 38 strikeouts in those four starts.
The freshman even showed poise in her young varsity career as she worked out of a jam in the top of the fourth inning when PV loaded the bases with one out following three straight hits. She ended the short-lived momentum swing to the Lady ’Cats with consecutive strikeouts.
“She’s been pitching well,” FHS head coach Mark Dettwiller said. “She’s getting used to her teammates and defense. She’s relaxing a little, and that has been key. We are a young team, and they are all coming along pretty well.”
During the non-conference game, White struck out the side in the second and third innings, while having at least two strikeouts in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
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As for the scoring for the game, the bottom of the fourth began with Kourtnie Smith leading off with a base hit, followed by a stolen base. After the first out was recorded, the Lady Lions saw the hit of the game with White hitting a hard line that one-hopped to the right-centerfield fence for a triple that scored Smith from second base.
“Kaiti has been crushing the ball, and we were fortunate to have a runner on when she crushed the ball to the fence,” Dettwiller said. “She’s just a raw, talented, athletic kid who loves the game and works hard.”
The final run of the game came with two outs in the fourth when Macinzey Harvey, who was the courtesy runner for White, raced home following an error at first base by the Lady ’Cats for the two-run advantage.
White led FHS with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, with one RBI. Also for the Lady Lions, Grace Larrick had one hit, and Casey Carter forced a walk.
“Casey hit a nice line drive, and unfortunately for Paint Valley, they didn’t make the play,” Dettwiller said. “We were lucky enough to squeeze a couple runs out in the inning.”
Paint Valley’s Mikayla Newland, a past All-Ohio selection, allowed just four hits in the loss. In all, she walked just one batter and allowed two runs (one earned). She finished with 13 strikeouts. The junior hurler struck out the side in the second, third and fourth innings, and she had two strikeouts in the sixth inning.
The Lady Lions are scheduled to play again on Saturday, April 2 in a non-conference doubleheader at East Clinton High School.