Fairfield Lady Lions walk off against Fayetteville Lady Rockets
Fairfield's Rilee Quickle is pictured running to third base in a game this season. (HCP Photo/Stephen Forsha)
The Fairfield Lady Lions (13-6, 6-2 SHAC) hosted the Fayetteville Lady Rockets (3-6, 2-5 SHAC) in a Southern Hills Athletic Conference game played Tuesday afternoon at the Fairfield Baseball/Softball Complex.
This was the second game between the Lady Lions and Lady Rockets in the last 12 days. The first game was a classic with Fairfield winning 10-6 in 10 innings, and on Tuesday, the game was another battle that saw the Lady Lions come from behind in the bottom of the seventh inning to win by a 4-3 score.
Fayetteville scored two unearned runs in the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. Lilly Carlier led off the game with a single to centerfield. Chloe Cox followed with a double to the fence in left field as Carlier advanced to third base. Carlier then scored on a passed ball, and Cox scored on a throwing error.
Fairfield answered with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Rilee Quickle singled to left-centerfield, and Ally Maynard followed with a line drive home run just inside the left field foul pole to quickly tie the score.
The score remained tied through the third inning. The Fayetteville Lady Rockets took a 3-2 lead with a run in the top of the fourth inning. Kylee Burchett singled to centerfield, and one out later Lilli Allender singled and Burchett advanced to third base. Burchett then scored on a groundout to third baseman Ally Maynard.
Both pitchers blanked their opponents in the fifth and sixth innings.
With one out in the top of the seventh inning, Lydia Jordan singled to centerfield and advanced to second base on a wild pitch, but Fairfield’s Quickle struck out the next two batters to end the threat.
The Lady Lions came to bat in the bottom of the seventh inning down by a run. As they have done many times before, they put together a rally in their last at-bat.
Alyssa Bales led off the inning with a single just out of the reach of the shortstop in short centerfield. Ava White laid down the perfect sacrifice bunt, advancing Bales to second base and putting the tying run in scoring position.
Layla Howard hit a soft fly ball that fell untouched in the infield for a base hit, advancing Bales to third base as Howard took second base on the throw to third.
With runners on second and third, Jorja May laid down a bunt single to load the bases. Whitlee Morrow followed with a bunt single to score Bales and tie the score 3-3. Senior captain Quickle then singled to left centerfield to score Layla Howard with the winning run, giving her team a dramatic victory.
Quickle was brilliant Tuesday in the circle and outstanding at the plate, as she limited the Lady Rockets to only three runs, with only one earned run on five hits and no walks, as she struck out 10 batters. At the plate, she was 2-for-4 with a run scored and the game-winning hit.
Leading hitters for the Lady Lions: Whitlee Morrow (1-for-4, 1 RBI), Rilee Quickle (2-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI), Ally Maynard (2-for-3, double, home run, 1 run, 2 RBI), Kelsie Crowder (1-for-3), Alyssa Bales (1-for-3, 1 run), Ava White (sac bunt), Layla Howard (1-for-3, 1 run) and Jorja May (1-for- 3).
BOX SCORE
FYHS 200 100 0 — 3 5 1
FHS 200 000 2 — 4 9 1