Lady Mustangs defeat visiting Dragons; fall in weekend DH
Lead Summary
By
The Highland County Press-
The Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs won one of three games on Friday and Saturday, defeating the West Union Lady Dragons, but dropping a weekend doubleheader to Western Brown and Zane Trace.
On the season, LC now stands at 6-8 overall.
In the win on Friday, the Lady Mustangs defeated WU, 11-10, as both teams combined for 25 hits, with LC leading that battle as well, out-hitting WU, 15-13.
The biggest difference was the errors committed, as WU committed seven and LC had just one.
LC opened the game with a 4-0 lead after the first inning but trailed 5-4 midway through the third with WU scoring five runs in top of that inning.
The Lady Mustangs responded with a three-run bottom of the third, but again, WU scored another five runs for a 10-7 lead at the conclusion of the top of the fourth inning.
LC continued to fight back with a two-run fourth and one-run fifth, tying the score at 10-10.
In extra innings, LC scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning.
For the game, LC finished with 25 hits against the Lady Dragons and walked twice.
Hayley McConnaughey finished the game 5-for-5 with one run and three RBIs. Of those five hits, she had two doubles and one triple.
Madysyn Creighton was 4-for-5 with three runs and three RBIs, including one double.
Hannah Binkley was also 4-for-5 with three runs, a double and one walk. Teammate Brittany Allen went 3-for-5, and Shelby Chisman was 3-for-6 with one run and one RBI. Chisman also walked once.
Nikki Jones and Megan Pointer each had two hits, with Jones collecting an RBI, while Pointer scored two runs, with one of her hits being a double.
Chelsi Hacker and Lexi Waits each had one hit.
Binkley was the winning pitcher with nine strikeouts in eight innings.
[[In-content Ad]]On Saturday, the Lady Mustangs lost to Western Brown, 7-6.
LC led 5-1 after two innings, including a four-run second, but by two runs after three complete with WB scoring two runs in the top of the third.
WB cut their deficit to one run in the fifth by plating one runner. In the seventh, WB outscored the host Lady Mustangs, 3-1. WB who committed five errors, compared to two by LC.
"I knew we were going have to play hard, because Western Brown has always been a great ball club," LC head coach Spring Roberts said. "They have girls that have already signed or are getting ready to sign for colleges, but I also knew this would be a great eye opener for the girls, and I was ecstatic with how the girls played.
"Our defense was on fire, and the hitting is still improving every day. Everyone hit (against WB)."
LC totaled 11 hits in the loss, Saturday to the Lady Broncos, with Creighton leading at 3-for-4 with one run and two RBIs. One of her three hits was a double.
Waits was 2-for-4 with two runs and a walk.
Binkley, Chisman, Hacker, Jones, McConnaughey and Pointer each had a hit, with Jones' hit being a double.
In the nightcap of the DH on Saturday, LC lost by a 10-2 score.
LC scored both of their runs in the second inning. The Lady Mustangs totaled eight hits in the non-conference loss to the Lady Pioneers, with Hacker going 3-for-3 with two doubles.
McConnaughey went 2-for-3 with one RBI. With one hit each were Binkley, Creighton and Waits. Binkey also had an RBI in the game.
Waits left the game with a shoulder injury, as Coach Roberts said it made a difference for the team, getting injured when diving back to third base.
"Losing Lexi changed the team," Roberts said. "She's our starting catcher, and she is a defensive leader for us.
"We adjusted. Everyone had Lexi on their mind. Our defense was still good, but we didn't have her voice on the field. We didn't execute anything. We hit but couldn't get anyone to score. Granted, we should have battled harder, but it would have had a different outcome at the end with Lexi."
On the season, LC now stands at 6-8 overall.
In the win on Friday, the Lady Mustangs defeated WU, 11-10, as both teams combined for 25 hits, with LC leading that battle as well, out-hitting WU, 15-13.
The biggest difference was the errors committed, as WU committed seven and LC had just one.
LC opened the game with a 4-0 lead after the first inning but trailed 5-4 midway through the third with WU scoring five runs in top of that inning.
The Lady Mustangs responded with a three-run bottom of the third, but again, WU scored another five runs for a 10-7 lead at the conclusion of the top of the fourth inning.
LC continued to fight back with a two-run fourth and one-run fifth, tying the score at 10-10.
In extra innings, LC scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning.
For the game, LC finished with 25 hits against the Lady Dragons and walked twice.
Hayley McConnaughey finished the game 5-for-5 with one run and three RBIs. Of those five hits, she had two doubles and one triple.
Madysyn Creighton was 4-for-5 with three runs and three RBIs, including one double.
Hannah Binkley was also 4-for-5 with three runs, a double and one walk. Teammate Brittany Allen went 3-for-5, and Shelby Chisman was 3-for-6 with one run and one RBI. Chisman also walked once.
Nikki Jones and Megan Pointer each had two hits, with Jones collecting an RBI, while Pointer scored two runs, with one of her hits being a double.
Chelsi Hacker and Lexi Waits each had one hit.
Binkley was the winning pitcher with nine strikeouts in eight innings.
[[In-content Ad]]On Saturday, the Lady Mustangs lost to Western Brown, 7-6.
LC led 5-1 after two innings, including a four-run second, but by two runs after three complete with WB scoring two runs in the top of the third.
WB cut their deficit to one run in the fifth by plating one runner. In the seventh, WB outscored the host Lady Mustangs, 3-1. WB who committed five errors, compared to two by LC.
"I knew we were going have to play hard, because Western Brown has always been a great ball club," LC head coach Spring Roberts said. "They have girls that have already signed or are getting ready to sign for colleges, but I also knew this would be a great eye opener for the girls, and I was ecstatic with how the girls played.
"Our defense was on fire, and the hitting is still improving every day. Everyone hit (against WB)."
LC totaled 11 hits in the loss, Saturday to the Lady Broncos, with Creighton leading at 3-for-4 with one run and two RBIs. One of her three hits was a double.
Waits was 2-for-4 with two runs and a walk.
Binkley, Chisman, Hacker, Jones, McConnaughey and Pointer each had a hit, with Jones' hit being a double.
In the nightcap of the DH on Saturday, LC lost by a 10-2 score.
LC scored both of their runs in the second inning. The Lady Mustangs totaled eight hits in the non-conference loss to the Lady Pioneers, with Hacker going 3-for-3 with two doubles.
McConnaughey went 2-for-3 with one RBI. With one hit each were Binkley, Creighton and Waits. Binkey also had an RBI in the game.
Waits left the game with a shoulder injury, as Coach Roberts said it made a difference for the team, getting injured when diving back to third base.
"Losing Lexi changed the team," Roberts said. "She's our starting catcher, and she is a defensive leader for us.
"We adjusted. Everyone had Lexi on their mind. Our defense was still good, but we didn't have her voice on the field. We didn't execute anything. We hit but couldn't get anyone to score. Granted, we should have battled harder, but it would have had a different outcome at the end with Lexi."