Thursday’s Grand River Conference softball match between Gallatin and Hamilton won’t be the winner-take-all showdown everyone expected
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
Thursday’s Grand River Conference softball match between Gallatin and Hamilton won’t be the winner-take-all showdown everyone expected — not after Albany’s 5-0 win over Hamilton on Tuesday, but the stakes remain the same for the GHS girls. A first-ever conference title is still a reachable goal.
Gallatin, 6-1 in the conference and 11-3 overall, travels to Hamilton, 4-2 in the GRC and 7-4 overall, for a game who’s outcome will keep the Lady Bulldogs in a tie with Maysville in the league race, or dash those hopes. Gallatin also faces King City in league play next Tuesday. King City has four losses in GRC play.
In non-conference action Monday and Tuesday, Gallatin’s girls dropped a 1-0 decision to a tough Lawson squad, but rebounded for a 5-0 victory over Trenton. Lawson scored a lone run in the top of the fourth inning by way of a single, two stolen bases and a passed ball. Ayrica Batson produced the lone hit and was Gallatin’s only baserunner in that contest. Dixon pitched well, striking out 12 while walking one and allowing only two Lady Cardinal hits.
The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against Trenton, and added lone runs in the fourth and fifth frames. Dixon got the win with a nine-strikeout performance. She also reached base four times, scored once and drove in a run.
Hattie Rains drove in three GHS runs. Trisha Sprague had two hits, including a double, and scored twice. Kelsie Parker tripled. Brittney Hixson doubled and scored. Lindsey Robertson reached on an bunt error, scored and also drove in a run.
If the Lady Bulldogs could survive last Thursday’s disastrous sixth inning, maybe they can get through anything. Albany, trailing 6-1, scored five runs off Gallatin errors to tie the game and put the pressure back on the shoulders of the GHS girls.
Megan Richardson started the Lady Warrior inning with a solid single. Amanda Pigg hit a dying pop fly between second and first bases that was just out of the reach of a diving Lindsey Robertson. Runners eventually advanced to second and third bases. GHS third baseman Alyssa Strein nabbed a liner and prevented both runners from scoring….but only for the time being.
Richardson scored on a ground ball error on the infield. Pigg came home on a wild pitch. With two outs, Christina Combs lined a single to right field and Albany’s lead baserunner stopped at third. A ground ball by Christy Abreu back to the mound appeared to get the Lady Bulldogs out of the inning with minimal damage, but Dixon threw over the head of Ayrica Batson at first and another AHS run scored.
When Tonya Hamilton swung and missed at strike three, the Lady Bulldogs again were out of the inning and still in the lead, but the ball popped out of Kelsie Parker’s glove and her throw to first was in the dirt. Another run. Another baserunner.
The next batter, Melissa McGinley, also struck out…this time on a pitch in the dirt. Parker had no chance to come up with the ball and McGinley reached first safely as the tying run crossed the plate. Richardson came to the plate again for Albany but Hixson made up for an earlier error by vacuuming up her grounder and tossing to Batson for the third out.
Not to be deterred, the Lady Bulldogs came out swinging their bats in their half of the inning. Ayrica Batson hit a soft shot over the second baseman’s glove for a hit. Dixon walked and Parker’s hard shot past third loaded the bases with one out. Looking for her first hit of the game, Trisha Sprague lined a rocket back to Buffy Clemmons on the mound. Clemmons snagged the ball in self-defense and threw to third to double off Batson on a close play.
Albany came up with one baserunner in the seventh but Dixon struck out a pair and Hixson retired another batter on a grounder.
The game came to a climactic finish in the bottom of the seventh after Kate Jarboe singled, stole second and moved to third on Hattie Rains’s grounder back to the mound. Hixson stepped to the plate looking for her fourth hit of the game. Albany infielders had trouble fielding grounders all game long, and this time was no exception. Hixson scorched a ground ball to the shortstop, who couldn’t flag it down. Jarboe scored. Game over.
Jarboe finished the game with a double and two singles. Ayrica Batson singled twice. Dixon tripled and finished with three runs batted in. Her pitching line showed 12 strikeouts, no walks, seven hits allowed.