GHS victory slips away with 3-run WC blast in 11th inning

A late-inning rally carried Worth County to a Grand River Conference softball victory over Gallatin Tuesday night when shortstop Tiffany Troutwine smashed a 3-run homer over the left field fence to give the Lady Tigers a 5-2 win.

Troutwine’s big blow came after both teams failed to score in the 8th, 9th and 10th frames. Gallatin, and ace hurler Lacey Dixon, had a league victory well in hand after taking a 2-0 lead into the top of the 7th at the GHS field, but three errors, combined with one timely hit, allowed the Lady Tigers to tie the score and send the game into extra innings.

Worth County’s runs in the 7th snapped a 25-inning stretch of shutout ball by the Lady Bulldogs back to the 2nd inning of the South Harrison game. Dixon, the hard luck loser Tuesday night, threw 194 pitches, struck out 22 batters and walked only four.

Gallatin took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 4th when Courtney Ray beat out an infield single and stole second to get into scoring position. Alyssa Strein was safe at first on a fielder’s choice that allowed Ray to move to third. With two outs, Ray drew a pickoff throw to third from catcher Lynsie Jackson, who threw the ball into left field.

The Lady Bulldogs added another run in the sixth 6th when Strein singled and moved to second on a wild pitch, then scored on Trisha Sprague’s hard liner to right field.

Worth County benefitted from a lead off error in the 7th, but Dixon struck out the next batter. A throwing error put two on the bags. A fielder’s choice erased a runner at second but allowed the rally to continue with a runner at third. A two-out grounder failed to end the game as the frame’s third error allowed a Lady Tiger run to cross the plate. Troutwine smoked a line drive past Dixon into center field and the tying run walked home.

Worth County moved a runner as far as third base in the 8th but could not score. Dixon blooped a double behind second base in Gallatin’s half of the 8th but was left stranded. Her head-first slide into the bag drew gasps from the GHS crowd when she jammed her pitching hand into the bag. However, she remained in the game and struck out two in the 9th.

Dennelle Rhodes led off the bottom of the 10th with a single but Worth County’s freshman hurler Megan Walker retired the next three batters.

Gallatin mustered a single from Sprague in the bottom of the 11th but she got no farther than second base.

With the loss, Gallatin fell to 2-3 in GRC play and 8-3 overall.

The Lady Bulldogs entered Tuesday’s contest having posted back-to-back shutouts of Stanberry and Mid-Buchanan.

Gallatin beat Mid-Buchanan, 4-0, on Monday with Maggie Strange leading the way with a single, triple and two runs scored. Ray walked, singled and plated a run. Dixon also scored for the lady Bulldogs, and struck out eight in the winning effort on the mound.

Gallatin battered Stanberry to the tune of a 6-0 final score last Thursday. Strange singled once and scored. Strein singled, doubled and scored. Dixon scored a run with a solo homer. Sprague singled, doubled and came home. Ayrica Batson singled an scored once. Jennifer Guffey also singled, doubled and scored once.

Dixon fanned eight in the outing.

Gallatin begins a 3-game road trip Thursday with a trip to Albany. The Lady Bulldogs travel to Lawson on Monday (4:30) and head to Trenton Tuesday for a 5 p.m. start.