Myers, Nichols homer, Pierce fires perfect game in Peebles opener –
By Mark Carpenter –
It didn’t take long for Peebles right hander Madison Pierce to pick up where she left off last season. The junior flamethrower, who is considered one of the top pitchers in southeast Ohio, began the 2018 campaign with another perfect game to ad to her ever-growing list of accomplishments in the center circle.
On Monday afternoon as many teams in the area were able to play their season openers, Pierce made swift work of the visiting Ripley Lady Jays, retiring all 18 hitters that she faced and fanning 15 of those as the Lady Indians won their season and conference opener by a final score of 10-0. Pierce was backed up by an offense that produced 12 hits, including two-run homers off the bats of Josie Myers and Matti Nichols.
After being held scoreless in the bottom of the first, the Lady Indians got all the runs they actually needed with a single score in the bottom of the second, with Christian Reed coming home on a base hit by Josie Myers.. Peebles would score in every at-bat from that point on, beginning with a three-spot in their half of the third, courtesy of run-scoring singles by Pierce and Haley Moore, plus a run batted in from Jerilin Toller
Two more Lady Indians crossed the plate in the bottom half of the fourth, both crossing the plate when Nichols went deep with Myers on board, then it was Myers’ turn to go yard in the bottom of the fifth, with Toller on first.
Leading 8-0 and with six perfect innings from Pierce, Peebles needed two in their half of the sixth to enforce the run rule and they picked that up with a combination of base hits from Moore, Reed, and Kylie Sims to finish off a 10-0 victory.
Every player in the Peebles lineup got at least one hit in the win, with Moore, Reed, and Myers rapping out two hits apiece. Pierce was the winner, striking out the first 11 Ripley batters, on her way to the 15 K, perfect game outing. Ripley starter Meggie Short took the loss, giving up nine earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Weather permitting, the Lady Indians were slated to be back in SHAC action on Tuesday with a road trip to Eastern Brown, followed by a home non-conference match up on Wednesday, March 28 with Southeastern,
Ripley Hitting (AB-R-H-RBI): W. King 2-0-0-0, H. King 2-0-0-0, Bennington 2-0-0-0, Eichner 2-0-0-0, Scott 2-0-0-0, Kirschner 2-0-0-0, Lewis 2-0-0-0, Weatherspoon 2-0-0-0, Mick 2-0-0-0, Team 18-0-0-0.
Peebles Hitting (AB-R-H-RBI): Behr 2-1-1-0,Pierce 3-1-1-1, Moore 4-1-2-1, Sims 4-1-1-0, Reed 4-1-2-1, Toller 4-1-1-1, Myers 2-2-2-3, Brown 3-0-1-0, Nichols 3-1-1-2, Team 29-9-12-9.
Extra-Base Hits: Behr 2B, Myers HR, Nichols HR
