West Union freshman Shelby Stephenson barrels across home plate to score a run in the Lady Dragons’ 12-10 win at West Union on April 22. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)

West Union freshman Shelby Stephenson barrels across home plate to score a run in the Lady Dragons’ 12-10 win at West Union on April 22. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)

<p>North Adams shortstop Morgan Shupert goes airborne to avoid the take out slide of West Union’s Olivia Lewis in action from the two teams’ SHAC match up on Friday, April 22. (Photo by Tim Daulton)</p>

North Adams shortstop Morgan Shupert goes airborne to avoid the take out slide of West Union’s Olivia Lewis in action from the two teams’ SHAC match up on Friday, April 22. (Photo by Tim Daulton)
<p>North Adams base runner Teagan Lloyd (13) was ruled out for avoidable contact on this collision at the plate with West Union catcher Olivia Lewis as the two teams battled on Friday afternoon in Seaman. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)</p>

North Adams base runner Teagan Lloyd (13) was ruled out for avoidable contact on this collision at the plate with West Union catcher Olivia Lewis as the two teams battled on Friday afternoon in Seaman. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)

By Mark Carpenter

People’s Defender

The softball field at North Adams High School was the site on Friday, April 22 of the second Southern Hills Athletic Conference meeting of the season between the host Lady Devils and the visiting West Union Lady Dragons. The earlier meeting between the two squads took place back on April 12 and resulted in an 8-4 West Union victory and last week’s match up turned out to be one of the more entertaining softball games of the spring, played before a large and boisterous contingent of fans from both sides.

It was definitely a day for the offenses as the two teams combined for 22 runs and 35 hits, all of which ultimately resulted in an exciting 12-10 win for the visiting Lady Dragons, who were led by a 5 for 5 performance at the plate by Sara Boldman and a 4 for 5 day from Mackenzie Stout, as they picked up their third win of the season.

The Lady Dragons got the fireworks started early, scoring four times in the top of the first off North Adams hurler Kaylee Tumbleson, two runs scoring on the same wild pitch, The Lady Devils bounced back in their half of the first off of West Union starter Carly Leonard, taking advantage of a pair of West Union fielding miscues.

West Union continued their scoring parade in the top of the second, Hannah Ford scoring on a Stout base hit and Stout coming around on a two-bagger by Lily Reed to make it 6-3, but the North Adams offense came right back in the bottom half to score four times to take the lead. Olivia Wright singled to lead off the frame followed by a walk to Morgan Shupert and Wright came home on double to left by Teagan Lloyd, while Shupert scored on a single by Jaida Mason. Lloyd was cut down at the plate after a base hit by Mona Edward and Mason and Edwards scored on a base hit by Brooklyn Taylor that gave the home team a 7-6 lead.

That lead vanished quickly as the Lady Dragons came right back with a pair in the top of the third, both turns unearned after a series if North Adams errors. The latest West Union lead lasted about as long as a typical Cincinnati Reds lead as the Lady Devils kept the offensive onslaught alive with a third inning three-spot, two coming home on an Edwards double, but for all the offense that North Adams had produced in their first three at-bats, they scored nary a run in their final four trips to the plate.

Meanwhile, the Lady Dragons were steadily productive in their final four at-bats, scoring one run each time to take a 12-10 advantage as the home team came to bat in the bottom of the seventh, facing Boldman, who was in the center circle in relief. The Lady Devils needed two to tie and three to win, and they put the bat on the ball three times and all three times to Leonard, who was now handling second base duties. The Lady Dragons’ junior flawlessly fielded two ground balls and then moving to her left, snagged a line drive off the bat of Taylor for the final out in the West Union victory.

“We struggled at the beginning of the season being a young team under another new coaching staff,” said first-year West Union head coach Miranda Grooms. “It took time but we are really starting to come together to play as a team and trust each other on the field. We’ve seen a big difference in our girls in the last few games. They have a lot more confidence at the plate and on the field. We’re proud of how much they have improved and excited to see where the rest of this season will take us. Hopefully we will pull out a few more wins!”

Besides the big bats of Boldman and Stout, the victorious Lady Dragons got three-hit outings from Lily Reed and Shelby Stephenson, with Boldman getting the pitching win. North Adams was paced by a 4 for 5 day from catcher Teagan Lloyd, with with Mona Edwards adding two hits and three runs batted in.

The win improved the Lady Dragons to 3-6 on the season while North Adams fell to 0-9.

BOX SCORE

West Union

422 111 1 —12

North Adams

343 000 0 —10

W. Union Hitting (AB-R-H-RBI): Ford 4-2-1-0, Boldman 5-2-5-0, Stout 5-2-4-2, Reed 5-1-3-3, Leonard 5-1-2-0, Lewis 4-1-2-1, Mason 4-1-2-0, Stapleton 2-0-0-0, Williams 2-1-1-0, Tackett 0-0-0-0, Stephenson 4-1-4-1, Team 40-12-23-7.

Extra-Base Hits: Boldman 2B, Lewis 2B, Reed 2B (2), Stout 2B, Mason 3B

N. Adams Hitting (AB-R-H-RBI): Shupert 2-1-0-0, Lloyd 5-2-4-1, Mason 5-2-2-1, Edwards 5-2-2-3, K. Tumbleson 2-0-1-0, Jarvis 4-0-0-0, Taylor 3-0-1-2, Blythe 1-1-1-0, M. Tumbleson 3-0-0-0, Wright 3-1-1-0, Team 33-10-12-7.

Extra-Base Hits: Edwards 2B, Lloyd 2B

W. Union Pitching:

Leonard 1 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 4 BB. 1 K

Reed 4.1 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 3 K

Boldman (W) 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R

N. Adams Pitching:

Tunbleson (L) 7 IP, 23 H, 12 R, 1 BB, 5 K