Seven consecutive wins to open the season
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Racing ahead as the #6 ranked softball team in Division IV in Ohio, the Manchester Lady Greyhounds continued to dominate their early season opponents, the latest victims being the Ripley Lady Jays. A rare Saturday doubleheader of Southern Hills Athletic Conference contests saw the Lady Hounds visit the Lady Jays and take care of business as a sixth-ranked team should.
Scoring nine runs in the first inning of both games, the Lady Hounds had little trouble disposing of the Ripley squad, sweeping the doubleheader in run-rule fashion, 15-4 and 15-5 to improve their record to 7-0 at press time.
Manchester wasted no time in game one on Saturday, putting up that nine-spot in the top of the first, the big hit being a bases-clearing triple by shortstop Jenna Campbell, all of the runs coming off of Ripley starter Riley Finn. The Lady Hounds were held scoreless in their next two at-bats, while the Lady Jays picked up their first run of the game in the bottom half of the third.
The Manchester bats came back to life in the top of the third, scoring three times. Ashleigh Dunn was plunked by a pitch with the bases jammed to force in one run, Campbell singled home the second run and a Rylie Young base hit made it 12-1. In the top of the fifth, the Lady Hounds tacked on two more, getting a two-run double from Harley Rideout.
The Lady Jays were able to add three runs in the bottom of the fifth. all of them coming on a three-run inside the park home run off the bat of Grace Taylor, but Manchester hurler Rylie Young was able to preserve the 10-run advantage that caused the game to be halted by the run rule after five frames.
Campbell and Rideout paced the Manchester offense, driving in four and three runs respectively, while in the center circle, Young allowed five hits and struck out seven in her five innings of work.
“Our bats are finally coming alive,” sayd Manchester head coach Matthias Applegate. “The Eastern game got us rolling, we struggled hitting Prewitt the first time through the lineup but then starting hitting. That game got us going. Hopefully, we continue hitting on Tuesday against a very good pitcher for Lynchburg.”
Game One
Manchester
900 32 —14
Ripley
001 03 —4
Manchester Hitting (AB-R-H-RBI): Campbell 4-2-2-4, Young 2-1-1-2, E. Applegate 3-1-1-0, Carter 4-2-3-1, Roberts 1-3-0-1, Rideout 3-2-3-3, Freeman 4-1-1-, Dunn 1-1-0-1, J. Applegate 3-1-1-1, Team 25-14-12-14.
Extra-Base Hits: Rideout 2B, Carter 2B, Campbell 3B
Ripley Hitting (AB-R-H-RBI): Taylor 3-1-1-3, Hackney 3-0-0-0, Manning 2-0-1-0, R. Finn 3-0-0-0, Hutchinson 3-0-0-0, Fulton 2-0-0-0, Fultz 2-0-1-0, Rosselot 2-1-1-0, K. Finn 1-2-1-0, Team 21-4-5-3.
Extra-Base Hits: Taylor HR
Manchester Pitching:
Young (W) 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Ripley Pitching:
R. Finn (L) 5 IP, 12 H, 14 R, 12 ER, 7 BB, 1 K
The Lady Jays must have felt a big dose of deja vu as game two began. With Brooklyn Manning getting the starting nod for Ripley, the Lady Hounds again exploded for a nine-run first inning. Four of those runs came across on bases loaded walks and an Emilee Applegate base hit brought home the final two of the frame. Manchester only had one hit in the big first inning but had eight batters draw bases on balls.
Applegate also got the starting nod in the center circle for the Lady Hounds and she tossed a pair of scoreless innings before the Lady Jays got to her in the top of the third for four runs but before that happened Manchester had added five more runs in their half of the second, a Kameyl Carter two-base hit driving home the final run of the inning that made it at the time, 14-0. In the top half of the fifth. Ripley pushed a single run across when Kenlee Finn came across on a Manchester error.
Needing just a single run in their half of the fifth for a second consecutive run-rule win, the Lady Hounds got the job done. Keeley Monroe was hit by a pitch from Ripley reliever Riley Finn. moved to second on a wild pitch and third on a base hit by Ashleigh Dunn. Monroe then came in to score the winning run on a ground out by Jaylise Applegate, securing the sweep and a seventh consecutive win for the Lady Hounds.
The Lady Hounds were led at the plate and from the pitching rubber by senior Emilee Applegate who went 3 for 3 at the dish, scored two runs, and drove in five. From the center circle, Applegate tossed a five-inning complete game, scattering five hits and striking out five.
The Lady Hounds were back in SHAC action on Tuesday, April 11 as they traveled to Lynchburg, then take a couple of days off before a big weekend trip. At 8:30 a.m. on Thursday a contingent of 50+ players, parents and fans will pull out of the MHS parking lot to make the trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to play the weekend as part of the Cal Ripken Experience.
The Lady Hounds will play JV and varsity games on both Friday and Saturday, the varsity facing Girard High School on Friday and Thornton Academy on Saturday.
Game Two
Ripley
004 01 —5
Manchester
950 01 —15
Ripley Hitting (AB-R-H-RBI): R. Finn 3-2-1-0, Hackney 3-0-0-0, Manning 3-0-0-1, Fultz 3-1-1-0, Hutchinson 3-1-2-1, Fulton 3-0-0-0, Flowers 2-0-0-0, Rosselot 2-0-0-0, K. Finn 2-1-1-0, Team 24-5-5-2.
Extra-Base Hits: Hutchinson 2B
Manchester Hitting (AB-R-H-RBI): Campbell 1-1-0-1, Brown 1-1-0-0, Young 2-2-1-2, E. Applegate 3-2-3-5, Morgan 1-0-0-0, Carter 3-1-1-1, Roberts 2-1-0-0, Rideout 2-2-1-1, Neria 1-0-0-0, Freeman 3-1-0-1, Monroe 0-1-0-0, Dunn 3-1-1-1, J. Applegate 2-2-0-2, Team 23-15-7-14.
Extra-Base Hits: Rideout 2B, E. Applegate 2B, Carter 2B
Ripley Pitching:
Manning (L) 0.1 IP, 1 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 8 BB
R. Finn 4.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Manchester Pitching:
E. Applegate (W) r IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 5 K