In a 14-12 win over Ripley on April 11, North Adams catcher Chloe Baker went 2 for 4 and drove home five runs. (Photo by Tim Daulton)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
In a week of cooperative weather that has allowed a lot of softball to be played, one of the wildest games took place at North Adams High School as the Lady Devils entertained the Ripley Lady Jays in Southern Hills Athletic Conference action on Tuesday afternoon. Softball fans on hand saw an offensive show with the Lady Devils taking an early lead, then surviving a nine-run Ripley inning and rallying for a 14-12 victory, their third in their first four outings this spring.
The Lady Jays got the combined 26-run day started with a two-run top of the first, but the Lady Devils had an instant answer, four runs in the bottom half, keyed by a run-scoring double by Karis Tumbleson and a two-run triple from Paige Evans.
All clues of a big offensive day disappeared foe the next two frames as Ripley went scoreless in their next three at-bats and the Lady Devils in their next two, but that changed when North Adams came to bat in the bottom of the fourth. Shaye goon and Taylor Shelton walked to begin the inning and a base hit by Brookelynn Taylor scored Goon. Carlie Garrison was hit by a pitch, followed by a single by Olivia Wright that plated Shelton to make it 6-2 North Adams.
A Tumbleson base hit scored Taylor and Garrison and later in the inning, a two-run double by Chloe Baker gave the home team a 10-2 advantage, but it lasted less than half an inning. Facing a deficit as they came to the plate in the top of the fifth, the Lady Jays exploded for their biggest inning of the season, scoring nine times to flip the scoreboard and give the visitors an 11-10 lead.
Undaunted by the sudden change in fortunes, the Lady Devils bounced right back in their half of the fifth and flipped that board right back in their favor, scoring four times to take a 14-11 lead. A two-run double by Evans gave the home side the lead back for good and two huge insurance runs came home later on a base hit by Baker.
After a scoreless sixth on both sides, Ripley came to the dish in the top of the seventh, needing three to tie, but fell short as they did score once but Garrison got a strikeout for the game’s final out and the third win of the spring for the Lady Devils.
The North Adams offense banged out 16 hits off of Ripley pitching, getting a huge day from Paige Evans, who went 4 for 4, scored three runs and drove home four. Chloe Baker was 2 for 4 and drove home five runs, Karis Tumbleson went 3 for 3 with three RBI’s, Olivia Wright was 3 for 5 and Carlie Garrison was the winning pitcher and went 2 for 3 at the plate.
After the Tuesday win, the Lady Devils got no rest as they were scheduled to be in action the next three days, beginning with a home conference game with Fairfield on Wednesday in what shapes up as an early first place battle in the SHAC. On Thursday, Coach Paula Armstrong’s squad was again in SHAC action with a trip to Peebles and will finish the week with a non-conference trip to Goshen on Friday.
