2024 North Adams Lady Devils Softball (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Looking to improve on last season’s four wins, Coach Paula Armstrong and her North Adams Lady Devils varsity softball squad opened their 2024 campaign on a chilly Saturday, March 23, participating in the Ohio national Guard Classic, hosted by Batavia High School.
It probably wasn’t the start that Coach Armstrong hoped for, but the season is underway as the Lady Devils dropped a pair, losing 4-0 to Batavia in the first round, then 15-5 to St, Ursula in the consolation game.
In game one, the Lady Devils outhit Batavia 5-4 but could not translate any of those hits into runs. The host Lady Bulldogs tallied single runs in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings, enough for the shutout win.
North Adams got two hits from leadoff hitter Jaida Mason and single knocks from Carlee Garrison, Karis Tumbleson and Paige Evans. In the center circle, Garrison went six innings, allowing the four hits and striking out six.
In the consolation affair, St. Ursula picked up two runs in the top of the second but the Lady Devils answered with the same in their half of the frame. Chloe Baker led off with a two-base hit, followed by an Evans single. Anna Armstrong was hit by a pitch to load the bases and a walk to Ahleysa Taylor forced home the first run. A steal of home by Evans tied the score.
The Lady Devils couldn’t hold that momentum as St. Ursula struck for a singe run in the top of the third and then a four-spot in the top half of the fourth to go up 7-2. North Adams got one of those back in the bottom of the fourth when a Garrison single played McKenna Shelton, who had reached earlier in the inning on a walk.
In the top of the fifth, St, Ursula picked up four more runs, then added one in the sixth and three more in the seventh. The Lady Devils got one in the bottom of the sixth when Taylor scored on a passed ball, then added one more in the bottom of the seventh when Baker banged her second double of the game and came home on an Armstrong single for the final run in a 15-5 North Adams defeat.
After the 0-2 weekend, the Lady Devils were back in action on Monday with a non-conference trip to Piketon and then opened Southern Hills Athletic Conference play on Tuesday, hosting Lynchburg.
(Update: The Lady Devils dropped a tough one on Monday, losing 1-0 at Piketon.)
