A home run by Paige Evans helped lead the North Adams Lady Devils to a 7-6 win over Ripley on April 22. Evans is now hitting .400 for the season as the North Adams girls topped their win total from 2023. (Photo provided)
Evans HR leads North Adams past Ripley
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
By virtue of a 7-5 victory at Ripley on Monday afternoon, Coach Paula Armstrong and the North Adams Lady Devils eclipsed their win total from 2023 as the program continues to show steady improvement. The win over the Lady Jays improved North Adams to 5-9 on the season after winning just four games in the spring of 2023.
In Monday’s win, the Lady Devils fell behind early as Ripley got to North Adams starter Carlee Garrison for a run on an RBI double from Brooklyn Manning. The Lady Devils matched that in the top of the second when Karis Tumbleson came home on a Taylor Shelton ground out.
In the top of the third, North Adams took the lead for good and they did it with the longball. After Garrison led off the frame with a base hit, one out later catcher Paige Evans found an 0-2 pitch to her liking and drove it over the center field fence for a two-run homer and a 3-1 lead for the Lady Devils.
The visitors padded their lead in their next at-bat, adding on three more runs. Evans was the big bat again, crushing a two-run triple to right and then later racing home on a passed ball to give North Adams a 6-1 advantage. Ripley got one of those back in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double from Karlee Flowers to cut their deficit to 6-2.
A Jaida Mason single in the top of the sixth brought home the seventh North Adams run and the Lady Devils had to stave off a three-run Ripley rally in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs and the tying runs on base, Garrison got Ripley’s Grace Taylor to pop out to second base to end the game and give win #5 to the Lady Devils.
Garrison was the winner in the center circle, tossing a complete game and striking out seven Ripley hitters. At the dish, Evans went 2 for 4, a homer and a triple, and drove home four runs. Jaida Mason and Ava Pistole each had two hits of the nine that the Lady Devils collected on the day.
The Lady Devils looked to add to their win total on Tuesday as they hosted the West Union Lady Dragons and then will host Eastern Brown on Thursday and travel to Fayetteville on Friday, all of those Southern Hills Athletic Conference contests.
