Lady Indians handle West Union 7-1

By Mark Carpenter

People’s Defender

Two softball teams off to very different starts met on April 11 at Peebles High School as the Lady Indians hosted the West Union Lady Dragons in Southern Hills Athletic Conference action. After a slow start, the Lady Indians were beginning a week where they would win three out of four games while the Lady Dragons were still searching for their first win of what is still a relatively young season.

The Lady Indians are under new management this season, with Amanda Myers taking over after a long and very successful run by Coach Doug McFarland. Myers inherits a roster with two seniors, six juniors, three sophomores and three freshman and at press time the Lady Indians stood at 4-5, 3-2 in conference play.

In Friday’s county battle, the Lady Indians struck first, getting three runs in the bottom of the first after pitcher Kaelyn Musser blanked West Union in the top half. Amryn Carroll led off the frame by reaching safely on an error and one out later, Kendall Myers drew a walk. A base hit to left by Abigail Smalley scored Carroll with the first run followed by Reese Davis being hit by a pitch to load the bases against West Union starter Lily Reed. After a fielder’s choice at the plate for the second out, Aleah Purcell was hit by a pitch to force home a run and a base hit to left by Gracie Mitchell scored Davis to make it 3-0.

Both Reed and Peebles starter Kaelyn Musser tossed scoreless second innings, the Lady Dragons got on the board in the top of the third with what turned out to be their only run of the contest when third baseman Emmy Stapleton reached on a fielder’s choice and later came home on an infield hit off the bat of Addison Mashburn.

The Lady Indians added to their lead in the bottom half of the fifth with three more runs, two of those coming across on a base hit by Kendall Young and the other when Young scored on a single to center by Tiffany Burns off of Mashburn, who came on in relief for the Lady Dragons.

For good measure, Peebles added one in the bottom of the sixth and Musser retired the side in order in the top of the seventh to sew up the 7-1 win for the Lady Indians.

Right fielder Kendall Young drove in two runs and Abigail Smalley had three hits to lead the winner’s offense while Musser tossed a complete game from the center circle, allowing just four hits and striking out eight West Union hitters.

The win over West Union was the beginning of a four games in four day run for the Peebles girls. They dropped a conference battle with Eastern Brown 13-7, then bounced back to grab two conference wins, 7-6 over Whiteoak in eight innings and then 4-1 over Ripley to improve to 4-5 on the spring.

After the loss at Peebles, the Lady Dragons also dropped a 13-8 decision to Whiteoak three days later, leaving them at 0-5 for the season.

West Union

001 000 0 —1

Peebles

30o 031 x —7

W. Union Hitting (AB-R-H-RBI): Adams 3-0-1-0, Mashburn 3-0-1-1, Lewis 3-0-1-0, Stout 3-0-0-0, Reed 3-0-0-0, Ellis 3-0-1-0, Garrison 2-0-0-0, Hayslip 1-0-0-0, Stephenson 2-0-0-0, Stapleton 2-1-0-0, Team 25-1-4-1.

Extra-Base Hits” Ellis 2B

Peebles Hitting (AB-R-H-RBI): Abbott 2-0-0-0. Burns 1-0-1-2, Carroll 3-1-2-0, Davis 2-1-0-0, Mitchell 2-0-2-0, Musser 4-0-0-0, Myers 3-2-2-0, Purcell 2-0-0-0, Smalley 4-2-3-1, Young 4-1-3-3, Team 27-7-13-6.

W. Union Pitching:

Reed (L)- 4.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Hayslip- 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Peebles Pitching:

Musser (W)- 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K