By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Looking to continue the improvements they have made over recent seasons, Coach Paula Armstrong and her North Adams Lady Devils opened their 2026 softball season on March 21 with a trip to Rock Hill to participate in the Rock Hill Invitational, squaring off first against Lucasville Valley then matching up with the host squad.
If last year was any indication, the Lady Devils have the ability to be one of the top offensive squads in the area, returning a number of starters plus their top pitcher in senior Carlee Garrison.
In the opener of their Saturday twinbill, facing the Valley Lady Indians, the North Adams offense got off to a good start, scoring twice in the top of the first inning, a base hit by Paige Evans bringing home a pair, Marnie Tolle and Carlee Garrison. That lead evaporated in the bottom of the second when Valley scored three times off of Garrison to grab the advantage.
Right back came the Lady Devils in their half of the third to event he score, getting back to back base hits from Evans and Chloe Armstrong, then Evans coming home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Marley Whalen.
Valley jumped back in front in the bottom of the third with a single run and that was it as nobody touched the plate the rest of the way. North Adams got a one-out double from Whalen in the top of the sixth but left her stranded and then threatened in the seventh when Garrison Garrison and Tolle singled but the game ended when Garrison was thrown attempting to steal third, resulting in a 4-3 Valley victory.
The Lady Devils bounced back with a vengeance in their second game, battling Rock Hill and handing the host team a convincing 14-1 run-rule defeat.
North Adams scored one on the first, five in the third and then added four spots in both the fourth and fifth to account for their scoring. The Lady Devils pounded out 10 hits in the win, with Chloe Armstrong and Riley Woods leading the way with three hits apiece, woods driving in three. Marley Whalen banged out two hits and drove home five. Marnie Tolle scored four times and also was the winning pitcher, going five innings, allowing four hits and just one run, striking out five.
The Lady Devils were slated to play four times this week, Monday at Waverly, followed up by a Tuesday trip to Williamsburg. On Wednesday they will travel to Pikston and then finish with a home game on Friday with Portsmouth West.
(Update: The Lady Devils improved to 2-1 on Monday evening, getting a 6-1 road win at Waverly.)
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