Lady Wolves Sweep Indians

WESSON – The Co-Lin Softball team returned home for a conference doubleheader against Itawamba on Saturday, April 7. The Lady Wolves swept the day taking game one, 2-1, in walk-off fashion and then routed the Indians in game two, 14-5.

GAME ONE

The game was scoreless after the first inning of play as neither team could push across a run despite getting a hit in the inning. The Indians then broke the scoreless tie with a single run in the top of the second to take a 1-0 lead.

The Indians held that 1-0 lead while retiring the Wolves in order from the second through fourth innings and then retired their tenth batter in a row after getting the leadoff batter out in the bottom of the fifth.

However, the Lady Wolves tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with a single run after Sarah Grace Smith (Crystal Springs) reached base on an error while Kat Case (Monticello) was then brought in as a pinch runner. Case then took second on a groundout and later scored in the inning as Carson Hughey (Brookhaven) reached base on a second error in the inning to tie the game at 1-1.

The Lady Wolves then retired the Indians in order in the sixth and seventh innings setting up the potential walk-off win in the bottom half of the inning. Kinley Ainsworth (Brandon) got the inning going with a leadoff double and then took third on a sacrifice bunt by Leia Phillips (Philadelphia). Taylor Efferson (Holden, LA) was then brought in as a pinch hitter and delivered the walk off win for the Lady Wolves with a sacrifice fly, scoring Ainsworth giving the final of 2-1.

Madison Moak (Brookhaven) and Kinley Ainsworth had one hit each to represent the only two hits of the game for the Lady Wolves while Taylor Efferson had the only RBI of the game.

Cara Biswell (Brandon) pitched a complete game in the win and improved to 11-3 overall while allowing one earned run on eight hits with six strikeouts.

GAME TWO

The second game of the day saw the Indians take advantage of errors by the Lady Wolves to score two runs in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead.

However, the Lady Wolves responded in grand fashion in the bottom of the first as Madison Moak hit a leadoff double to get the offense going and then advanced to third on a single by Abby Grace Richardson (Brookhaven). After Richardson stole second, Zykeria Cole (Magee) loaded the bases with an infield single. Kinley Ainsworth then stepped up and smashed a 2-1 pitch over the fence in left field for a grand slam to give the Lady Wolves a 4-2 lead.

However, the Indians once again took advantage of an error by the Lady Wolves to score a run in the top of the second and cut the lead down to 4-3. The Indians then benefited from another Lady Wolves error in the top of the third leading to two runs scoring and a 5-4 lead for the Indians.

The Lady Wolves then had an offensive explosion in the bottom of the third as they scored ten runs, all with two outs on the board, on eight hits with Cole and Ainsworth being hit-by-pitch in back-to-back at-bats to put two runners on with one out. After Kat Case was brought in as a pinch runner for Cole, Olivia Banes (Pelahatchie) was then brought in as a pinch hitter and loaded the bases with a single. Taylor Efferson was then brought in for a pinch-hit appearance and reached on a fielder's choice as Case was forced out on the play.

Laney Waguespack (Bayou Gauche, LA) was then brought in as a pinch hitter and delivered a go-ahead, two-out, two-RBI single scoring Ainsworth and Banes and giving the Lady Wolves a 6-5 lead. Emeri Warren (Sebastopol) then loaded the bases with a pinch-hit single while the lead was extended with a two-RBI pinch-hit single by Avery Williams (Olive Branch) scoring Efferson and Wageuspack and making the score, 8-5. Moak then stepped up and crushed an 1-1 pitch to center field for a three-run home run while Richardson then went back-to-back with a solo home run to increase the lead to 12-5. Maddie Bruner (Brandon) then drew a walk in a pinch-hit appearance and advanced to third on a double by Ainsworth. Both Bruner and Ainsworth then scored on a two-RBI double by Banes giving the Lady Wolves a 14-5 lead.

The Lady Wolves then allowed the Indians to get two combined baserunners in the fourth and fifth innings via a single in each inning but did not allow a run to score to seal the 14-5 game two victory and sweep on the day.

The Lady Wolves totaled 12 hits as a team with Madison Moak, Abby Grace Richardson, Kinley Ainsworth, and Olivia Banes having two hits apiece while Zykeria Cole, Laney Waguespack, Emeri Warren, and Avery Williams had one hit each. Ainsworth led the Lady Wolves in RBIs with four while Moak had three RBIs with Banes, Waguespack, and Williams adding two RBIs apiece and Richardson had one RBI.

Keegan McCorkle (Tyronza, AR) got the start for the Lady Wolves and improved to 7-0 overall while pitching three innings and allowing five runs, one earned, on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Emily Richarde (Lakeland, TN) pitched two innings of scoreless relief allowing two hits with one strikeout.

Co-Lin improves to 27-3 overall, 14-1 in conference play, and will return to action on the road at Meridian on Monday, April 8. First pitch between the Lady Eagles and Lady Wolves is set for 1 p.m., at Sammie Davidson Field in Meridian.