By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
Teams will often have a sluggish performance after a lengthy layoff. It is something the W.S. Neal Lady Blue Eagles softball team will not argue after they were blanked 19-0 by the visiting Straughn Lady Tigers in three innings Monday.
It was the first game action in 10 days for W.S. Neal (0-10). In fact, it was the first time it had done any work since its March 24 contest at Clarke County.
Straughn got the only runs it needed in the top of the first inning when Codie Yelverton hit an RBI double and Leah Floyd posted an RBI single off Lady Blue Eagles pitcher Miranda Anderson Smith to take a 2-0 lead.
While the Lady Tigers were limited to moderate damage in the first inning, things got progressively worse for W.S. Neal.
Four walks, a single, an error, and McKena Parker's two-run double led to five Straughn runs in the second inning that knocked the cushion up to 7-0.
Sixteen Lady Tigers went to the plate in a 12-run third inning that kicked the 15-run rule into play and made it 19-0.
Straughn was the beneficiary of eight walks in that frame, seven of which came against reliever April Jackson. The Lady Bulldogs also had four hits, two of which were huge. Yelverton picked up her second and third doubles of the game in the inning. The first one of those drove in a couple of runs. The biggest blow was a bases loaded single by Parker that plated three runs after the ball was misplayed in the outfield.
W.S. Neal did not have much success at the plate either. Seven of the 11 Lady Blue Eagles who went to the plate struck out. W.S. Neal put back-to-back hits together in the top of the first inning when April Jackson and Erica Davis each singled, but Jackson was erased in a steal attempt. Jessica Madden singled with two outs in the third inning for the other hit.
W.S. Neal, which hosted T.R. Miller Tuesday, heads to Frisco City Thursday where it will play a 4 p.m. junior varsity game followed by the varsity game at 5 p.m.
At W.S. Neal
Straughn 25(12) 19 10 0
W.S. Neal 000 – 0 3 3