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Lumberjills Slay Dragons, 13-12

By Staff | May 9, 2018

Valley High School's softball team celebrates a recent victory.

The ‘Jills Kinsey Harris knocked in Megan Brown in the top of the seventh, and held on for a 13-12 slugfest May 3 in the Region I, Section I Tournament at I-470 Softball Complex.

Valley raced out to a 2-0 lead in the opening stanza when Megan Brown opened the game with a single and went to third on a Sydney Bucher double. Jamie West delivered them both home with a double to give the ‘Jills the lead.

But the Lady Dragons came roaring back, scoring two runs themselves to knot the game up at 2-2. Cameron held the Lumberjills scoreless in the next two frames, while scoring two runs in the second and three more in the the third to grab a 7-2 advantage.

However Valley would bat 10 in the inning, while scoring six runs, when Christine Williams started the uprising with a single and scored on a Elizabeth Conley double. After a Tessa Dudgeon single, Olivia Scyoc singled in two more teammates, and moved to second on the throw home.

In addition, Brown walked stole second, and Rachel Bates drilled a hot one off a Cameron player’s glove for an RBI. Bucher cleared the bases with a triple with Harris adding a sacrifice fly. West’s hit came off a Cameron player for an RBI to give the lead back to Valley, 8-7, heading into the home-half of the fourth.

The Lady Dragons withstood the Valley onslaught and scored two more times to re-take the lead at 9-8, heading into the fifth.

The Partridge Family responded with four more runs in the fifth when Conley led-off with a double. Dudgeon then was hit-by-a-pitch, while Scyoc belted a RBI double. Brown then followed with another RBI, while Bates and Harris each added a RBI single and RBI double, respectively, that pushed the Lady ‘Jills advantage to 12-9.

Cameron sliced the Valley lead with a run in the fifth, setting up a wild ending.

In the seventh Brown belted a one-out single, and Bucher reached base on a walk, with Harris blasting a two-out RBI double to give Valley an insurance run that would be the deciding run.

Cameron would tack on two runs on one-hit, three walks and a fly-out before Harris struck-out the final batter with the bases-loaded to give the ‘Jills the nod, and one-win from making it to the Region I, Section II Championship.

“What a game, and what a finish,” said VHS Head Coach Gary Partridge. “The girls never gave up and played as hard as they could. I couldn’t be prouder.”

Brown got the win and the save from the circle. She pitched five complete innings and came back to pitch with two-outs and the bases loaded, and after delivering two straight balls, she threw three straight strikes to get the third out and the win and save. She struck out six and walked six, while Harris walked three in an inning and two-thirds.

At the plate, Harris singled and doubled twice, while Bucher doubled and tripled. Conley doubled twice and knocked in two runs, while Williams and Dudgeon both singled twice with Williams picking up an RBI.

In addition, Scyoc had a monster game. She singled and doubled, while plating three. Brown singled twice and scored three times, while knocking in a run, and stealing three bases. Bates also had a pair of singles. She also knocked in a pair, and stole a base. Jamie West doubled and knocked in three runs, while stealing a base for all the Valley statistics.

Breanna Boggs had four hits, including a triple, and stole three bases, while Breanna Pekula took the loss from the mound struck-out three and walked five.

**

Lumberjills Win First Game Of Season, 16-0 In Sectionals

The first 11 Valley Lumberjill batters reached base and scored to carry the Lumberjills to their first victory of the season, over the Hundred Hornets, May 2 at the I-470 Softball Field in the Region I, Section I sectional opener.

The ‘Jills first three batters walked before Sydney Bucher drilled one to the fence for a 2-0 Valley lead, and after two more walks, tallied another run before Elizabeth Conley drilled a two-RBI single to give Valley a 5-0 lead. Two more walks scored one run, while Megan Bucher ripped a bases-loaded double to score two more times. After another walk, Alex Bassett drove the last two ‘Jill base-runners in to give Valley a 11-0 lead after one inning of play.

In the meantime, the Lumberjills pitchers – Megan Brown, Kinsey Harris and Christine Williams, were two batters over the minimum, striking out five and walking two in the five inning mercy-rule shortened game no-hitter.

The Lumberjills scored five more times in the fourth with RBI doubles by Conley and Tessa Dudgeon, and a Williams single.

Conley, Brown and Dudgeon each singled and doubled, while Bucher doubled to lead the Valley offense.

In addition, Williams singled twice, while Bassett added a single.

**

Bennington Leads Central Past Valley, 8-0

Wheeling Central’s Riley Bennington homered twice and limited the Valley Lumberjills to three singles, while striking out 16 in leading the Maroon Knights to an 8-0 shutout in the Region I, Section 1 winners bracket May 2 at I-470 Softball Complex.

The Lumberjills got the bases loaded in the top of the first, starting with a Rachel Bates bunt single, a Sydney Bucher walk and a Jamie West walk, but Billington struck-out three in the inning to get out of it without any damage.

The Knights got on the board in the bottom of the first on a Bennington solo-home-run to give Central the lead.

The ‘Jills Megan Brown set the defending state Class A champs down in order in the second, however Central got its lead-off batter on in the third and scored four batters later to grab a 2-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Brown kept the game close with her pitching as she held the Lady Knights in check until the bottom of the fifth when Central’s Bennington went yard with a runner on board. A single and a three-base error tacked in another run that seemed to rattle the ‘Jills.

Wheeling capped-off the inning with a two-run base-hit and a single, fielders choice and another Valley error to end the game in mercy-rule fashion, 8-0.

Batews paced the ‘Jills with two-singles, while Bucher added the other hit.

Brown took the loss from the circle, didn’t strike-out or walk a batter, while limiting Central to 12-hits and eight runs with five costly errors.

“I am real proud of my girls, and they need to be very proud of themselves” said VHS Head Coach Gary Partridge. “That is the best defensive game we have played all season, but we were only one hit away from being in this game if we could have gotten a hit with the bases loaded in the first inning. Who knows what could have happened from there.”