CLARKTON – Lauren Bowen pitched a 2-hitter Tuesday as Clarkton School of Discovery defeated Elizabethtown 14-4 in Bladen Five Middle School Conference softball action.
Bowen struck out one, walked four and hit a batter. Only one of the four Lady Cougar runs was earned.
Abigail Madden swatted a single to lead off the game for Elizabethtown, stole second and raced home when Cheylee Mathis smashed a double. Alyssa Suggs ripped a hard grounder past the secondbaseman that scored Mathis. Suggs later scored on an error as Tinyaun Rhoda reached base.
Clarkton tied the game 3-3 in the bottom of the first. Bowen reached base on an error and stole second base. Khadijah Jones was hit by a pitch, and Katie Evans cracked a single that scored Bowen. Jones stole third base and both her and Evans darted home when the throw sailed into leftfield.
Bowen hammered a double in the second inning, and Jones walloped a triple to drive in Bowen. Evans beat out an infield hit and sped around the bases when the throw sailed down the rightfield line scoring Jones ahead of her for a 6-3 CSD lead.
AnnaGrey Heustess walked and stole second base in the Lady Blue Devil third inning. Bowen’s fielder’s choice brought home Heustess for a 7-3 lead.
Evans blasted a triple to ignite a 6-run Clarkton fourth inning. After a walk to Karli Priest, Quadasia Monroe’s fielder’s choice scored Evans. Heustess walked and Tara Rogers was hit by a pitch. Alyssa Futrell slugged a double that scored Monroe, Heustess and Rogers.
Bowen drilled a double that scored Futrell. Mariah Smith reached base on an error that scored Bowen for a 13-3 lead.
In the Lady Cougar fifth, Kayleigh Raynor sprinted all the way to third base on a throwing error then dashed home on a wild pitch.
Evans smacked a single to start the Clarkton fifth and scooted home on an error to end the game on the mercy rule.
Evans batted a perfect 4-4 with a triple, 3 runs batted in and 4 runs scored to lead the Clarkton hitters. Bowen finished 2-4 at the plate with 2 doubles, 2 rbi’s and 3 runs scored. Futrell delivered the 3-rbi double and scored a run.
Jones tripled in a run and scored twice. Heustess scored twice, Monroe and Rogers scored one run each, and Monroe drove in a run.
Mathis doubled in a run and scored a run. Madden singled and scored. Raynor and Suggs scored one run each.
Raynor pitched 3-plus innings allowing 8 runs – 3 earned – on 4 hits, 3 walks and 2 hit batters. Alyssa Strickland pitched the fourth inning and gave up 6 runs – 5 earned – on 3 hits, 3 walks and a hit batter.
The Lady Blue Devils improved to 3-2 and will travel to Bladenboro Thursday. Elizabethtown suffered their first loss of the season and are now 3-1. The Lady Cougars travel to Tar Heel Thursday.
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