EVERGREEN – West Columbus built a 6-0 lead then survived a 5-run Elizabethtown rally to claim a 7-5 Waccamaw Middle School Conference softball victory Monday.
Pitcher Ariel Cromartie smacked a single to begin the Elizabethtown’s 5th inning. Z’kya Drake walked, and catcher Niyah Wooten hammered a double to left field that scored Cromartie with the 1st Lady Cougar run. Hailey Bennett smashed a shot off the Lady Warrior first baseman that scored Drake and Wooten.
Nia McKoy and Maddie Hall drew walks, and Bennett dashed home on a wild pitch. A’nide McKibben’s fielder’s choice plated McKoy and sliced the West lead to 6-5.
West Columbus padded the lead to 7-5 in the home fifth. Drake and Wooten drew walks to start the Lady Cougar 6th inning, and Bennett cracked a single to load the bases with nobody out. However West Columbus stranded those baserunners with 3 straight strike-outs.
Wooten drilled a single to left in the 1st inning, ripped a triple into the left field corner in the 3rd inning and finished a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and a run batted in. Bennett batted 2-for-2 with 2 RBIs, 2 walks and a run scored. Cromartie and McKibben connected for 1 hit each. McKibben drove in a run, and Drake and Cromartie scored runs.
Cromartie pitched a 2-hitter and struck out 9 batters for Elizabethtown. Thirteen walks and 7 hit batters plagued the Lady Cougars. Wooten recovered wild pitches and tagged out 2 runners at the plate herself and flipped to Cromartie who tagged out another runner at the plate.
Elizabethtown will host Bladenboro Tuesday.
Elizabethtown 000 050 – 5-7
W. Columbus 201 31x – 7-2
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