The Switzerland County High School girls varsity softball season has kicked into high gear, as the Lady Pacers have already played six games.
– On March 29th, Switzerland County opened its season by dropping two games to visiting Henryville. The Lady Pacers lost the first game by a score of 10-9; and then fell in the second contest by a score of 4-0.
In the first game, Tanya Sefton was 2-for-3 with five stolen bases and three runs scored; Melisa Raisor was 3-for-4 with two RBI, two stolen bases, and a run scored; Amber Smith was 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored; and Rachel Rodgers was 1-for-4 with a stolen base and two runs scored.
Jenna Daugherty was 1-for-3 at the plate; Courtney Cole, Morgan Ross, and Becky Turner each had an RBI; Morgan Ross and Hailee Smith each had a stolen base; and Hailee Smith also scored a run.
On the mound, Becky Turner went eight innings with five strikeouts. She allowed nine hits and five earned runs.
“We should have won the first game,” Lady Pacer coach Steven Konkle said. “We led 5-1 after three innings. We just gave up too many unearned runs on mistakes.”
In the second game, both Melisa Raisor and Morgan Ross were 1-for-2 at the plate; while Amber Smith was 1-for-3.
“In the second game they used a good pitcher, but all four runs that we gave up were unearned,” Coach Konkle said.
– On Wednesday, April 2nd, the Lady Pacers fell to South Dearborn by a final score of 3-2.
South Dearborn won the game in the bottom of the seventh inning on an unearned run after a wild pitch and an error at second base by the Lady Pacers.
Rachel Rodgers was highlighted by the coaching staff for going 2-for-3 at the plate, with a double and an RBI. Megan McCarty was 1-for-3 at the plate with a double and a run scored; Courtney Cole was 1-for-2; and Amber Smith was 1-for-3 with a run scored. Emilee Waldron added a stolen base.
Becky Turner pitched seven innings and recorded eight strikeouts and had no walks. She allowed just six hits and no earned runs.
“Overall it was a good game,” the Lady Pacer coach said. “We still had too many mistakes, but I’ve seen improvement.”
– Switzerland County picked up its first two wins of the year on Saturday, April 5th, with a doubleheader sweep of Lawrenceburg. The Lady Pacers won by a score of 7-0 in the opener; and then took the second game by a score of 14-2 in five innings.
In the first game, Becky Turner took center stage as she twirled a no hitter at the Lady Tigers. The sophomore struck out seven in seven innings of work, and allowed only four bases on balls.
Offensively, Megan McCarty was 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored, two RBI, and one stolen base; Jenna Daugherty was 2-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases; and Tanya Sefton was 1-for-3 with three runs scored, and one RBI.
Rachel Rodgers was 1-for-4 with a stolen base; Morgan Ross was 1-for-4 with two stolen bases; and Hailee Smith was 1-for-4.
Courtney Cole had two RBI; Amber Smith had one RBI; and Melisa Raisor had two stolen bases and scored a run.
In the second game, Coach Konkle used his bench liberally, and still came away with a 14-2 victory.
Emilee Waldron was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI; Karista Wengert was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI and a run scored; Rachel Tressler was 2-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and a stolen base; and Chelsea Peters was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
Kelsi South was 2-for-2 with two runs scored; Catie Johnson was 1-for-2 with a triple and two walks, and she also scored a run; Jenna Daugherty was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base; and Maggie Armstrong was 1-for-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and a stolen base.
Chelsea Peters pitched five innings and struck out two while allowing just five hits and two walks.
– The Lady Pacers evened their overall record at 3-3 and won their first conference game on Monday with an 11-0 rout of South Ripley.
Amber Smith was 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBI; Courtney Cole was 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI; and Tanya Sefton was 1-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBI, and three stolen bases.
Morgan Ross was 1-for-1 at the plate, scoring a run, getting an RBI, and also stealing a base; Melisa Raisor was 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI; and Jenna Daugherty was 1-for-1 at the plate.
Rachel Rodgers scored a run; Hailee Smith had a run scored and a stolen base; Karista Wengert scored a run; and Megan McCarty added a stolen base.
Becky Turner again had an outstanding outing on the mound, pitching five innings and striking out nine while allowing only one walk and two hits.