Prep Softball: Harrisburg prevails over Foxes; Crab Orchard downs G-T
The Harrisburg softball team rallied to knock off Hamilton County 9-8 in eight innings Tuesday.
With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 5-2 on the season and Matty Hawkins went to 4-1 on the year with a complete-game performance in the circle.
The freshman right hander went the distance, allowing eight runs (two earned) on eight hits, while striking out 10 and walking three.
Harrisburg held a commanding 7-1 lead going into the top of the fifth, before the wheels fell off the proverbial bus for the Bulldogs as Hamilton County took an 8-7 lead on four errors by Harrisburg.
The Bulldogs got back in the ball game thanks to the offensive prowess of Whitney Younger, who led off the sixth inning with a triple and scored the winning run on a base hit by Gillian Jones.
Younger then led off the eighth inning with a double and infield hit by Jones put runners on the corner. Mckenzie Sullivan's base hit to right field scored Younger for the game winner.
At the plate, Jones was 4-for-5 with an RBI, while Sullivan was 2-for-5 with four RBI.
Younger finished 2-for-4, as did Mckenzie Payne, Jessie Bramlet and Brittany Hutchinson and all three finished with an RBI.
Abby Dalton and Hawkins each had a hit.
Long time Harrisburg head coach Red Stafford called the Bulldogs' fifth inning one of the worst he has ever witnessed.
"Matty pitched much better, we just didn't help her out. I've seen a lot of softball in my time, but that fifth inning may have been the worst inning of Harrisburg softball I've ever seen. All three outfielders had an error and there was an error in the infield. It's just one of those things where we didn't do anything right. We're young, but most of the plays were routine plays, ones we make in practice and in any other game."
Harrisburg is scheduled to play at Du Quoin today at 4:30 p.m. and will be at Eldorado Friday, finishing out the week at the Pope County Round Robin Tournament Saturday, starting at 11 a.m.
Crab Orchard 10, Galatia-Thompsonville 7
Galatia-Thompsonville had the bases loaded with one out, but couldn't convert in a 10-7 loss to Crab Orchard in a Greater Egyptian Conference game Tuesday.
Brooke Burris suffered the loss in a relief appearance as the senior worked the final two innings and gave up five runs (four earned) on four hits, while walking six.
Dani Reynolds got the start, going five innings, issuing five runs (two earned) on five hits, while walking nine and striking out three.
At the plate, Burris hit a home run, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, while Cassi Cotter and Kaelyn Watson were each 1-for-3 with an RBI.