On a cool and damp Wednesday evening in Ronda, the Lady Cardinals of East Wilkes High School hosted the Lady Elks of Elkin High School on the softball field. The game, which had already been delayed earlier in the week due to rain, began under the threat of more rain.
Elkin quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, a lead they would hold for the next five innings. East Wilkes committed an error and Elkin’s Leigha Church hit into a fielder’s choice to score the two runs. The game then became a marathon of outs as neither team scored for the next five innings.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, East Wilkes made a run and took the lead after scoring three runs behind a double hit and a ground out ball. The Lady Elks had one more inning to score and they put themselves in a possible position to reclaim the lead by getting two base hits and a walk to load the bases. But a ground out ball down the third base line would end the inning and the game, giving the Cardinals the win.
The Lady Elks led with seven hits to the Cardinals five hits. Seniors Maggie Tomlin and Lily Robbins led all batters as they each collected two hits each for the Elks. The Cardinals had two errors for the game as compared to only one for the Elks.
Elkin head coach Jon Symons remarked, “East Wilkes simply made a couple of big plays, down the stretch, when it counted the most. We will reflect on this tough loss and hopefully use it to sharpen our focus on the remainder of our games.”
Elkin took Thursday off, again due to rain, and then traveled to Mount Airy on Friday to face off with the Lady Bears. The Elks again quickly jumped out to take the lead in the top of the first inning when senior Leah White drew a walk, scoring one run and senior pitcher, Karly Gentry hit a single, scoring one run.
In the top of the second inning, Elkin scored six runs on six hits. Robbins hit a single, Tomlin doubled and sophomore Mackenzie White, and her sister Leah, each singled, scoring one run each. Church also grabbed a single hit, sending home two runs, The Elks added to their lead again in the top of the third inning after the Bears committed an error and Gentry lined out, each scoring one run. Elkin easily took the win 12-1.
Elkin piled up 12 hits for the game. Tomlin, senior Macy Lane, Robbins, White and Church all collected two hits each for their team. Tomlin went 2 for 4 at the plate and led her team with two runs batted in. Freshman Alyssa Jenkins and Church each stole multiple bases for the Elks as the team took seven total stolen bases. The Elks were sure-handed and did not commit a single error for the game.
Elkin’s conference record now stands at 5-3, with a 9-5 overall record. The Elks will face off with the Lady Rams of Starmount, as the Rams host on Tuesday. Play is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in Boonville.
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