Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

AID — As long as they Symmes Valley Lady Vikings are winning, coach Jeff “Odie” Estep doesn’t mind how lonely it is in the dugout.

Injuries have left the Lady Vikings currently with nine healthy players, so when they are on defense there is no one left in the dugout.

Estep doesn’t mind if he keeps getting results like Wednesday’s 10-0 Southern Ohio Conference win over the New Boston Lady Tigers in six innings.

“We only have nine girls healthy right now, but everyone is playing hard. It’s been a total team effort,” said Estep.

Stephanie Brown pitched a four-hitter for the win as she struck out five and did not walk a batter.

Catlin Carpenter went 2-3 with two doubles to lead a nine-hit attack. Amber Bryant was 2-3 with a double and Tiara Hatfield and Autumn Keathley also double for the Lady Vikings (11-10, 6-4).

The Lady Vikings got a run in the second when Hatfield reached on an error and scored on Carpenter’s double.

Brown generated a run in the third when she was safe on an error, stole second, went to third on a ground out and came home on a wild pitch.

The lead went to 4-0 in the fourth. Carpenter doubled and Chianne Hively had an RBI single. Breanna Morris and Bryant followed with hits to produce a run.

The Lady Vikings scored three times each in the fifth and sixth innings.

In the fifth, Keathley doubled, Kaitlyn Payne reached on an error and Hatfield had a two-run double. Hatfield moved up on a passed ball and scored when Carpenter reached on an error.

In the sixth, Bryant doubled, Kassidi Cox was safe on an error and Brown had an RBI single. Three wild pitches and two passed balls scored the other two runs.

Symmes Valley will travel to Sciotoville East on Friday for a league game.

New Boston 000 000 = 0 4 7

Sym. Valley 011 233 = 10 9 2

Reffitt and McGranahan. Stephanie Brown and Tiara Hatfield. W-Brown (K-5, BB-0). L-Reffitt (K-2, BB-0). 2B-SV: Autumn Keathley, Tiara Hatfield, Amber Bryant, Catlin Carpenter. Hitting-NB: McGraw 2-3, Blankenship 1-3, Thompson 1-2; SV: Catlin Carpenter 2-3, Amber Bryant 2-3, Breanna Morris 1-3, Chianne Hively 1-3, Tiara Hatfield 1-3, Autumn Keathley 1-4, Stephanie Brown 1-4.