Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

PEDRO — There was no up and down for the South Point Lady Pointers. Just up.

The Lady Pointers opened the softball season with an 11-5 win over the Portsmouth West Lady Senators and 10-8 in eight innings over the Portsmouth Notre Dame Lady Titans at the Queen of the Hill Tournament.

“After playing the first game in very cold conditions and going into extra innings, I was expecting a letdown but we battled and got the victory,” said Lady Pointers’ coach Tanner Heaberlin.

“Lexi Smith pitched pretty well and kept her hot bat going. We had some timely hits by Sylvia Griffith and Haley Rawlins. Abby Hannah came in and pitched the last two innings for us in a high pressure situation.”

Smith was 4-for-4 with four runs batted in against West and then went 4-for-5 against the Titans.

Abby Hannah got the win in both games.

Sylvia Griffith had a two-run double in the first inning against West and it was 2-2.

Griffith singled and Leah Lawson had an RBI double in the third inning. She scored on an error as South Point took a 4-3 lead.

The lead went to 6-5 in the fifth. Halie Powell singled and Smith had an RBI double Smith scored on a passed ball.

The Lady Pointers erupted for five runs in the sixth inning to put the game away.

Abbey Winkler and Emilee Powell singled, Halie Powell reached on an error for a run and Lawson was safe on an error for a second run. Smith doubled home two runs and the final run scored on a passed ball.

Notre Dame took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the second game.

South Point got a run in the third on a walk to Winkler and Griffith’s triple, but the Lady Titans got the run back in the bottom of the inning.

A triple by Lawson and RBI single by Smith produced a run in the top of the fourth, but Notre Dame scored a run in the bottom of the inning to lead 4-2.

The Lady Titans scored in the fifth but South Point put together a six-run sixth inning to lead 8-5.

Smith singled, Sophie Morrison was hit by a pitch, and Winkler singled in a run. Emilee Powell and Rawlins singled for a run, Griffith doubled home two runs and Halie Powell singled for two more runs.

The Lady Titans scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the score and force extra innings.

South Point got two runs in the eighth to get the win when Rawlins tripled, Griffith had an RBI single and then Halie Powell and Lawson singled and Charlee Duncan hit a sacrifice fly.

The Lady Pointers face Ironton on Wednesday.

First Game

South Point 202 025 0 = 11 10 1

Ports. West 201 020 0 = 5 5 3

WP-Abby Hannah. LP-Kenzie Whittaker. Hitting–SP: Abbey Winkler 3-5, Lexi Smith 4-4 rbi-4, Emilee Powell 2-5, Haley Rawlins 1-4, Sylvia Griffith 2-5 rbi-2; PW: Kenzi Whittaker 2-4, Bricker 2-4.

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Second Game

South Point 001 106 02 = 10 13 2

Notre Dame 201 113 00 = 8 7 0

WP-Abby Hannah. LP–Maggie Whitman. Hitting-SP: Haley Rawlins 2-5, Sylvia Griffith 3-5, Halie Powell 2-5, Leah Lawson 2-5, Lexi Smith 4-5; PND: Maggie Whitman 2-2, Bre Tolbert 2-4. 2B–SP: Haley Rawlins, Sylvia Griffith. 3B–SP: Haley Rawlins, Sylvia Griffith.