Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

After listening to the noise made by the bats of the St. Joseph Lady Flyers, there’s nothing “soft” about softball.
St. Joseph smacked 10 hits including a grand slam home run by Alex Holtzapfel as the Lady Flyers rolled past the Sciotoville East Lady Tartans 17-4 on Tuesday.
Kelsey Malone, Emma Whaley and Ellie Cremeans all went 2-for-4 to lead the balanced offensive lineup. Ashley Bartram and Holtzapfel were 1-1 while Karly Young and Faith Mahlmeister each went 1-3.
The Lady Flyers started fast as Kelsey Malone used her blazing speed to scratch out an infield hit. Holtzapfel and Mahlmeister walked and Bartram was hit by a pitch to score a run.
Karly Young grounded out to drive in a run and Cremeans laced a two-run single and it was 4-0.
The lead jumped to 8-0 in the second inning as Sheridan and Whaley walked to start the inning and Mahlmeister, Bartram and Young followed with consecutive hits.
East used a hit batsman, an infield hit, a single and an error to score twice in the second.
In the fourth, the Lady Flyers put the game away an 8-run uprising.
Holtzapfel walked, Mahlmeister was safe on an error and Bartram walked to load the bases. Cremeans doubled as all three runners scored and Whaley followed with an RBI single.
Kaitlyn Sheridan walked, Malone beat out an infield hit to load the bases and Holtzapfel cranked an inside-the-park grand slam to cap the rally.
East managed to score a run in the bottom of the frame.
St. Joseph tacked on a run in the top of the fifth when Bartram and Young walked, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on Cremeans’ ground out.
East managed a run in the bottom of the fifth but it wasn’t nearly enough to prevent the run-rule win.
Holtzapfel got her second pitching win in as many games as she struck out eight and did not walk a batter.
St. Joseph visits South Gallia on Thursday.