Pioneer falls to Rainford, N. Newton in sectional semis

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Softball

North Newton 7, Pioneer 0 (Tuesday): Sydney Rainford pitched a three-hitter with 17 strikeouts, and Pioneer committed four errors that led to six unearned runs as the No. 4 Lady Spartans advanced in a Class 1A, Sectional 50 semifinal at North White Tuesday.

Hollie Zellers had a pair of singles, and Averi Layer also had a single for Pioneer. 

Lois Layer started and pitched three hitless innings but took the loss. She walked one, hit five batters and struck out two. 

Rainford retired the first 10 batters she faced before hitting Lois Layer with a pitch with one out in the fourth. Two batters later, Rainford hit Addison Kennell with a pitch. But she recovered to strike out Averi Layer to escape further trouble.

North Newton then tacked on four runs in the bottom half to make it 7-0. The inning included two Pioneer errors and Rylynn Klemz’s two-run double.

Zellers led off the fifth with Pioneer’s first hit, but Rainford retired the next six batters.

Kennell led off the seventh with a walk, and Averi Layer and Zellers followed with back-to-back singles. But Rainford struck out Katelynn Haynes and got Lucy Angle to line into a game-ending double play.

Haynes pitched three scoreless innings in relief for Pioneer in her prep finale. Haynes and Kamryn Newby are the team’s seniors.

Rainford is an East Carolina recruit. She also beat Pioneer 1-0 in the 2022 sectional semifinals.

North Newton went on to beat No. 2 Tri-County 2-0 in eight innings Wednesday for the sectional title.

North Newton 7, Pioneer 0

Pioneer 000 000 0 – 0 3 4

North Newton 021 400 X – 7 3 0

WP – Rainford (7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 17 K)

LP – Lois Layer (3 IP, 0 H, 7 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 HBP, 2 K)

2B – Culbreth (NN), Klemz (NN)