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Haughs goes 2 for 2, drives in run, but Lady Z pitchers walk 8
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Ella Gearhart doubled, homered and drove in four runs, and Alexis Sheets also homered for the Winamac softball team in a 12-2 win over host Rochester in five innings at Fansler Field on April 12.
Winamac scored seven runs in the top of the first inning off Rochester pitchers Mia Howdeshell and Emma Sells and never trailed. Gearhart started the scoring with a two-run double.
Maggie Smith, who led off the game with a walk and scored ahead of Gearhart’s double, later added a two-out, three-run double in the inning to make it 7-0.
Sheets led off the second with a solo homer off Sells. She added an RBI double in the third.
Gearhart later capped a three-run fifth with a two-run homer.
Both Ella Hague and Kaya Campbell contributed sacrifice flies.
Gearhat also pitched a five-hitter. She walked one and struck out three.
Rochester scored a run in the first inning after the first two batters were retired. Emma Howdeshell walked and advanced to second on an error. Kylie Coleman struck out but reached on a wild pitch with Emma Howdeshell advancing to third.
Sydney Haughs then singled home Howdeshell.
Rochester also scored in the third when Sells reached on an infield hit and later scored on an error.
Haughs went 2 for 2. Mia Howdeshell also had a hit.
But after racking up 14 extra-base hits in wins over Triton and Plymouth to start the season, Rochester did not have any extra-base hits this time.
Rochester pitchers also walked eight and allowed two home runs.
“They have a threat throughout their entire lineup,” Rochester coach Becky Lee said of Winamac’s lineup. “As I would say we do. We have a great lineup throughout our team, but yes, every one of their batters has the potential to have good contact on the ball, so they do a great job.”
Lee said that Mia Howdeshell had a “small injury” but that they had figured it out and that she is “good.”
“You’re going to lose,” Lee said. “And we’re going to lose again. And we’re going to learn a lot from when we lost. I would just say that today we were uncomfortable with being uncomfortable. We haven’t been down by that many, and we’ve just got to be comfortable with being able to turn that around and not being afraid. Seven runs in the first inning, there’s a lot of game left.
“If they can do it, we can do it. But we were a little uncomfortable with being uncomfortable at the start.”
Winamac 12, Rochester 2 (5 innings)
Winamac 711 03 – 12 8 3
Rochester 101 00 – 2 5 2
WP – Ella Gearhart (5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)
LP – Mia Howdeshell (⅓ IP, 1 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 0 K)
2B – Smith (WIN), Sheets (WIN), Gearhart (WIN)
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