OBSERVER?Staff?Reports
RIPLEY - Ryleigh Hawkins' two run single in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Ripley Lady Eagles (3-1, 5-5) to an 8-7 victory over Panama on Wednesday in CCAA Division 4 high school softball.
Hawkins' hit plated Shanda Mellors and Melanie McCutcheon for the game-winning hit.
The Lady Panthers took a 6-2 lead midway through the game as Taylor Lloyd belted a three-run hit. Lloyd finished 3 for 4 with two triples, a double and three RBIs.
Hawkins finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs while Emily Steger had two hits with an RBI in the win. Sam Judd added two doubles and three RBIs and Sam Kozlowski had two hits for the winners.
Ripley returns to action today as it hosts Sherman.
North Collins 3,
Brocton 2
NORTH COLLINS - Jessica Lawton allowed two runs on four hits while striking out three and walking two as the North Collins Lady Eagles (4-2, 3-0) dropped the Brocton Lady Bulldogs (0-2), 3-2, in CCAA Division 4 softball action.
"It's as well as we've played behind her," North Collins head coach Jan Warren said of Lawton's performance. "Neither of my pitchers have struck out a lot of batters, but they're making the other team put the ball in play and when we make the plays, we win. And when we don't, we lose. And for the most part, we're making the plays when we get the chance."
Down 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth after a pair of home runs by the Lady Bulldogs earlier in the game - Jessica Putcher's to start the game and Julia Palmer's to start the sixth - the Lady Eagles rallied to score the eventual game-winning runs. Lawton singled, moved to second on a ground out and scored on Hannah Renaldo's two-run home run to right field.
"She struck out the first two times," Warren noted of Renaldo. "So that (home run) was huge. It was an outside pitch and she did what she was supposed to with it. It was a great at-bat."
Putcher suffered the loss for the Lady Bulldogs, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out 12 and walking one.
