The Liberty Minutewomen broke open a close game with five runs in the sixth inning and went on to beat James River in softball last week. Liberty took an 8-6 win over the Knights in a spring break game in Bedford.
River led 3-2 in this one after four and a half innings before Liberty batted around in the bottom of the inning, knocking out six hits. A three-run double by Josie Whorley highlighted the inning as Liberty took a 7-3 lead.
“This is the second game in a row where we jumped ahead early but let our opponent off the hook a bit,” said River coach Steve Austin. “Up 3-1 in the fourth we led off the inning with two straight hits but we didn’t execute the short game. Stacking on a run or two there would have been a big boost for us.”
The Knights gave up another run in the sixth inning but battled back to score three more runs in the final two frames for the 8-6 final. The visitors brought the the potential tying run to the plate in the seventh inning but couldn’t push it across.
Photos by Leigh Downey
Sydney Breeding, Caitlyn Downey and Laken Robinson had two hits each for James River while Kaylee Harlow, Sierra Ware, Paige Shotwell and Jenny Thomas had one hit each, and all 10 River hits were singles. Harlow, Ware, Robinson, and Thomas each had an RBI.
“A big factor in this game was no extra base hits for us,” said Austin. “All 10 of our hits were singles. Liberty scored five of their runs on two of their three doubles.”
Makenna Saville started in the circle for the Knights and went four and a third innings, allowing five runs, four of which were earned, to take the loss. James River fell to 1-1 with the loss.
“It’s early in the season so we are still figuring out things,” said Austin. “We’ll get a better feel for our pitchers and hopefully help them maximize their potential as we go.”
River returns from break with a busy week. The Knights were scheduled to play at Bassett on Tuesday and today, Wednesday, they will host Northside. A three-day week concludes with a home game against Radford on Friday, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
