FDA softball to enter postseason play

BY KATHY PICKENS

The Greenville Standard

 

Fort Dale Softball also wound down regular play (13-12) with a three game series against Lowndes Academy where they won one and lost one.

The Lady Eagles won at home in game one on April 13 by a score of 11-10. After tying it up with the Lady Rebels 9-9 in seven innings, they went into extra innings with the tiebreaker mechanism in place which allows each team to place the last player that batted on second base to begin the extra inning.

At the top of the eighth, the Lowndes Academy player who was placed on second stole third and then home on two wild pitches, giving the Lady Rebels a 10-9 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, Fort Dale player RG Hartley was placed on second base and then given a courtesy runner (Sarah Catherine Skipper). SC Skipper stole third base on a wild pitch and scored on Ella Ealum‘s double.

The Lady Rebels intentionally walked a dangerous Paisley Hunneycutt who has 13 home runs on the year, nine in varsity play, and four in junior high. Freshman first baseman Allie Newton then doubled on a fly ball to center to score Ealum and end the game with Fort Dale up 11 to 10.

Natalie Skipper (pictured) pitched five of the eight innings. Skipper has been the mainstay for the Lady Eagles on the mound this season, pitching over 50% of their innings.

At the plate Ealum and Newton both had doubles, N. Skipper had a triple, and Hunneycutt had a home run. Catcher Alyssa Cauthen was four for four at the plate and ended the regular season with the top batting average of .541.

In games two and three on the road, Fort Dale lost 9–5and 8–4

Senior center fielder Ceil Gregory had a double and a triple in game one. Hartley was three for four at the plate, and N. Skipper took one out.

In game three Hunneycutt and Hartley both had doubles, and Hunneycutt and Cauthen both had homers.

The Lady Eagles will enter postseason play at home April 21-22 versus Success Unlimited.