GREENVILLE – The Lady Wave run ruled the West Liberty-Salem Lady Tigers 10-0 behind the shutout pitching of Grace Shaffer to give Greenville back-to-back run rule wins to open 2021 OHSAA season play.
“Love where we are at, where we are going and proud of the kids,” said Greenville coach, Jerrod Newland. “Shutout a good team who swings the bat well – just proud of the kids and proud of the program.”
“We have a lot of freshmen and redshirt freshmen – a lot of kids that haven’t played varsity ball,” Newland added. “We have 15-16 kids competing and it’s my job to figure out what they can do. Today we went with that group and looked like a pretty sharp group. We will move to next week and start MVL play and see where we go.”
Susie Blocher stroked a two out double to left and score on a WL-S error to take a 1-0 lead after one inning of play.
The teams played scoreless ball through innings two and three before the Lady Wave bats came alive in the bottom of the fourth to plate seven runs.
Ashlyn Zimmer started the big inning with an opening double followed by a Skylar Fletcher single. Kierah Beavins cracked a 2-RBI single to left scoring Zimmer and Fletcher. Kenna Jenkinson took first by way of a hit batsman (HBP).
A perfectly executed Saige Fellers bunt loaded the bases setting up a 3-run double off the bat of Nyesha Wright.
Alaina Baughn knocked a single to left putting runners on the corners bringing Blocher to the plate to drive a run scoring sacrifice fly to center plating Baughn with the Lady Wave’s seventh run of the inning for an 8-0 lead heading to the fifth inning.
Shaffer set the Lady Tiger down in order in the fifth and sixth innings; the Lady Wave went down in order in the fifth inning but put the game in the win column in the bottom of the sixth getting a Wright leadoff single to left bringing Baughn to the plate to crush a 2-run walk-off homer deep over the centerfield fence.
Baughn drilled a grand slam in first game of the day in a 15-5 run rule win over Wayne giving the sophomore 2-home runs, 7-RBIs, 3-runs scored while going 4-8 at the plate in her first varsity appearances for the Lady Wave.
“Baughn whacks two today, Zim (Zimmerman) knocks one in the first game,” Newland stated. “We’re just stroking well.”
Grace Shaffer went the distance on the mound for the Lady Wave tossing six scoreless innings of 2-hit ball, walking one and striking out eight. Shaffer finished the day with two wins, nine scoreless innings and a total of 16-strikeouts to start the season 2-0.
“Great outings by Grace today,” noted Newland. “First game – nine up, nine down.”
“We’re going to be all right,” Coach Newland said following the two game sweep. “We have a lot of good young kids. I know the first couple of innings it was kind of slow and everybody is excited right now.”
Coach Newland spent the day at Stebbins Field, home of Lady Wave Softball after receiving his second COVID shot the previous day.
“Well – yesterday I had my trainer, my school nurse and my helper all three to get me through it and needless to say the one day a year I have to go do blood or something – I’m not a big needle fan and I’ll blame my sister for that when I was little and the little Fisher Price Play Sets,” said Newland following the game. “I have two shots in me and I can’t feel my left arm right now but other than that we’re happy to have it – you know we are very fortunate to have what Greenville City Schools does and very fortunate to GGSA and just good stuff moving forward. Sunny and 70 and I’m sure it will be snowing next week – Ohio weather.”
Wright paced the Lady Wave going 2-4 with 3-RBIs and 2-runs. Braughn was 2-4 with 2-RBIs and a run, Zimmer went 2-3 with a run scored and Beavins was 1-3 with 2-RBIs and a run. Blocher went 1-2 with a RBI and run, B. Fellers was 1-2 with a RBI and a run, S. Fellers went 1-2 with a run scored, Fletcher was 1-3 with a run and Jenkinson reached by 2-HBP and scored a run.
BOX SCORE:
123 456 7 R H E
000 000 x 0 2 3 West Liberty-Salem
100 702 x 10 11 1 Greenville
