GREENVILLE – Morgan Gilbert hit two inside-the-park home runs to help lead the Greenville softball team to an 8-2 win over Fairborn on Friday.
Gilbert, a freshman, was one of four Lady Wave players to collect multiple hits in Friday’s game. She led the way by going 3-for-4 with two home runs.
“She hits the ball and she just kept running, and I don’t stop her too many times,” Greenville softball coach Jerrod Newland said. “When she gets going, she gets going. I don’t know if I have seen (a player hit back-to-back inside-the-park home runs) to be honest with you.”
Gilbert got Greenville going in the first inning by leading off with a single. She then stole second and scored on a Karsyn Shaffer single.
With Fairborn committing a throwing error while trying to get Gilbert out at home, Shaffer was able to advance all the way to third. That set up Cassie Cromwell with a run-scoring single to put the Wave up 2-0.
Makayla Hanes then singled to put runners on the corners, and Cromwell scored on a sacrifice fly by Alli Hill, making it 3-0. Hanes scored one batter later on a Baylee Petry single that made it 4-0.
In the second inning Gilbert got her first inside-the-park home run on a gap shot into right center, increasing the Greenville advantage to 5-0.
Gilbert got her second inside the parker in the fourth inning with a drive down the left field line that scored Petry, who led off the inning with a double, to make it 7-0.
Greenville’s final run of the game came in the fifth inning. Cromwell led off the inning with a triple then Hanes collected a RBI single to put the Wave up 8-0.
Fairborn avoided the shutout with a pair of runs in the sixth inning. The Skyhawks loaded the bases with one out with a walk, single and bunt single. A walk to Taylor Rice then brought in one run, and Bryanna Mclean hit a sacrifice fly into center to drive in another, but a diving catch in the outfield limited the damage.
“We made a lot of plays defensively today, which is great,” Newland said. “Two diving catches out there in the outfield, which are big time plays.”
Greenville finished Friday’s game with 10 hits and no errors while Fairborn had three hits and one error.
Gilbert led Greenville with her three-hit performance. Cromwell was 2-for-3 with a triple, Petry was 2-for-3 with a double, Hanes was 2-for-3, and Shaffer was 1-for-3.
Petry pitched the complete game to earn the win.
Greenville improved to 10-3 on the season with Friday’s victory.
