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Thank you for remembering my grandmother and father. Donna Puckett, Jonesville NC...read more...

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Lincoln County’s softball team was on a win streak going into diamond action Monday.

After delivering back-to-back four-inning wallopings on Burgin (29-8) and Monticello (20-5), the Lady Patriots were savoring the thrill of winning.

But the thrill was shortlived.

Mercer County squashed Lincoln’s celebration and win streak by handing the host Lady Patriots a 12-2 drubbing.

The Lady Titans (17-15) used a nine-run fourth inning to put the game away and set up a mercy-rule five-inning finish.

“That fourth inning did us in. We were close to that point,” said Lincoln coach Clinton Hammack. “Early on we were playing pretty good defense. We held them the first two innings, and we left runners on.”

“That one half inning pushed it out of reach or at least made it difficult to reach,” he said.

Lincoln pitcher Alyssa Meece faced 14 Mercer batters in the fourth, giving up seven hits and two walks with one hit batter. Courtney True was the first Lady Titan to connect, lining a shot down the third base line. After a strikeout, True advanced on a Jasmine Jones infield shot and both runners advanced on a dropped ball by Lincoln’s Hannah Timberlake off a Megan Hilbert pop up to centerfield.

True tallied the first run of the inning on a wild throw to put Mercer up 4-1, then Meece loaded the bases up with a walk on Jordan Harley. Tabby Shewmaker drove in Jones and Hilbert with an RBI-single to left and Harley made it 7-1 by scoring on a Brittany Gibson single to the same spot.

The bases were loaded back up after Meece hit Hannah McKenzie with a pitch. Shewmaker then scored on a wild pitch and Taylor Readnower drove in Gibson to make it an 9-1 ballgame.

True, who led off the fourth, stepped up for her second at-bat of the inning and connected for a second shot, a misplayed infield ball. McKenzie scored on the play and Readnower moved to third. After a Bryant walk, Lincoln finally got the second out on a Jones’ pop to left field but Mercer also got a run as Readnower scored on the sacrifice out. Hilbert followed with a single to plate True before Harley grounded out to end the inning with Mercer up 12-1.

“We had some plays today, if we make them, we’re out of the inning and no harm done. That third inning, we didn’t do it,” said Hammack. “We had a few dropped balls out there and some miscoverage on some of those plays and it hurt us.”

Lincoln (5-20) would not recover from Mercer’s offensive blitz. The Lady Patriots, who had scored one run in the bottom of the third to keep the game at 3-1, picked up just one more run over the remainder of the game. The Lady Patriots tried to take the game the full seven innings and were in position to force a sixth with Shannon Gosser on second base in the fifth. Gosser, a courtesy runner for lead-off Ashley Owens who singled to reach, wouldn’t make the complete trip, getting picked off at third on a steal attempt with two outs to enforce the 10-run mercy rule. Game over.

“The outcome wasn’t what I was looking for,” said Hammack. “I think our pitching was alright. They (Titans) put the bat on the ball a few times and got some good solid hits against us. We did some things that I didn’t hardly agree with out there and made mistakes at inopportune times. Plays like how the game ended on are not my ideal way of ending something.”

Hammack, whose Lady Patriots start 45th District post-season play Monday at Danville, says the Lady Patriots will improve.

“Next year, these girls will be in a lot better shape,” he said. “Our pitchers, both eighth-graders, are going to have more experience. We have a lot of underclassmen returning next year – we only lose two to graduation. And we’ll probably be getting a little bit of help coming up from middle school.”

“The jv teams don’t keep records so most people don’t know that we’ve got some girls coming up through the jv ranks that were 17-5 this year and that are going to help a lot next year,” said Hammack.

Chey Tinsley and Gosser scored Lincoln’s two runs in Monday’s game. Owens singled to left to reach in the bottom of the third and Gosser came on base. She stole second on a wild pitch, moved to third on an Amber Mason single then scored on a wild throw.

Tinsley doubled to center to get on in the fourth inning. She stole third with Lindsey Gifford at bat then crossed home plate when Gifford grounded out.

Lincoln had five hits in the game with doubles from Owens and Tinsley. Owens was the only Lady Pat with two hits.

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