Lincoln opens district play with 8-4 win over Danville
Published 1:31 pm Thursday, April 18, 2019
Photos by Nancy Leedy LINCOLN’S Maddy Boyle, above, connects for what would turn into an in-the-park home run in the fourth inning of the Lady Patriots’ 8-4 win over 45th District rival Danville Monday at LCHS.
STANFORD — The Lincoln County Lady Patriot softball team picked up a thrilling win Monday afternoon, ending its six-game losing streak with an 8-4 victory over visiting Danville in its 45th District opener.
Lincoln (5-11) trailed 2-1 after two innings, but scored three runs in the bottom of the third to go on top for good. The Lady Patriots went on to score two more runs in both the fourth and sixth innings to take an 8-2 lead.
Danville (2-11, 0-2 district) tried to make it interesting in the top of the seventh by scoring two runs, only to have the Lincoln defense slam the door on the rally effort with back-to-back ground outs before throwing out Peyton Young to end the game. Young was attempting to turn a double into a triple on the play.
Sophomore pitcher Savannah Robbins picked up the win for the Lady Patriots. She gave up four runs off six hits in the complete-game win, with two walks and six strikeouts.
Senior Maddy Boyle led Lincoln at the plate. She went 3-for-4 with a double, an in-the-park home run and two RBIs. The Lady Patriots tagged 10 hits off Young in the win. Trinity Shearer and Peyton Boyd were both 2-for-3. Kaylynn Smith, Lydia Rice and Phillips each had one hit.
Danville threatened in the top of the first, with four runners getting on base. Faith Breitenbach led off with a bunt single, moved to second on a one-out single by Rachel Matherly, then both runners advanced when Robbins hit Amiya Crawford with a pitch. Breitenbach attempted a steal home on a Peyton Young fielder’s choice but was thrown out at the plate.
The Lady Admirals still had the bases loaded after the play at home, but Robbins got out of the jam by striking out Samantha Bottom.
Boyle connected for her double to lead off the bottom of the first, hitting to center field. She came on around when Kallie Phillips hit an RBI-single past second base.
Danville would get back the run, and one, in the top of the second inning. Katie Jones got on base on a dropped ball and advanced to third on an Anna Swann bunt single. After an Ellie Dampier strikeout, Robbins got Breitenbach to ground out, but Jones would score on the out to make it 1-1 and Swann moved to third base. Swann then pushed Danville ahead 2-1 when she came home on a wild pitch with Abigail Thomas at bat. Thomas, who had two of Danville’s six hits in the game, would hit a pop fly to end the inning.
Back-to-back 1-2-3 innings made for a fast bottom of the second and top of the third. Lincoln would stretch out the bottom of the third, though, sending six batters to the plate in a three-run go-ahead effort.
With one out, Young hit Phillips with a pitch. Courtesy runner Haleigh Releford came on for Phillips and she moved on to second and third off a Kaylynn Smith hit and a Trinity Shearer walk. Releford later scored on a wild pitch with Baleigh Reardon at bat to tie the game at 2-2. Smith, who had moved to second on the Shearer hit and third on the wild pitch, put Lincoln up to stay, 3-2, when she scored on a Reardon sacrifice out. Shearer made it 4-2 when she scored on a wild pitch.
Boyd and Boyle scored Lincoln’s runs in both the fourth and sixth innings. In the fourth, Boyd reached on a two-out single and had stolen second when Boyle banged out her in-the-park home run to right field to plate them both for a 6-2 lead. The two connected for back-to-back hits to start the sixth. Both moved around on steals, with Boyd later scoring on a Phillips sac out and Boyle stealing home after a Smith strikeout to put the margin at 8-2.
Breitenbach earned a walk off Robbins to start the seventh inning and Thomas came on with a single. Breitenbach scored on a Matherly ground out and Thomas came home on a Crawford ground out before Young was cut down at third base to end the game.
Danville’s Young allowed eight runs off six hits in seven innings pitched, with two walks and two strikeouts. Thomas was the only Lady Admiral batter with two hits. Swann and Young each had a double.
At Lincoln Co.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H
Danville 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 – 4 6
Lincoln 1 0 3 2 0 2 x – 8 10
