by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com
(804) 240-2191
The economy is causing a myriad of things to struggle and shut down. Maybe it took a toll on Atlee’s softball bats recently.
The Raiders were mired in a 19-inning scoring slump, but shook out of it Monday afternoon, topping J.R. Tucker 8-3.
Atlee, ranked eighth in the latest DigitalSports Top 10, took two tough eight-inning losses the past two games, one to No. 7 Hermitage (1-0) and the other to top-ranked Lee-Davis (2-0).
“Finally today we scored some runs and scored when we needed to,” Atlee coach John Earley said. “We know we can do it.”
Trailing 1-0, junior first baseman Randi Farrar whipped a liner to right-center field in the second inning.
It scored Jackie Jenkins as the tension came off of the Raiders’ bats.
Atlee touched the plate four times in the third inning, two runs coming off of Jenkins’ single.
Pitcher Liz Holte (six strikeouts) helped herself minutes later, knocking in two of her own.
“It was a big thing for us,” said Jenkins, who relieved Holte in the sixth inning as Earley has perhaps the best pitching bridge in the area. “We’ve had so many base runners, but just couldn’t get those key hits when we need them. But tonight, we executed that.”
The Tigers, ranked 10th, weren’t done.
Junior third baseman Kaitlyn Cheek drilled a two-run home run to center field as Tucker got half of the runs it gave up back in the bottom of the third.
But the youthful Tigers would falter in the field later with costly errors as Atlee took a stranglehold of the game with a three-run sixth inning and strong pitching from its duo.
“Young team, made some young mistakes,” Tucker coach Pat McGuire said of his Tigers, full of underclassmen like promising freshman pitcher Kelly Rice, who threw a perfect game with 14 strikeouts earlier this season. “That can happen to a young team.
“Atlee’s a good team. We’ll be back.”
Atlee 014 003 0 – 8 9 1
J.R. Tucker 102 000 0 – 3 6 3
Holte, Jenkins (6) and Keyes; Rice and Wootton.
Records: Atlee (2-3); J.R. Tucker (3-2)
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