After an unscheduled weather-induced week away from the playing field, Westfield softball returned to action with two non-region games earlier in the week. Both were victories that raised the Hornet record to 9-2.
Things went from comfortable to uncomfortable, though, Tuesday in a meeting with Pinewood Christian. This was a rubber match of sorts as Pinewood handed Westfield an opening day loss on Aug. 6, but the Hornets evened the score with a win at the Bulloch tournament.
Pinewood extended what looked like a quick visit to Perry for four innings to a full stay of seven, but the fifth-inning rally wasn’t enough to change the ultimate outcome, a victory for Westfield 10-6.
Sydney Barker, the starting pitcher, made some offensive noise in the first inning grounding a bases-loaded single through the infield for two RBI. With two outs, Jenni McDaniel doubled the lead to 4-0 ripping a two-run double.
Hornet hitters did a good job finding open spaces in the Pinewood outfield. Catcher Callie Hammerle doubled on a pop-up that fell fair inside the left-field line. This was the start of a three-run third inning where, with two outs and two on, Laura Johnson made the visitors pay for a simple throw-back error with a double to the wall (6-0).
Pinewood changed pitchers, and Johnson scored on a wild pitch.
The third inning is when the outfield really struggled to catch up with batted balls. McDaniel dropped a leadoff double in front of the centerfielder’s reach. Brooke Knowles followed with a single, and Hannah Kate Jones’ flare in left dropped in to score two. Hannah Livingston dropped one more hit in producing the final Westfield run.
Barker was near perfect in the pitcher’s circle for four innings allowing one baserunner via a walk and striking out three.
Pinewood’s fifth, however, featured two bloop singles and a walk to fill the bases, and four runs would score (three BB, HB and WP) before coach Kyle Davis made the pitching change to Gracie Bearden. Before the new hurler could get her team out of the inning, Pinewood scored two more times. Play continued with a 10-6 score.
Offensively, Westfield only had hits from Hammerle and Barker the rest of the way. Bearden retired six of the last seven she faced without allowing another run.
• On Monday, the Hornets visited Mt. de Sales’ complex in Macon, and it was a seven-inning game with an eight-run final margin, 9-1.
Barker registered a three-hit complete-game with five strikeouts. She was also a factor at the plate with a double and two singles for two RBI.
Westfield in all had 12 hits, three from Johnson, who added two RBI. Chelsea Whaley also batted home two runs, and Hammerle and McDaniel each had two hits.
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