Westfield softball falls in heartbreaker to Pinewood

PERRY — In an emotionally charged night honoring the legacy of Avery Spence’s mother, the Westfield Lady Hornets faltered in a 13-8 loss against the Pinewood Christian Lady Patriots. 

Chloe Hill launched a three-RBI double to left field late in the second inning to put the Lady Hornets on the board. 

Westfield (11-6) started the game behind 2-0 and were able to pull ahead for a couple of innings, but they could not completely dig themselves out of the hole they got into. 

Pinewood (13-7) stepped up to the plate in the fourth inning and never relinquished control of the game. The Lady Patriots loaded the bases, then drilled a grand slam over left-center field to go up 6-3 over the Lady Hornets. 

Their offensive onslaught did not stop there as Pinewood hit back-to-back RBI doubles to the outfield followed by an RBI single, putting seven runs across the plate in the inning. 

Westfield responded with RBIs from Hill and Madeline Katz to add two runs to their point total. Cate Raines hit a sacrificial fly to right field that drove in another two runs, which brought the score to 9-7. 

The Lady Patriots added four more runs to their total in the sixth and seventh innings through good base-running and numerous dropped pitches that escaped Westfield’s catcher. 

On a routine flyout in the sixth inning, the Pinewood center fielder threw a moonbeam to home, which stopped Hill from scoring. 

Attempting to make a comeback in the bottom of the seventh, the Lady Hornets put runners in scoring position but were not able to capitalize. 

Westfield had a brief scare in the fifth inning as Lindy Hair and Riley Nelson collided while fielding a fly ball. Both players were shaken up, but were uninjured and continued to play. 

Westfield head coach Ryan Wetherington was disappointed with his team’s performance and shared his frustration: 

“I was disappointed with how we played tonight – too many walks, too many wild pitches that scored runs. We did not do a lot of the little things right that you need to do to win a ballgame,” Wetherington said. “[Pinewood] is a really good team and we are going to see them in Columbus, there is no doubt in my mind. If we do not start fixing and correcting these little things, it is going to be a tough road ahead.”

Coming into the contest, Westfield and Pinewood were ranked second and third in their division and have now switched spots. 

Westfield wore warm-up jerseys and the color teal with their black uniforms in honor of Spence’s mother. 

UP NEXT 

Westfield will host the Calvary Christian Lady Knights (9-6) in a region matchup on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 5:00 p.m.