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Falcon Softball takes third tournament title of the season

Three shutout wins earn sweep in Fayette tourney

Kevin Oeth, Sports Editor
Posted 9/22/21

The Fayette High School softball team added more hardware to its trophy case Saturday by earning three victories to take first place in their own tournament.  

The Falcons and the Lady …

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Falcon Softball takes third tournament title of the season

Three shutout wins earn sweep in Fayette tourney

Posted

The Fayette High School softball team added more hardware to its trophy case Saturday by earning three victories to take first place in their own tournament. 

The Falcons and the Lady Bulldogs of Harrisburg, churned through their opponents Saturday on a crash course to the championship game at Fayette’s home field, each winning two games earlier in the day. 

After defeating Jamestown 14-4 in their first game, the Lady Bulldogs earned a spot in the championship game by defeating Glasgow 14-3, after jumping out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Both games were shortened by the 10-run mercy rule.

Fayette opened the day with a victory over Sturgeon as freshman pitcher Skylar Sunderland threw a complete-game shutout, striking out nine while giving up only two hits in the 15-0 win.

The Falcons wasted no time securing the victory as they jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first inning. Junior Preslee Sunderland led the hit parade for Fayette going 4-4 with an RBI.

Senior Bella Asbury went 2-3 and drove in three runs.

Senior Jordan Ball and juniors Addison Newell, Megan Lewis, Hannah Quint, and Madison Lawson each added a hit apiece. Lewis, Quint, and Lawson’s hits were doubles.

Fayette faced Slater in the second game of the day and came away with an even more impressive win as they rolled over the Wildcats 19-0.

Skylar Sunderland started the game in the circle for the Lady Falcons and went two innings, giving up two hits while striking out three. She was relieved in the third by senior Jordyn Ball who relinquished no hits and struck out five of the six batters she faced.

While Preslee Sunderland and Newell led the onslaught with three hits apiece, Newell drove in six runs. Asbury, Quint, and Lewis each garnered two hits while Ball, Lawson, and junior Kenzie Felten each contributed one. Felten and Asbury each had a double in the win.

This led to the showdown between the Highway 124 neighbors.

Jordyn Ball took the circle for the Lady Falcons against Harrisburg’s Emma Fischer 

Neither team was able to do much offensively until Fayette got on the board in the bottom of the second. Hannah Quint singled to lead off then moved to second on an error by the Harrisburg shortstop on a hit by Lawson. Ball then walked to fill the bases. Then, with Whitley Sunderland filling in for Ball as a courtesy runner, Skylar Sunderland singled to score Quint and move the runners up.

Harrisburg then came up with an unusual double play as Asbury flew out to sophomore centerfielder Kaydence Timbrook who threw home but was too late to catch Lewis. Harrisburg alertly threw to third where Lewis was ruled out for leaving the base too early. Addison Powell then struck out to end the Fayette inning.

Fayette picked up four more runs in the bottom of the third as Newell walked to lead off the inning. Junior Leah Lembke then ran for the catcher and moved up on Preslee Sunderland’s bunt single. Lembke then alertly advanced to third on a foul out to left by Lewis. Quint then singled to drive in Lembke and Sunderland. Lawson followed with a double to left scoring Quint and making the score 4-0. Ball followed with a ground out to short that advanced Lawson to third. Lawson then scored on a passed ball to make the score 5-0.

Fayette was able to scratch across one more run in the bottom of the fourth when Preslee Sunderland bunted with one out and reached on an error by the catcher. Lewis then tripled to drive in Sunderland for the final run.

Harrisburg starting catcher, Kaitlyn Starbuck, got the lone hit off Fayette ace Ball who recorded 10 strikeouts against the 21 batters she faced.

Quint notched two hits and two RBI’s in the game. Preslee Sunderland, Lewis, Lawson, Skylar Sunderland, and Bella Asbury each recorded a hit apiece with Lawson’s being an RBI double and Lewis’s a run producing triple.

Saturday’s championship game marked the tenth win in eight days for the Lady Falcons, taking their overall record to 15-1 with the lone blemish coming in a 4-1 loss to Class 5 Battle High School from Columbia. Fayette now sits high atop Class 2 District 3, with the closest competitors being Montgomery County and Salisbury with five wins apiece. 

“We’re just trying to get better each time out,” said Fayette coach Mike James. “This part of the season is always a tough stretch for most softball teams. But for us, we play a whole bunch and we travel a whole bunch. So I’m proud of them for being resilient and not dropping even one.”

Fayette traveled to Scotland County on Monday, bringing home an  11-0 win. That win came with another gem pitched by Jordyn Ball as she allowed only two hits in six innings of work while striking out15 of the 22 batters she faced. 

Preslee Sunderland, Lewis, Lawson, and Skylar Sunderland each recorded two hits on the evening, with Newell adding another. Lewis netted a double, and Lawson recorded a triple while Preslee Sunderland homered and drove in three runs.

Lawson and Skylar Sunderland each had two RBI’s to go along with single ribbies from Lewis, and Quint.

That game was followed by a trip on Tuesday to Knox County which was to be played after the Advertiser went to press. The Lady Falcons begin a three-game home stand on Thursday at 5 p.m. against Harrisburg, followed by South Callaway on Monday and Paris on Tuesday.

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