BY CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
MYRTLE BEACH, SC — Nevaeh Ross was simply unstoppable for the Friendship/Scio ladies on Wednesday. While going back-and-forth in a pitcher’s duel with Ohio’s Brookville High School, the Friendship/Scio junior provided a lights-out performance to propel the team back into the win column, handing out 15 chairs in her twirled three-hit gem to complete a 9-0 shutout.
After both sides exchanged a stand where the first four batters went down in consecutive fashion via strikeout, the wheels began to twist and turn for Friendship/Scio (2-1), as they started the top of the second with three straight walks to load the bases with one out. The damage was done soon after, as Emily Lamberson (single) and Avery Lamberson (double) each grabbed massive RBI swings to open the doors.
The lead would grow to six in the third inning, capitalizing on key baserunning to branch out their lead even further away from Brookville. It would remain pat for the next three scoreless innings until Friendship/Scio put away the game with a three-run seventh.
In all, Friendship/Scio posted nine runs off seven hits at the plate, with seven different hitters each posting a hit.
The road trip to Myrtle Beach will wrap up for Friendship/Scio today in a 12 p.m. first pitch against Winfield of West Virginia.
Friendship/Scio 042 000 3 – 9 7 1
Brookville 000 000 0 – 0 3 1
Friendship/Scio 5, Poca (WV) 3
MYRTLE BEACH, SC — Further south from the Lady Lions of Wellsville were the State Final Four finalist Friendship/Scio ladies, who began their back-to-back Class D2 title defense in Myrtle Beach with a tough and fierce battle welcomed by the Lady Poca Dots hailing from West Virginia, Monday afternoon.
Friendship/Scio would need every bit of momentum they could muster to race stride for stride with Poca. Fortunately enough, it would come in the first sequences of the game, where they created a 3-0 lead and held onto it despite some late pressure down the stretch from the Dots, as they captured their first win of the campaign by a 5-3 count.
Friendship/Scio electrified their offense with five runs off 10 total hits. Among them, big contributions from both Ross siblings — Nevaeh and Morghyn, as the two combined for six of those hits, including a perfect 4-for-4 outing by Morghyn consisting of a double and three RBI. Nevaeh would help get the scoring started right away in the first with her bat, collecting a big RBI triple to set up a 2-0 lead.
As time raced forward, Friendship/Scio fought in a back-and-forth exchange with Poca down the stretch to keep their lead intact, taking a 4-1 lead entering the bottom of the sixth. Within the frame, the Dots were able to cut their deficit to a single run — the closest they would get to Friendship/Scio, after a massive two-run double off Nevaeh Ross in the circle helped set up shop.
But the defending Class D2 champs were able to shut the door in the seventh, bolstering their advantage with one more big piece of insurance before Ross shut the door with a blanking of the offense to halt all momentum.
Ross would hold Poca to just three hits across a magnificent 14-strikeout performance for Friendship/Scio. Adding help along the way on offense were Logan Roberts, Claire Calhoun, Kadence Donohue and Katherine Lamberson, all recording a hit each.
Friendship/Scio will return to action this afternoon back in Myrtle Beach, taking on Trinity, Kentucky in a 2 p.m. first pitch.
Friendship/Scio 210 010 1 – 5 10 2
Poca 001 002 0 – 3 3 2
F/S – Nevaeh Ross (WP) (CG, 14K) and Morghyn Ross.
POCA – Kendra Dunbar (LP) (CG, 9K, 3BB) and Lilly Grady.
Trinity (KY) 12, Friendship/Scio 1
MYRTLE BEACH, SC — The Friendship/Scio ladies engaged in a tight battle with Kentucky’s Trinity High School through the opening stages on Tuesday, but when it came down to brass tax, the opposition delivered down the home stretch, scoring 11 unanswered runs to break an early deadlock and pull away out of reach with an eventual 12-1 victory.
Trinity glued together a dominant performance on both sides of the field against Friendship/Scio (1-1), collecting 12 runs off 16 total hits to fire up their attack while holding the State Final Four finalists to just a single hit — a lead-off single in the top of the fourth inning by Nevaeh Ross.
On the attack, Trinity was able to break an early 1-1 tie with the game’s final 11 runs. Among them, eight were scored in the bottom of the sixth to help them officially push their advantage out of reach.
Ross also collected seven strikeouts and walked two during her five-inning appearance from within the circle for Friendship/Scio, before being relieved by Kiara Grover in the last two innings of play.
Friendship/Scio will look to get back into the win column this afternoon with another 2 p.m. first pitch with Brookville hailing from Ohio.
Friendship/Scio 000 100 0 – 1 1 2
Trinity 001 038 X – 12 16 2
