Lady Lions bounce back for 1st win in Myrtle behind Dunbar’s 2-hit twirl, early 2nd inning presence to keep North Lincoln of NC off board in 3-0 blank; team wraps up trip today vs. SC’s Central
Stories by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC — After time was of the essence on Monday in a game-shortened affair with Lake Braddock, the Lady Lions of Wellsville were on the mend to try and even their Myrtle Beach score with another battle bright and early Tuesday morning.
The defending Class B State Champions were in for another dogfight from start to finish, but it was one they emerged victorious in.
With Makenna Dunbar taking total command within the circle, the Lady Lions were in good hands, as they followed behind her guidance while supplying some clutch offense early on to take a lead they never let up to North Carolina’s North Lincoln, roaring towards victory by a 3-0 count.
“I’m really proud of the way we were able to come back the next day after a tough loss yesterday,” Lady Lions coach Gia George said. “Our defense really made some great plays behind Makenna, especially with a double play turned by Teagan (Burke). Kennedy (Perry) also had a great catch along the fence in foul territory to keep them at a standstill. Lindsay (Stuck) made a really good play behind the plate as well, running after a runner to grab the out at second. It’s nice to give her some credit too, and sometimes catchers don’t get as much credit as the pitchers do. She did great.”
The offenses were frozen at the plate to start the game, but the South Carolina sunshine aided in melting the ice off the Lady Lions (6-1) when the second inning came around, as they doubled their money on the attack to claim a 2-0 lead on North Lincoln — one of those runs coming in on special teams, with Natalie Adams grounding out to post the RBI along the way.
While the offense began to kick into gear, Dunbar’s command was the star of the show, as she kept North Lincoln at bay across all seven innings, surrendering only two hits while striking out 10 and walking just two in her twirled two-hit shutout.
Wellsville put a wrap on the victory with one more clutch run in the bottom of the fifth inning to triple their advantage.
In all, the Lady Lions (6-1) amassed three runs off five total hits, with Dunbar scoring two of them in addition to an RBI. Adams pitched in a triple, while Emily Stuck had a double.
The Lady Lions will put a bow on their southern trip this morning back out on the field, as they take on Central of South Carolina in a 12 p.m. first pitch.
North Lincoln 000 000 0 – 0 2 0
Wellsville 020 010 X – 3 5 1
NL – Maysen Reames (LP) (CG, 6K, 3BB) and Gabby Parker.
WLSV – Makenna Dunbar (WP) (CG, 10K, 2BB) and Lindsay Stuck.
In back-and-forth 1st game down south, Lady Lions run out of time in battle with Virginia’s Lake Braddock, succumb to 1st defeat of young campaign in 4-3 decision
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC — The getaway down south for the Wellsville Lady Lions has officially begun, as they took the weekend to settle down in North Myrtle Beach, where they will bask in every bit of South Carolina sunshine alongside three straight days of competitive softball.
Monday served as day one, where they carried forth a red hot 5-0 start to their campaign and battled the Lake Braddock Lady Bruins hailing from Virginia. The task at hand against a complete unknown can come with its own set of challenges, especially in a tight quarters battle where responses served as the x-factor.
Following two scoreless innings to start the contest, the bats came to life, as the two foes congealed together seven straight runs across the next set of frames to ignite the fuse. For Lake Braddock, a big time response in the top of the fourth, along with the evasion of Wellsville’s potentially game-altering response soon after, wound up making the difference in the end, as the Lady Bruins handed the Lady Lions their first loss of the campaign with the capture of a 4-3 edge.
“I am proud of our girls for not giving up today. We were down all game, and we just kept hitting the ball as much as we could. We had runners on and we had our chances towards the end, but unfortunately, we ran out of time in the fifth inning.” said Lady Lions coach Gia George.
After both pitchers for their respective teams delivered back-to-back scoreless frames to kick off the contest, the runs came right behind it in the top of the third with Lake Braddock breaking the ice on the game’s first run.
In the bottom half, the Lady Lions (5-1) came right back with a game-tying reponse off the bat of Makenna Dunbar, who blasted an RBI double — one of her two hits in the contest, to draw even.
In the fourth inning, five combined runs would then come across between the two foes, with Lake Braddock unleashing a trio of runs to create a 4-1 lead that ultimately remained intact down the stretch.
Despite the deficit, Wellsville fired back one final shot with a two-run single from Ayla Faulkner in the bottom of the fourth to reduce the deficit to a single run. But the Lady Lions would ultimately run out of time, as the Lady Bruins held on to score the win.
Wellsville compiled three runs off eight hits at the plate, with Averee Palmatier chipping in two hits and scoring a run in addition to Dunbar and Faulkner.
In the circle, Brynn Hallock went into the fourth inning with her start for the Lady Lions, fanning six and walking one.
Dunbar was called upon for relief in the remaining two innings, as she added four more strikeouts into the mix.
Wellsville is back up and early this morning, as they now get set to face North Lincoln of North Carolina in a 10 a.m. first pitch.
Lake Braddock 001 30 – 4 3 2
Wellsville 001 20 – 3 8 4
LB – Mac Verdejo (WP) (CG, 6K, 2BB) and Addison Forde.
WLSV – Brynn Hallock (LP) (6K, BB), Makenna Dunbar (4) (4K) and Lindsay Stuck.
