Xahara Willis Sparks Lady Raiders With Two-Run Homer

We have just completed the first week of the prep softball season and most teams are still trying to get all the pieces in place and finding out just who is capable of getting the big hit at the most opportune time.

The Baylor Lady Red Raiders had a pretty good week where they won five of the six games they played, including three of four at Warner Park in the CCS Softball Invitational, sponsored by Chattanooga Christian.

Baylor lost their first game on Friday to Huntsville before beating Bessemer.  Then on Saturday, that winning continued with an early-morning comeback against Stewarts Creek and ending later in the day with a 7-2 victory over Knoxville Halls.

There are several new faces in the Baylor lineup and coach Kelli Smith is still trying to find out which combinations work best.  She was all smiles when the final out had been made Saturday evening.

"I don't think I can ever remember us playing six games the first week, but we did what we needed to do to win and I'm really happy about that," Smith said after a post-game chat with her girls just outside the Field 4 dugout.

"Overall, it was a good weekend for us.  Olivia Elkhill is our only senior, but we had a bunch of girls who really stepped up and did a great job.  We're blessed to have a lot of depth, but I'm proud of how they played when their number was called.

"This has been a really good tournament with some really good competition, so it's been a positive experience for all of us," she added.

Halls coach Bryan Gordon has a team loaded with freshmen and sophomores.  They're still trying to find their way.

"We're really young and it's my main job to keep them motivated and focused on what they're doing.  We only have one pitcher at this point and I felt like she sort of ran out of gas at the end, but we're just trying to keep getting better.  That's why we came.

"I'm pleased for the most part," he said after his team's record evened at 2-2.

Nobody scored in the first two innings, although Halls got Isabella Wires and Adrie Johnston on with singles and only one out in the bottom of the first.  Baylor pitcher Rylee Jasper then got the next two outs to escape further trouble.

Halls starting pitcher Alle Wilson got two quick outs in the third before Baylor eighth grader Spencer Higgins earned a walk after being in an 0-2 hole.  That set the tone for a two-run homer from Baylor catcher Xahara Willis over the fence in left-center.

Adison Wellington and Amiya Leach followed with singles before Jasper got hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Ellison DeMatteo then got hit by a pitch to drive in Wellington for a 3-0 lead in the middle of the third.

Baylor added two more runs in the fourth.  Wrigley Burge, Willis and Wellington all reached with walks with Burge and courtesy runner Emma Hartline then scored ahead of a sharp double to the corner in left by Amiya Leach.

DeMatteo reached on a throwing error in the fifth and went to third on a double by Harper Reeves before scoring the sixth run on a sacrifice fly to left by pinch-hitter Makenzie Dinsmore.  Then in the sixth with the time limit coming into play, Baylor scored its final run when a single by Addison Reeves drove in Abby Wright, who had reached on a fielders' choice and advanced on a wild pitch.

The Lady Red Devils tallied single runs in the fifth and sixth.

Baylee Cooper reached on a one-out infield single and scored on a Baylor throwing error while the last run in the sixth came on two of the hardest hit balls of the game by Halls.

Molly Overton led off with a double and scored on a two-out triple by Mackenlie Johnston.  Jasper then got Brooke Johnston on a fly to center to end the game.

Jasper was the winning pitcher after allowing the two runs on six hits.  She also had two strikeouts and no walks.  Wilson was the loser for Halls as she allowed all seven runs on eight hits.  She also had four walks and one strikeout.

Wellington and Leach were the only Baylor players with two hits while Willis had those important first two RBIs.

Baylor stranded nine runners while Halls left six runners on base.

Baylor returns to action with a road game at Silverdale on Tuesday before hosting South Pittsburg on Thursday.

BAYLOR  003 211 – 7 8 1

HALLS  000 011 – 2 6 1

Jasper and Willis; Wilson and A. Johnston.

(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)
Baylor Beats Halls In CCS Invitational, 7-2 - Chattanoogan.com

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