Lady Mikes use early lead to win 10-0
Holly Tonini
Carmichaels’ Mia Virgili (4) is safe at third before Jefferson-Morgan’s Mariah Hildebrand can make the tag during Tuesday’s game in Carmichaels.
Carmichaels pitcher Cameron Grimes hurls the ball to the plate during the Lady Mikes' 10-0 Section 2-A win over Jefferson-Morgan Tuesday.
Carmichales’ Morgan Berardi catches a fly ball for an out against Jefferson-Morgan Tuesday in Carmichaels. (Photo by Holly Tonini)
Jefferson-Morgan's Kaitlyn Coles delivers a pitch during Tuesday's 10-0 Section 2-A loss to Carmichaels.
CARMICHAELS — Carmichaels used a big first inning as a springboard to a 10-0 softball win over Jefferson-Morgan on Tuesday to take the Section 2-A lead at the season’s halfway point.
The Lady Mikes scored five runs on six hits, including a two-run double by Megan Bayles that drove in courtesy runners Mia Virgili and Rachel Hathaway. Amanda Brown singled to drive in Bayles and Regina Menhart doubled to drive in Brown.
The Lady Mikes made it 6-0 in the second when Erica Brown reached base on an error and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Jefferson-Morgan (10-1, 4-1) had runners on base in each of the first five innings, but Lady Mikes pitcher Cameron Grimes got all three of her strikeouts in the clutch and shortstop Morgan Berardi started double plays in the third and fifth innings that helped keep the Lady Rockets off the scoreboard.
Carmichaels (13-1, 4-1) put the game away by scoring two runs in the fourth and two more runs in the sixth.
Berardi drove in a run in the fourth with her third hit and another run on a groundout after Burns tripled to lead off the sixth. Bayles ended the game with her third RBI when her infield single drove in Virgili.
Tanya White doubled for J-M, while Reagan Rush, Kirsten Stoneking, and pitcher Kaitlyn Coles each singled.
Carmichaels coach Dave Briggs said, “We were pumped up and ready to go. But there’s a long way to go and we’ve got to play everyone else once more. We can enjoy it today but go back to work tomorrow. At least we have a couple off before West Greene comes here on Friday.”
Briggs switches his pitchers between Grimes and Burns and said, “We alternate them and sometimes use both in the same game. We play it by how we feel (on which is the starter).”
“In that first inning we got a little down,” Jefferson-Morgan coach Tony Barbetta said. “We’re 4-1 (in Section 2-A) so we’re doing well. We won 10 games in a row and I’ve never seen us won 10 in a row. We have only 12 players and are nursing some injuries. I’m proud of them This was just one of those games where (Carmichaels) played well and we did everything the other way.”