Lady Tigers earn share of OVC title

Published 10:03 pm Friday, May 17, 2024

By Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

PEDRO — The Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers got a piece of the pie. But not your normal pie. It was a piece of the Ohio Valley Conference softball championship pie.

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Ironton got a must-win as they beat the Rock Hill Redwood 9-5 on Wednesday to earn a share of the league title along with Coal Grove. Ironton is now 20-5 overall and finished 12-2 in the OVC.

Katelynn Moore got the biggest slice of the pie as she went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and 4 runs batted in. Khamil Martin put a scoop of ice cream on her slice as she went 3-3 with 2 doubles.

Emily Weber was 1-2 with a triple, Katie Williams 1-3 with a triple and RBI, Bella Sorbilli 1-3 with an RBI and Layla Townsend was 1-2.

Pitcher Braylin Wallace went the distance allowing 7 hits, 5 earned runs with 8 strikeouts and one walk.

Ironton took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a double by Martin and 2 passed balls.

The Lady Fighting Tigers made it 3-0 in the second on triples by Weber and Williams and a passed ball.

Rock Hill (7-12, 7-5) cut the deficit to 3-2 in the third.

Alaina Wilds walked, Savannah Kidd was hit by a pitch and Charlee Long doubled for a run. B Stapelton then hit a sacrifice fly to score Kidd.

But Ironton answered with 4 runs in the bottom of the inning to lead 7-2.

Martin led off with a double, Aubrey Ferguson walked and Moore followed with a home run to center field.

Townsend walked, was sacrificed to second by Wallace and scored on a hit by Sorbilli.

Rock Hill got a run in the top of the fourth when Neveah Hackworth  and Isabelle Melvin singled. After a wild pitch, R Bare hit a sacrifice fly.

Ironton got 2 runs in the bottom of the inning.

With one out, Martin walked, moved up on a ground out and scored on a double by Moore. Pinch-runner Braelie Thomas went to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.

The Redwomen capped the scoring with 2 runs in the sixth.

Karlee Gillispie singled, went to second on a fly out and scored on a double by Melvin. K Bare followed with a double to drive home Melvin.

Melvin was 2-3 with a double and RBI, Bare 1-3 with a double and 2 RBI, Wilds 1-2, Hackworth 1-3, Gillispie 1-4 and Long 1-4 with a double.

Melvin took the loss as she went 6 innings allowing 9 hits, 6 earned runs with 4 strikeouts and 4 walks.

Rock Hill 002 102 0 = 5 7 2

Ironton     124 200 x = 9 9 0

Isabelle Melvin and B Stapleton. Braylin Wallace and Graycie Brammer. W-Wallace (IP-7.0, H-7, R-5, ER-5, K-8, BB-1, WP-1, HBP-1). L-Melvin (IP-6.0, H-9, R-9, ER-6, K-4, BB-4, WP-1). Hitting-Rock Hill: Charlie Long 1-4 2B, Karlee Gillispie 1-4, Neveah Hackworth 1-3, Isabelle Melvin 2-3 2B RBI, R Bare 1-3 2B 2-RBI, Alaina Wilds 1-2; Ironton: Khamil Martin 3-3 2-2B, Katelyn Moore 2-4 2B HR 4-RBI, Layla Townsend 1-2, Bella Sorbilli 1-3 RBI, Emily Weber 1-2 3B, Katie Williams 1-3 3B RBI.