SOFTBALL: Verdigris smacks Quapaw, Sperry
Aug. 12—After a disappointing season-opening loss to Stigler, Verdigris softball rebounded with a vengeance.
The Lady Cardinals outscored their next two opponents — Quapaw and Sperry — 23-4 while accumulating 19 hits. They also hosted Adair on Friday afternoon in a game that started after press time.
Verdigris 12, Quapaw 0 (Tuesday): The Lady Wildcats tallied a single on the game's opening pitch, but that was about it.
Reagan Bennett was nearly unstoppable from the circle the rest of the way, holding them hitless through the remaining innings while tossing seven strikeouts and surrendering two walks on 60 pitches. She threw 12 first-pitch strikes against 17 batters, with 63.3% of her total pitches resulting in strikes.
The offense took care of the rest with 10 hits, including a home run, a triple and three doubles.
Taelynn Ballinger led the way with three hits while Rhyan Waltonbaugh, Kaydence Bender and Presley Tipton each added two. Ballinger and Waltonbaugh both had doubles, Bender notched a two-run homer and Tipton managed a triple and a double.
The Lady Cardinals' first two runs came on passed balls, but Waltonbaugh batted in a run with a single to right field to give them a 3-0 lead after one inning.
The next four runs came on two hits, with Ballinger doubling in Bender and Tipton in the second before Bender sent a fly ball over the center-field wall for another two in the third.
Verdigris capped the scoring with five runs in the fourth as Waltonbaugh drove in Ballinger and Grayce Taylor with a fielder's choice before finding home herself on a Bender single two at-bats later. Tipton then tripled to left field, plating Macy Beauchamp and Bender for the final runs.
Verdigris 11, Sperry 4 (Thursday): Waltonbaugh's success at the plate didn't dip whatsoever from Tuesday to Thursday.
She logged three hits, including two doubles, with four RBIs. The doubles accounted for two of the RBIs.
Emma Young experienced similar achievements at the plate with three hits, two of which were doubles. Tipton managed multiple hits as well with two alongside a pair of RBIs, helping Verdigris reach nine hits in all.
The Lady Cardinals were never threatened, building a 5-0 lead in the third before Sperry trimmed the deficit to three runs after a triple and a fielder's choice.
However, Verdigris scored the next five runs to erase any chance of a comeback for the Lady Pirates.
Bennett earned her second win of the week in the circle with three strikeouts on 97 pitches while allowing four runs on eight hits and five walks through six innings.