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RICHMOND -- Savanna Ankrom was the hero of the game for the Edison softball team.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the junior shortstop singled up the middle scoring a pair of runs in enabling Edison to rally for a 6-5 victory against Weir High in the final game of a tri Saturday afternoon at Jefferson Lake State Park.
“It was great to see Savanna come through with that hit,” Edison (9-5) head coach Spencer Bendle said. “She is a great kid. She puts too much pressure on herself. Once she starts to relax and starts to enjoy playing softball, I look for more tremendous things from her.
"She is going to continue to get better. I expect great things to come for her.”
Edison trailed 5-2 in the sixth. With two outs, Kylie Babel singled past the third baseman, scoring Ankrom and pulling the Wildcats to within 5-3.
The Wildcats entered the seventh still trailing the Red Riders by two runs. Alyana Meadows started the inning off by delivering her second home run of the game to make the score 5-4.
Next, Becka Evans was hit by a pitch, and Morgan Martin entered the game to run for her. Maddie Brunstuhl followed with a bunt single, and Martin and Brunstuhl moved up to second and third as part of a double steal, setting the stage for Ankrom’s heroics.
“It was a tough one,” first-year Weir (1-1) head coach John Leary said. “You know when you play Edison, you know you are playing a good team. They are going to battle to the very end.
“I’m very proud of our girls. Our starting pitcher is coming back off an ACL injury. She came back and pitched a very good game. We did not make any mistakes. They just hit the ball. They did what you are supposed to do. They deserved to win."
The comeback win allowed Edison to complete the sweep. Weir split its two games, while Minerva lost both of its. The Wildcats defeated the Lions, 14-4, in six innings in the first contest, and the Red Riders held on to defeat the Lions, 7-6, in the second game.
Ankrom’s hit made a winner out of Audrey Scott. She struck out two, walked two and allowed five runs on seven hits.
“She threw fine,” Bendle said. “Her location was good. That is probably the best she has throw this year.”
Madison Angus was saddled with the loss for the Red Riders. She struck out two, walked one and allowed six runs on seven hits.
Five of the last seven batters Angus faced got hits, while another was hit by a pitch.
“We were stagnant for awhile,” Bendle said. “I don’t know if it was from sitting around in the cold after the first game. We were lifeless there in the third game. One of the coaches said earlier, ‘There is no life in this team.’ Even after that first home run, that did not seem to excite the kids any. I don’t no what it is. It has been an awful long time since we have been excited."
Meadows accounted for both of Edison’s extra base hits with her two home runs. Meadows opened the scoring with a two-run dinger in the second to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.
The Red Riders answered right back with a pair of runs in the third to tie the score. Weir’s rally was aided by some Edison miscues in the field.
Bella Aperfine led off the inning by striking out, but she reached first base as a result of a wild pitch. Alexis Adams doubled over the head of the left fielder, and Aperfine attempted to score but was tagged out at the plate, however, Edison was called for interference, allowing the run to count. Adams moved up to third on the throw home. Mallory Rosnick collected an RBI on a ground out to knot the score at 2.
Weir took the lead in the fourth. Olivia Baker drew a two-out walk, and she scored on a bloop triple to right by Mea Kaufman.
The Red Riders recorded two more runs in the fifth to build a three-run advantage. Aperfine tripled to lead off the inning, and she scored on a single by Adams.. With one out, an errant throw to third following a putout on a sacrifice bunt by Sophia Aperfine allowed Adams to score, giving the visitors a 5-2 lead.
“I am proud of the girls,” Leary said. “Coach Bendle was very complimentary. He said you couldn’t tell we were playing for the first time. I was pleased overall with how we played for our first two games. We were sharper than I thought we were going to be. Our pitchers were sharp in the first and in the second game. They only had a few walks.
“We lost on a single in the last inning. You don’t like to lose, but if you do lose you want to lose that way. You want battle to the end against a good team."
While the games against the Lions and the Wildcats were the Red Riders first two games of the season, the game against Minerva and Weir were Edison’s 13th and 14th. The Lions are 3-7.
“We did not know what to expect” Leary said. “We did have the opportunity to be outside. We had the opportunity to do some things. This was our first time playing against players wearing different jerseys. We did not have any scrimmages. We played clean games in the field (Saturday). I’m very pleased with how we played.”
Brenstuhl tallied two base hits in the game for the Wildcats, as did Mychi Stewart.
Angus singled twice for the Red Riders, and Reagan Hoover recorded a base knock.
Edison got off to a good start in the first game against Minerva, and the Wildcats went on to score runs in five of the six innings they batted to bring the game to an end with the 10-run mercy rule.
The hosts pounded out 16 hits -- six went for extra bases, including four home runs.
“In the first game, we hit the ball well,” Bendle said. “We hit the ball hard. We had a couple of doubles, four home runs and multiple amount of singles. We hit the ball well.
“We hit the ball well in the second game, but Weir just made some great plays. They played great defense. That kept them in the game. It kept them on top on the scoreboard until we finally got a bunt single and got everything going.”
Pitcher Katie Fluharty, who picked up the win, finished with three hits, including a pair of home runs and four RBIs, to lead the way for the Wildcats. Hannah Christoff contributed a single, a double, a home run and two RBIs. Babel belted a single and a home run, en route to finishing with four RBIs. Pressly Meadows produced a pair of singles and an RBI. Scott tallied a single, a double and an RBI, Evans singled twice and Ankrom collected a base hit.
Fluharty struck out 10 batters without walking a batter, en route to the win. She allowed four runs on seven hits.
Before giving up two home runs to Alayna Meadows in their second game of the day, the Red Riders also gave up a pair of homers in their first contest against the Lions.
“We won the first game, 7-6,” Leary said. “We were up 7-4, and then they hit a two-run home run. In the end, we were able to hold on for the win. It seems like every time we come out here we give up home runs. The Atlanta Braves’ old stadium (Fulton County Stadium) was known as ‘The Launching Pad.’ This place is like that. Now, you have Cincinnati’s stadium (Great American Ball Park) is like that. When we come here, it seems like the ball just flies off the bat, and there are three or four home runs a game."
The Lions struck first with a run in the top of the first inning before the Red Riders recorded four runs in the home half of the inning to take a 4-1 lead. Weir added two more runs in the third to increase its advantage to 6-1 before pushing another run across in the fifth to make the score, 7-1. That run in the fifth proved to be the difference in the game.
Minerva answered with three runs in the sixth to pull within 7-4 before the Lions tallied two more runs in the seventh to pull within 7-6, however, that was as close as they would get.
Chesney Tice collected the win for Weir. She struck out five without walking a batter, while allowing six runs on eight hits.
Rosnick recorded two singles, a home run and two RBIs to lead the way offensively. Baker doubled and plated a run, Bella Aperfine tallied a double and Angus and Hoover each contributed two base hits. Sophia Aperfine finished with a single, and Tice helped her own cause with an RBI.
UP NEXT
Weir High: Tentatively hosts Morgantown for a doubleheader today.
Edison: Tentatively hosts Harrison Central on Monday.
Minerva: Tentatively hosts Canton South on Monday.
Game 1
Edison 14, Minerva 4
Minerva 0-0-2 0-2-0 -- 4 7 0
Edison 3-0-1 6-2-2 -- 14 16 0
MINVERA (3-6): Murray (LP, 14R, 16H, 2K, 3BB) and Jackson. Brunner S, T, HR, 3RBI; Fox S, RBI; Shafer S; Risden 2S.
EDISON (8-5): Fluharty WP (WP, 4R, 7H, 10K, 0BB) and Evans. Ankrom S; Scott S, D, RBI; Christoff S, D, HR, 2RBI; Babel S, HR, 4RBI; Stewart S; P. Meadows 2S, RBI; Evans 2S; Fluharty S, 2HR, 4RBI.
Game 2
Weir 7, Minerva 6
Minerva 1-0-0 0-0-3 2 -- 6 8 2
Weir 4-0-2 0-1-0 x -- 7 9 1
MINERVA (3-7): Shafer (LP, 7R, 9H, 4K, 0BB) and Jackson. Brunner 2S; Fox 2S, HR, 2RBI; Shafer S; Jackson HR, 3RBI; Hilliard S.
WEIR (1-0): Tice (WP, 7R, 9H, 5K, 0BB) and S. Aperfine. B. Aperfine D; Rosnick 2S, HR, 2RBI; S. Aperfine S; Angus 2S; Hoover D; Tice RBI; Baker D, RBI.
Game 3
Edison 6, Weir 5
Weir 0-0-2 1-2-0 0 -- 5 7 0
Edison 0-2-0 0-0-1 3 -- 6 7 2
WEIR (1-1): Angus (LP, 6R, 7H, 2K, 1BB) and S. Aperfine. B. Aperfine T; Adams S, D, 2RBI; Rosnick RBI; Angus 2S; Kaufman T, RBI; Hoover S.
EDISON (9-5): Scott (WP, 5R, 7H, 2K, 2BB) and Evans. Brenstuhl 2S; Ankrom S, 2RBI; Babel S, RBI; Stewart 2S; A. Meadows 2HR, 3RBI.