After dispatching the Christiansburg Blue Demons Friday 11-8, the JV Lady Cougar softball team hit the road for the toughest test of the season yet in the Cave Spring Knights. The end result was a thrilling 5-3 victory for Pulaski County, keeping their undefeated streak alive at 11-0.
The Lady Cougars got on the board in the top of the first inning when Sara Ritter stepped to the plate. The first pitch was a ball, but the second was history as Ritter sent it sailing over the center field fence.
The Lady Cougars held onto their lead through the third inning, when two errors put Shelby Dobbins and Ava Souder on base. Ritter stepped back into the batter’s box and hit into a fielder’s choice, allowing Dobbins to score.
The Knights got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third with two runs, tying the game at 2-2.
A good fourth inning put the Lady Cougars back in the driver’s seat. Ma’Kayla Hairston earned a walk to start the inning, then moved to second when Carley Hight reached first base on an error. Shelby Dobbins stepped up to earn a three ball, one strike count, then connected on the next pitch to send the ball high over the center field fence for a home run.
With a 5-2 lead, the Lady Cougars went on defense. The Knights added a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to move the score to 5-3, but that was the end of the scoring for the night as the Lady Cougars secured the win.
Shelby Dobbins had a great night, earning two hits, three RBI, and two runs. Sara Ritter had two hits, one RBI, and a run scored. Ava Souder earned two hits. Carley Hight had one hit and a run. Noa Dobbins, Addison Dean, and Sophia Hall had one hit each. Ma’Kayla Hairston had a walk and a run scored. Emma Ritter had a walk and an RBI.
Sophia Hall went the distance on the pitching rubber, giving up six hits, three runs (two earned), and two walks while striking out 13 batters.