Center Horseshoe Ballpark on Friday, March 25, 2022 –
The Center Lady Roughriders varsity softball team improved their District 17 4A record to 1-1 with a 10-9 conference win over the Carthage Lady Bulldogs (1-1).
Center out hit Carthage 16 hits to 6 during the contest but the Lady ‘Riders committed five more errors (7-2) during the game and this made it difficult to pull away for the win during the middle stages.
Center got on the board first when Skylar Causey led off the bottom half of the first inning with a double off the leftfield wall. Kiya Hubbard next scored Causey with an infield hit. Hubbard was later driven in by a Julie Bird single which gave Center a 2-0 advantage.
Ryleigh Green and Jada Walton scored for the Bulldogs to tie the game at 2-2 runs in the top of the second inning.
Carthage rallied again in the top of the third to go ahead 6-2. Center answered back in the bottom of the third when Lanaija Johnson tripled off the rightfield wall enabling Causey and Hubbad to score, cutting the Carthage lead to 6-4.
Center took a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the fifth frame when Ryleigh Youngblood homered over the rightfield fence to score herself, Hubbard and Causey. The Lady ‘Riders added another run to go up 8-6 during the remainder of this fifth inning rally.
The Lady Bulldogs tied the game at 8-8 in the top of the sixth frame on only a single hit. They were helped by two Center errors.
Kiya Hubbard reached base on an infield hit during the bottom of the sixth inning and stole her way around the basepath to give Center a 9-8 advantage.
Carthage tied up the game in the top of the seventh. The Lady Bulldogs were able to load the bases with two Center errors and a walk and then another walk scored Ja’Kayla Roquemore to make the score 9-9. ‘Riders Coach Sara Rupp was able to call a timely timeout to settle down her troops and the Lady Roughrider retired the next two Carthage hitters on a strikeout and a pop fly to centerfield.
The bottom of the seventh saw Julie Bird lead off with a single, steal second base, advance to third on a passed ball. She later alertly came home on another ball which rolled behind the catcher on a wild pitch to give the Lady Roughriders the 10-9 win.
The Lady Roughriders will travel to Rusk on Tuesday March 29, 2022 for a 6:30 p.m. game at Eagles Ballpark.
