SPORTS

Big inning lifts White House Heritage past White House

Dean Fox

For USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

White House Heritage's Alex McFarlin slides into home plate to score a run during Wednesday's game at White House.

For three innings, host White House matched cross-town rival Heritage on Wednesday. But the Lady Patriots' combination of Alyssa Arden and a big inning powered by "small-ball" proved to be the difference Wednesday night.

Arden allowed only five hits, striking out nine as Heritage rolled to a 9-1 win in their District 9-AA opener.

The Lady Patriots (9-1, 3-0) took control of the game with a five-run fourth inning.

"In the game of softball, sometimes it's good to have luck on your side," White House Heritage head coach Leslie Barrow said. "We tried to mix things up and play small-ball a little bit, and small-ball worked for us. It took the pressure off of us and put it back on them."

Alex McFarlin doubled off the left-field wall with one out, then scored when the throw after a sacrifice bunt was mishandled. Riley Hallum followed with an RBI triple to make it 3-1, and she scored on a fielders' choice.

White House's Erica Moore looks in a fly ball during Wednesday's game against White House Heritage.

Megan Groves blooped a two-run single to left, making it 6-1.

"The wheels fell off the bus," White House coach Cindy Towers said. "It was one of those situations where they put the bat on the ball and put it in places we were not. I thought my girls did a great job up until the fourth inning. They believed they could be in there and be in it."

White House (2-7, 1-1) had a chance to rally in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases with one out. However, Arden coaxed a comebacker, starting a 1-2-3 double play to get out of the inning.

Heritage added three in the fifth, thanks in part to another double by McFarlin.

"Alex is normally our lead-off hitter, and the last couple of weeks, she's struggled at the plate and so we made the decision to move her down and get her out of head a little bit," Barrow said. "I thought she was critical for us."

Barrow said as good as Arden was, it wasn't her A-game.

"She was off tonight," Barrow said. "It's the first we've really seen her be off. ... That's why we left her (in). A lot of people would ask, 'Why would you leave her in there with a big lead?' and we wanted her to work through it."