County Roundup: Lady Rangers corral Buffaloes
Published 3:03 pm Friday, May 3, 2024
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent After securing the ground ball, Rangers second baseman Alisha Harrel makes a strong throw to first.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Leadoff hitter Haley Taylor slaps the ball to short for a first-inning base hit.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Mollie Buckles hits a line drive to left-center to pick up a couple of RBIs.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Unaka is active on the base paths against West Greene, picking up 8 stolen bases.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Jill Faust makes the throw down to second base between innings.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Kimberly Proffitt throws the change-up for a called strike; she would finish the game with six strikeouts.
Ron Marvel/Star Correspondent Left fielder Katlyn Dugger looks focused and ready to go; she would go 1-3 on the night and is hitting .324 on the season.
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By Ron Marvel
Star Correspondent
The Lady Rangers tuned up for the postseason by securing a dominant win over the West Greene Lady Buffaloes, 12-4. Mollie Buckles collected three hits and two RBIs to help lead her team. The Lady Rangers jumped out to a first-inning 5-0 lead after Buckles and Keyona Hague hit base hits. Alisha Harrell produced another RBI with a bases-loaded walk, pushing the Rangers’ lead to 7-0 in the third inning as Gracie Stout hit a hard ground ball to right, plating Katlyn Dugger and Mattie Salyer.
The Lady Buffaloes cut the Lady Rangers’ lead to 7-4 in the top of the fourth inning, but Unaka immediately responded in the bottom of the inning with a couple of runs off base hits by Buckles and Hague, pushing the score to 9-4. They left no doubt by pushing the score to 11-4 in the bottom of the fifth off a Taylor Grindstaff triple, hitting a line drive that skipped past the Lady Buffaloes’ left fielder.
Kimberly Proffitt was solid on the mound; the sophomore hurler went all seven innings surrendering just three earned runs while striking out six and giving up just one walk, improving her record to 6-6 on the season. Besides Buckles, Haley Taylor and Keyona Hague collected multiple hits in the contest.
North Greene 22, Cloudland 4
(Roan Mountain) – Errors plagued the Lady Highlanders Thursday night and turned what seemed destined to be a close game into a blowout. In the loss, Saharra McKinney hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning, drawing the Lady Highlanders to 5-3. Ryan Turbyfill threw four innings in the game, giving up just two earned runs and striking out five. Offensively, Laken Blair led Cloudland with two base hits.
Boys
South Greene 14, Happy Valley 6
(Greene County) – Happy Valley rallied back, scoring five runs in the fifth inning, but it was too little too late as they dropped into the losers’ bracket of the Region 1-2A Tournament. The Warriors loaded the bases twice in the sixth and seventh innings, threatening to make it a ball game, but on both occasions, their rally efforts were cut short. Cade Kendall led the Warriors, going 2-4 at the plate, while Tucker Shoun and Drew Blevins chipped in hits and two RBIs, with Blevins hitting a homerun to right field. The Warriors will hit the road to Greene County Friday night, facing Chuckey-Doak in an elimination game.
North Greene 5, Unaka 2
(Bluff City) – A feisty Rangers squad looked to pull off the upset in the opening round of the 1-A District Tournament; however, their efforts came up just short as the Huskies were able to hold off the Rangers in the final two frames. Jaycob Nidifer hit a frozen rope to left field to plate two runs in the fifth inning; he went 2-4 at the plate to lead the Ranger’s efforts. Cameron Prince, Micah Gray, Rylan Crabtree, and Logan Lewis all had base hits for Unaka. Lewis went the distance for the Rangers, throwing six innings and giving up three runs while striking out six. Unaka will now face Cloudland in an elimination game.
University High 18, Cloudland 0
(Bluff City) – The Highlanders had a tough time keeping pace with the high-octane offense of the Bucs Thursday night as UH posted a 16-run first inning in the opening round of the District 1-A Tournament. Jacob Stinnett and Thomas Job chalked up base knocks for the Highlanders.”
