KINGSPORT — Whenever West Ridge softball coach Bill Wagner uses the words “next level” about a player, it typically carries some weight.
The longtime skipper tends to know when he’s mentoring a future college player. Wagner doesn’t really consider his top two pitchers a 1-2 punch, but more like a 1A-1B punch if you will. Sophomore Miranda Henley got the nod in the Lady Wolves’ opener at the Eastman Invitational. Junior Victoria Browder did enter the circle later, before Henley returned and finished Friday’s 5-1 victory over Clinton at Brickyard Park.
Henley struck out three and walked three to get the win, allowing just two hits over 3 1/3 innings, while Browder retired two of the three batters she faced.
“When Miranda is in the frame of mind where she wants to attack, she’s just about unhittable,” Wagner said. “Vic, especially since her freshman year, has learned the nuances of pitching, learned how we set up hitters … they’re two completely different pitching types and take two different mental approaches.
“At the college level now, you can’t rely on a pitcher. You’ve got to have a staff of pitchers, got to have people with different styles. They’re different, but they complement each other.”
Clinton would agree, after mustering just three hits against them.
Lacey Fugate’s sacrifice fly in the first inning and a two-out error in the second put West Ridge up 2-0, and Nila Horne drove in two more with her two-out single in the third. Lily Frazier’s RBI single capped the scoring in the fourth.
Browder and Horne both hit 2-for-2, and freshman Kami Clark went 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored.
“Right now we’re starting, at times, five freshmen,” Wagner said. “But it’s our returning girls doing a good job bringing the freshmen along.”
One of those freshmen is left-handed pitcher Caydence Spears. She already has a no-hitter to her name this year, coming in a JV tournament.
In short, the Lady Wolves’ pitching staff should be at least two or three deep the next couple of seasons.
And one of West Ridge’s leaders, junior leadoff hitter Natalie Moore, began Friday’s opener with a double to center field.
“Natalie is just a leader. She does a great job,” Wagner said.
Clinton’s only run came in the bottom of the third, when Taylor Sherwood led off with a solo home run.
Daniel Boone 11, Wise Central 1
The Lady Trailblazers quickly shook off their opening 3-2 loss to Walker Valley, scoring all of their runs in the second inning against Wise Central.
Sadie Henson’s double began a string of four straight hits for Daniel Boone. Kaylea Osborne, Taylor Brinn and McKenzie Strouth singled in runs to make it 5-1, before RBI singles from Kyleigh Bacon and Anna Richardson widened the gap.
Bacon finished 2-for-3, and Osborne batted in two runs while matching Richardson and Henson with two runs scored.
In the circle, Ava Saul gave up only two hits and struck out a pair to get the win.
The Lady Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second with one of their two hits — a solo home run by Sophie Fleming.
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