Friendship/Scio softball ends Myrtle Beach stint with Thursday split of action on walk-off against West Virginia’s Doddridge County, shutout issued by Ohio’s Carlisle in game two

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC — The weather has not been kind in and around Myrtle Beach this past week. But through it all, Thursday marked a return to action for the Friendship/Scio softball squad, as they took the field for their final two games down south before boarding the bus for the long trip back home.

At sunrise bright and early, Friendship/Scio was tested right out of the gate by West Virginia’s Doddridge County in a tight battle that ultimately saw a stint of extra innings before returning to the field later on to take on Ohio’s Carlisle — a team ranked in the Top 5 across the state with a perfect start to their campaign.

In game one, they were taken the distance by the No. 19 ranked team in West Virginia after each team posted a single run in the first three innings of play to create a game-long 1-1 deadlock that would unlock extra innings following four straight shutout innings posted by the respective defenses. Because of it, it would all come down to the decisive eighth innings, where one humongous swing of the bat changed everything.

That was provided by Morghyn Ross, who crushed Friendship/Scio’s walk-off hit straight to the outfield to bring the winning run around the bags and straight home to give them their first win of the day by a 2-1 count.

Before the win was firmly in their possession, Friendship/Scio broke the ice out of the gate in their first tenure at the plate on a lead-off triple from Nevaeh Ross. Doddridge County would then face a bases-loaded jam after back-to-back walks, with a third issued to Nora Thompson to allow Ross passage from third to garner the lead. But all the remaining runners would be left on after three consecutive strikeouts ended the stanza.

With a scoreless second inning in the wagon, aided by five big strikeouts handed out by Ross, Doddridge County was able to respond in the top of the third with a strong RBI single to tie the game for the foreseeable future. The pressure would reach a boiling point in the midst of four straight shutout innings shelled out by both teams, reaping the benefits of clutch baserunning to place their go-ahead runners in scoring position. But each half of the frame would close up off a big third-out strikeout to leave them on.

Crossing into the extra inning echelon, Friendship/Scio was able to find one more tremendously large hit to put the victory under their belts off a second triple, this one from the bat of Morghyn Ross, knocking in Jadyn Wonderling along the way to end the morning on the most positive notes with their second win of the season.

Nevaeh Ross went all eight innings from within the circle to collect the victory, fanning 11 Doddridge County hitters and walking just one while holding them to just two hits. On offense, she led the way with two hits, while Avery Lamberson and Grace Drumm (triple) each posted a hit to help further the cause.

When the clock approached 4 p.m. in South Carolina, Friendship/Scio took the field for the final time this Spring Break to take on one of Ohio’s finest — No. 4 ranked Carlisle. They were met immediately with a ferocious force in the circle occupied by the likes of Savannah Brown, who held her opposition steady across a shortened make-up battle after rain forced an early end to their originally scheduled battle previously in the week, striking out 12 and walking just two to complete a one-hit performance with a 4-0 win.

All four of Carlisle’s runs were scavenged in the first three innings of play, led by four big hits, including an RBI double in the bottom of the third to score their final run after six consecutive strikeouts were dished out by Brown during their second and third tenures on defense. A no-hit bid was in the works for the Carlisle hurler, but with two outs and Friendship/Scio down to their final at-bat, Nevaeh Ross made the most of the opportunity by ending the immaculate stretch with a triple to the deep outfield.

With the potential shutout-ending run standing just feet away from the plate, Carlisle would regroup and deliver the final out on defense, fielding a grounder at second base to close up shop.

In addition to the team’s lone hit on offense, Ross struck out seven and walked two during her final Myrtle Beach start.

Friendship/Scio will end their trip down south with a 1-2 record in hand, as they now begin their trek back home with a return to play coming up on Tuesday in a 5 p.m. visit to the Jungle to face Genesee Valley/Belfast.

Game 1

Doddridge County 001 000 00 – 1 2 0

Friendship/Scio 100 000 01 – 2 5 7

DOD – Kenna Curran (LP) (CG, 9K, 4BB) and Bell Holtz.

F/S – Nevaeh Ross (WP) (CG, 11K, BB) and Morghyn Ross.

Game 2

Friendship/Scio 000 00 – 0 1 1

Carlisle 121 0X – 4 7 1

F/S – Nevaeh Ross (LP) (CG, 7K, 2BB) and Morghyn Ross.

CAR – Savannah Brown (WP) (CG, 12K, 2BB) and Karrigan Bowman.