Lady Bucs Softball Posts Two Run-Rule Wins

Gardendale- The Shelton State Community College softball team used a combination of elite pitching and power hitting to pick up two big wins in the Turf Wars Classic at Bill Noble Park on Saturday.

The Lady Bucs (5-3) picked up a 14-4 win over Pellissippi State before closing out the classic with a 12-0 shutout of Walters State.

The pitching staff for the Lady Bucs allowed 11 hits and just one walk over 44 batters in the two games.

For the second time this week, the Lady Bucs launched four home runs in a two-game span. Chloe Mitchell led Shelton with five hits and 8 RBIs. Arianna Shorter added four hits as well.

Game 1

Shelton State overcame a slow start to take home a 14-4 win in just 5 innings over Pellissippi State.

A quartet of singles plated three Lady Panther runs in the first inning, putting the Lady Bucs down 3-0 before they had a chance to step to the plate.

Shelton State was able to cut into the lead after Graidin Haas drew a one-out walk, stole both second and third, before Mitchell notched her first RBI of the day on a base hit to left field.

The Lady Bucs continued to fight as Megan Wilbanks led off the second inning with a double. Laila Watkins drew a walk, and a Lady Panther passed ball and throwing error set the stage for Megan Overton to tie the game with a base hit. Shorter would give the Lady Bucs the lead on a base hit, scoring Overton thanks to another Pellissippi error.

Pellissippi answered in the third as they pieced together three hits to tie the game at 4-4.

The bottom of the third inning saw the Lady Bucs take off for good.

Tyeshia Williams blasted a one-out solo home run before Marleigh McWilliams, Watkins, and Wilbanks recorded back-to-back-to-back singles. Overton would draw a bases loaded walk to put the Lady Bucs up 6-4. Shorter would then add a 2-run single, followed by a Layla Bradshaw single and Graidin Hass RBI groundout.

Mitchell added two more RBIs on a base hit before being thrown out advancing to second to end the inning with the Lady Bucs leading 11-4.

The Lady Bucs would end the game in the fifth, as Overton, Shorter, and Bradshaw went back-to-back-to-back with base hits before Mitchell ended the game with a  bases-loaded double.

McWilliams went all five innings in the circle giving up four runs on eight hits.

Game 2

Shelton State softball continued their hot streak in game two as they grabbed another run-rule victory, this time over perennial power Walters State.

Karlie Beth Beasley (1-2) grabbed the win in the circle allowing three hits in four innings of work, with four strikeouts. Makenzie Harper recorded the final three outs. The staff only allowed two runners to enter scoring position out of 20 batters faced.

Mitchell started the bottom of the first with a base hit, before Beasley helped her with an RBI double to give the Lady Bucs a 1-0 lead. 

Shelton State would add to their lead in the second as Wilbanks doubled, Haas singled, and Mitchell walked to load the bases. Williams drew a walk to force in a run, and McWilliams stroked a two-run single made it 4-0.

Hocutt belted a three-run home run, her first career home run, to make it 7-0 in the third.

The Lady Bucs weren't done as Graidin Haas would draw a walk before scoring on an Shorter double setting the stage for a Mitchell two-run blast growing the lead to 10-0.

Williams would add a single, with the Lady Bucs seeing seven consecutive batters reach base. To cap off the inning, Watkins launched the third homer of the game to put the Lady Bucs in position to run the Lady Senators with a score of 12-0.

The Lady Bucs return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 18 as they play their first true home game in three seasons when they host Jones College with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.