Everything fell into place for Lady Dragons vs Bearden
Everything fell into place for the Clinton High School softball team Friday night.
The Lady Dragons took advantage of their opponents’ mistakes. Bree McKamey delivered a stellar start in the circle and the offense stayed hot.
And it all added up to a 9-0 victory over Bearden in Clinton, bringing coach Leonard Sams a victory against his former team, the Lady Bulldogs.
“Bree was on top of her game,” Sams said. “And when she’s on top of her game,” she’s hard to beat.”
McKamey tossed a complete game, going seven innings. She gave up five hits and didn’t walk a batter. She fanned 10 Lady Bulldogs, striking out the side in the top of the sixth inning. At the plate, she also drove in two runs.
After McKamey retired the Lady Bulldogs (5-12) in order in the first, Clinton’s Taylor Sherwood and Addi Gamble doubled with one out in the bottom of the frame, but Bearden starter Rylee Sieber escaped damage as Sherwood was thrown out attempting to steal third and Sieber struck out Elizabeth Graham to end the inning.
But Sieber and Bearden didn’t keep Clinton’s high-powered offense of the board for long.
But the Lady Dragons (15-6) were also a bit advantageous in the bottom of the second as they took a 1-0 lead with the help of three errors and an RBI single by McKenna Gavin.
Clinton extended its advantage to 2-0 in the third as Graham, the Lady Dragons’ freshman third baseman, clubbed a solo home run. Graham went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.
CHS pounded out 11 hits, including five doubles.
“We hit the ball well,” Sams said. “Elizabeth hit a home run. Lynnlee (Adkins) hit two (doubles) off the wall. Taylor hit one off the wall, Addi hit one off the wall and McKenna hit one off the wall.”
Clinton blew things open in the sixth as it scored seven runs and sent 12 hitters to the plate against Lady Bulldogs’ reliever Reese Waltman.
Adkins, Sherwood and Gamble each came up with two-run doubles and Marissa Eccles drove in a run on a two-base hit.
Sams, who took the Lady Bulldogs to the Class AAA State Tournament before parting ways with Bearden, said the victory against the Lady Bulldogs was just another win.
“That was a long time ago and I don’t really think about it anymore,” he said. “I felt bad because that was a team on the rise, but that was a long time ago.”
The win over Bearden completed a big week for the Lady Dragons, who defeated Oak Ridge 17-2 Wednesday, April 19, and edged Halls, 1-0, in eight innings, on the road the previous day. That win came after a lopsided loss to Gibbs on Monday, April 17.