Lady Wildcats find offensive groove against Lady Cougars
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Makenzie Miller started the Campbell County game in the circle for the Lady Wildcats last Thursday night. She pitched the first two innings. Miller had two hits on offense for Oak Ridge and also had one RBI. - Tony Cox
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Brenna Bradshaw was 1-for-3 at the plate for the Lady Wildcats and scored two runs against the visiting Lady Cougars last Thursday night. - Tony Cox
In its first two games of the 2024 season, the Oak Ridge High School softball team has scored runs in bunches.
The Lady Wildcats picked up their first win of the new campaign Thursday when they topped Campbell County 9-2 Thursday night at home.
Oak Ridge took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning and never trailed in the contest. The team got its offense clicking late to nab the lopsided victory.
The Lady Cougars pulled to within a run in the top of the fifth before Oak Ridge broke the game open by scoring four runs in the fourth and plating three more in the sixth.
“We really struggled early, and it was 2-1 in the top of the fifth,” Lady Wildcats’ first-year Head Coach Jeremy Gill said. “We finally came to life when we scored four runs in the fifth and three in the sixth.
“It was good to get that first win.”
Oak Ridge (1-1 overall, 1-0 in District 3-4A) collected eight hits against the Lady Cougars and took advantage of a pair of errors by Campbell County.
Kaylee Hickman went 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Makenzie Miller went 2-for-3 with an
RBI.
Brenna Bradshaw went 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. She also drove in a run.
Morgan Perry was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Gloria Rust was 1-for-3. She crossed the plate twice.
In the circle, Hickman picked up the win as she threw five innings.
She gave up two runs (one earned) and seven hits. She struck out eight.
Miller also pitched against Campbell County. She hurled two innings, walking three and striking out three for Oak Ridge, which opened the season Tuesday with an 11-9 loss to McMinn Central.
Against the Chargers, ORHS got off to a slow start and fell behind 9-2. The Lady Wildcats also committed three errors in the contest.
They would, however, rally to knot the game at 9-9, as they scored seven runs in the bottom of the of the sixth.
But the Chargers would score a pair in the top of the seventh and keep Oak Ridge off the scoreboard in the bottom half of the frame.
“We just made some mistakes,” Gill said. “We had a couple of mistakes late, but it was a pretty good week.”
Offensively, Bradshaw led the way as she collected two hits, including a double. She knocked in three runs and scored twice.
Perry was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Hickman went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored, while Miller went 1-for-4 and drove in three runs.