Grooms tosses gem, Lady Mavericks rebound with shutout
Anderson County High School had a rollercoaster ride on the softball diamond last week.
The Lady Mavericks lost two of three games, but Coach Lindsey Verner remains upbeat.
Anderson County (10-6, 0-2 in District 4-AAA) ended the week on a high note, earning a 5-0 shutout victory at Lenoir City on Friday night.
The Lady Mavericks pounded out eight hits and took control with three runs in the top of the third inning. They added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
“I thought we played well against Lenoir City,” Verner said. “We had eight hits.”
Alli McKamey led the offensive charge, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Reece Brock had a multi-hit game as well, finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored. Bella Brummett went 1-for-3 and scored a run, while Marlea Finstad singled and crossed the plate once.
In the circle, sophomore Addison Grooms pitched a complete-game shutout. She allowed six hits and one walk while striking out five.
The win was a much-needed bounce-back after Anderson County dropped an 11-1 decision to defending state champion Gibbs in a District 4-AAA matchup at home.
“Against Gibbs, we were timid because of who we were playing,” Verner said. “We had four errors, and they really took advantage of some things like good teams do. We had four hits off (Gibbs ace) Lacey Keck.”
Senior center fielder and leadoff hitter Kaycee Baldwin had three hits and drove in Anderson County’s lone run against the Lady Eagles. McKamey also had a hit.
The Lady Mavericks opened the week with a 3-1 loss in their district opener against crosstown rival Clinton.
Brummett went 2-for-3 with a home run and a double, while Kara Waddell had two singles for Anderson County.
