Rosewood hammers Kinston softball
By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 8, 2011 1:47 PM
Amanda Beckert tossed a no-hitter and Rosewood hammered Kinston, 16-1, in a mercy rule-shortened softball affair Monday evening.
Beckert threw first-pitch strikes to 14 of 17 batters she faced and surrendered an unearned run. The right-hander coaxed the Vikings into five groundouts, four infield pop-ups and allowed just two balls to leave the infield.
The Eagles committed two errors.
"She's throwing well ... consistent," said third-year Rosewood head coach Tracie Meadows. "Today, she was working the corners and moving the ball around. We didn't go with much off-speed stuff. We have to stay strong with our defense and hit with our offense to back her up."
Rosewood (1-2 overall) cranked out 10 hits in the 69-minute contest. Lead-off batter Alyssa Spell finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and designated player Keke Parks provided two hits and three RBI in four at-bats.
Eight of nine Eagles in the starting lineup each logged one hit.
Spell, Parks, Kelsey Kornegay and Laura Vinson swiped one base apiece.
"It feels good for the girls to be able to get some hits and get some defense going," said Meadows. "We just have to build on it. We've been working on our base running as far as being aggressive and a little more scrappy, and produce more runs.
"That went well tonight."
The Eagles had scored just one run 14 innings of action in losses against Midway and Wilson Fike before meeting the Vikings, who were playing their season opener. Parks' two-RBI single and Alicia Burns' RBI double highlighted a seven-run, first-inning outburst.
Rosewood turned two hits, four errors, two wild pitches, four walks and a hit batsman into nine runs in the fourth inning. The Eagles sent 13 batters to the plate during that span.
Two second-inning infield errors denied Beckert's shutout bid.
The miscues allowed the Vikings (0-1) to score their lone run. Beckert collected an inning-ending strikeout, and retired the final 10 batters she faced for her first victory inside the pitcher's circle this season.
"I told them we were going to erase the second inning as far as my mind was concerned," said Meadows. "We got a little too relaxed, and one thing leads to another and then another. But that's when they have to stay on their toes and stay sharp."