Rosewood drops AG softball

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 21, 2012 11:20 PM

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This is more like it.

Haunted by base-running errors and defensive miscues during its frustrating two-game skid, Rosewood looked like its old self -- the team that started 11-0 -- on the softball diamond Friday evening.

Amanda Beckert tossed a five-hit shutout inside the circle and the Eagles dispatched Ayden-Grifton, 7-0, in Carolina 1-A Conference play.

"We have been working on our defense and improving our hitting, which wasn't as strong the last game," Beckert said. "Our defense was a little bit weaker. But we've improved a lot and trying to get back into it (a rhythm)."

Beckert (12-2) threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of 25 batters she faced, and allowed a base runner in five of seven innings. The Chargers stranded one runner at third, while another was wiped out on a first-inning double play started by shortstop Megann Tyndall.

A right-hander, Beckert retired 13 of 15 batters she faced during one stretch of the 82-minute affair. She threw an efficient 61 pitches, including 49 strikes, and the defense committed two meaningless errors behind her.

"I was moving the ball in and out, working it hard," said Beckert, who used just two pitches -- fastball and change-up -- to keep the Chargers guessing in the batter's box.

Rosewood (12-2 overall, 4-1 CC) seized a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Beckert laced a two-strike, lead-off single into center field and was replaced at first base by courtesy runner KeKe Parks. Scout Anderson followed with a line shot toward Ayden-Grifton third baseman Taj Worthington, who knocked the ball down, but her throw to first sailed into right-field foul territory.

Parks headed to third and scored on Tyndall's groundout.

Ayden-Grifton right-hander Griffin Smith, a sophomore, retired nine of the next 11 Eagles she faced before encountering trouble in the fifth.

Alicia Burns, Jordan DuBose and Beckert each singled to load the bases with no outs. Anderson ripped another shot down the third-base line that Worthington couldn't field. Two runs scored.

"Taj had probably scooped up six balls before then," AG head coach John Moye said. "What happened is, she was so worried about getting the girl out, she turned her glove the wrong way, instead of keeping it open and making the easy play.

"That error just broke open the game."

The Eagles plated three additional runs, which was more than Beckert needed to claim her 12th win in 14 outings on the rubber. Beckert finished the night 2-for-3 with an RBI. Eight of nine Eagles in the starting lineup had at least one hit against Smith and reliever Sarah Craft.

"We had to get more patient in the box, had to wait on the ball because we were a little anxious," RHS coach Shay Campbell said of the fifth inning. "Being aggressive is not a bad thing, but we need to wait on the ball instead of getting out and hitting it way off the end of the bat.

"I think they did a fine job of adjusting to it."