Spring Creek softball team flexes muscle, hits two balls out of the park

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 12, 2015 1:48 PM

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SEVEN SPRINGS -- A preseason contender for the Carolina 1-A Conference regular-season softball title, Spring Creek flexed a little bit of its muscle Wednesday afternoon.

Rachel McCollum and Alanna Price each drove a ball out of the park and eight of nine Gators scored at least one run in a 17-4, non-conference triumph over Eastern Wayne.

McCollum, who has signed with Campbell University, batted 2-for-2 and homered in the third inning. It was McCollum's second round-tripper in as many days.

Price smacked her second career grand slam in the fourth.

"We've got some rockets," said SC head coach Lester Boltinhouse, whose team cranked out 11 hits. "We actually came out a little slow in the beginning, I thought. (I) felt like it took us a couple of innings to get going. Then things sort of moved along.

"We were making contact."

The Gators scored in each inning against the Warriors. Ashley Marriner provided two hits and an RBI. Sarah Ford (RBI), Daisy Martinez, Nikki Linker and Samantha Crouch (two RBI) supplied one hit apiece.

A playoff qualifier last season, Eastern Wayne (0-1 overall) put eight runners aboard during the first three innings on five walks, two fielder's choice plays and Trisha Bell's first-inning single.

The Warriors came up empty on each occasion.

"They've not seen a lot of live hitting with the weather like it's been," said third-year EW head coach Jackie Lewis, whose team left the bases loaded in the third inning.

"I just think they were intimidated. We weren't putting the ball in play to begin with. They were swinging at bad pitches."

Marriner worked the outside part of the plate throughout the game, but had sporadic location on her pitches. The right-hander yielded an uncharacteristic seven walks and allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits -- including four hits in the seventh. She claimed the mound win.

Eastern Wayne got RBI singles from Emily Newsome, Tamarria Smith and Jaela Parks during its four-run, fifth-inning uprising. Bell started the rally with a lead-off walk and Uzzell followed with a sharply-hit single in the gap.

"We did bounce back," Lewis said.

Bell and Emily Uzzell worked inside the pitcher's circle for Eastern Wayne. The duo combined to give up 10 earned runs on 11 hits and four walks. Six errors, including five in the third inning, enabled Spring Creek to build an 11-0 advantage through three innings.