SOFTBALL: Beddingfield blanks Southern Wayne

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on March 3, 2017 9:59 AM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

DUDLEY -- Beddingfield was like a body of rushing water that slowly cracked Southern Wayne's dam.

One runner was left on second base in the first inning. Then in the second inning, runners were left on first and second. By the third inning, the Saints' defense began to buckle.

The Bruins scored all of their runs in the final four innings, and cruised to a 10-0 mercy-rule victory over the Saints Thursday afternoon.

"We've got to have heart," said SW head coach Jamie Williams. "Our talent level is there, it's just someone has to step up and be big and be the game-changer. We have the talent. We just have to dig deep and bring it out of us."

Through the first two innings, SW pitcher Mackenzie Bryan commanded the mound. She allowed two consecutive hits in the top of the first, but forced Beddingfield's Chloe Radford to fly out. In the next inning, she walked two batters with two outs, but then the Bruins' Brianna Langley grounded out.

During the third inning, the defense behind Bryan began to struggle. Beddingfield's Savannah Pierce and Anna Gardner reached on two straight errors by the Saints. Savannah Barberio drove both runners in with a two-RBI single.

"Bryan was wonderful on the mound," Williams said. "I couldn't have asked anything more from her. She just has to have her defense back her up. There were a couple of key plays that were game-changers that would've been a momentum stopper for the other team."

The Bruins went on to score two more runs in the fourth inning and three apiece in the fifth and six innings. Among those runs was a solo homer by Radford and a three-RBI double by Brianna Hale. SW's Bryan pitched a complete game with five strikeouts and three walks.

As Beddingfield built its lead, SW's offense continued to struggle. The Saints didn't get their first hit until Kya Hunter slapped a single in the fifth inning. The only other hit was a single by Caroline Summerlin in the sixth inning.

Beddingfield's Hale struck out nine SW batters and allowed just one walk.

The Saints have now dropped two straight games after opening the season with an 18-2 victory over Rocky Mount. SW travels to Beddingfield next Thursday for a quick rematch.

Williams said she intends for that game to be different.

"Facing a team like Beddingfield is exactly why we wanted to schedule these games," Williams said. "It's so we could get stronger for our conference games. It's nothing but great practice for us."