Charger Softball Runs Win Streak to Five

The ACGC softball team increased its win streak to five last night with an 11-4 win over West Central Valley in a game played in Stuart. It took the Chargers a while to get rolling, as the Wildcats took an early second inning 2-0 lead, but ACGC bounced back to improve its overall record to 7-5 on the season and to 3-4 in the WCAC.

A six run third inning for ACGC gave the Chargers a lead it would not surrender. The Chargers sent ten batters to the plate, as Kylie Young starting things off with a double. She was the first of seven consecutive Chargers to reach base safely, with six of them scoring. Emerson Van Meter, Sophie Dorsey, Jorja Hoover, and Mady Kelsey also came up with base hits in the inning.

WCV came up with two additional runs in its fifth at bat to close the gap to 6-4, but the Chargers responded with three more runs in the sixth inning and a pair of scores in the seventh. Mercedes Richter, Young, and Reagan Carney all singled to start things off in the sixth and all three scored before the inning was over, giving the visitors a 9-4 lead.

The Chargers' final at bat produced two more tallies when Mady Kelsey singled and Tori Fuller walked. Richter's single drove in pinch runner Carley Fagan and a sacrifice bunt by Young scored Fuller from third for the final run of the game.

"I'm not sure if it was the heat or the girls, but we had a slow start," Charger coach Eric Van Meter commented. "After giving up two runs in the second inning, we picked up our energy and had a good third inning. From that point on we played good ball."

The Chargers pounded WCV pitching for twelve hits, with four different girls--Kelsey, Richter, Young, and Carney--coming up with two hit each. Jorja Hoover and Young each had a double.

Emerson Van Meter started in the pitching circle for ACGC and pitched into the fourth inning. She gave up two runs on four Wildcat hits, while striking out one and walking two. EmmaKay McClain relieved Van Meter and threw the final three and a third innings. She surrendered two runs on two hits, walked two and struck out four Wildcat hitters.

Score by inning:

ACGC 006 003 2--11 12 3

WCV 020 020 0-- 4 6 2

ACGC hitting: (AB-R-H-RBI) Dorsey(3-1-1-0) McClain(2-1-1-1) Hoover(4-1-1-2) Kelsey(4-0-2-1)

Fagan(0-1-0-0) Fuller(3-2-0-0) O.VanMeter(4-0-0-0) Richter(4-1-2-1) Young(3-1-2-1) Coffman(0-1-0-0) E.Van Meter(2-1-2-0) Carney(2-1-1-1)

ACGC pitching: (IP-H-R-ER-SO-BB) E.Van Meter(3.33-4-2-0-1-2) McClain(3.67-2-2-2-4-2)