Lancaster spotted West Point eight runs in the first inning then battled back to fall by two, 11-9, to the Lady Pointers in varsity softball last Tuesday.
After scoring a run in the first at-bat, Lancaster gave up nine in the bottom of the frame to give host West Point a 9-1 lead after the first inning. Lancaster held the Lady Pointers scoreless, despite West Point loading the bases in two innings, until the bottom of the sixth inning.
Lancaster chipped away at the margin with two runs in the third, one in the fourth and four in the sixth to cut the Pointers lead to two, 9-7. West Point went up 11-7 with two unearned runs after an error in the bottom of the sixth and Lancaster scored two in the top of the seventh before leaving two runners stranded.
“Our defense let us down,” said LHS coach Doug French. “We’re still not making the routine plays that the other teams are.”
Whitney Barrack came back after a tough first inning to pitch a good game, he said.
Maddie Davis led the LHS offense with three hits, two runs scored and two RBIs. Britney Thomas and Riley Molineaux had two RBIs each and Frannie Wilson had two hits and three runs scored.
Rappahannock routed Lancaster in the Lady Devils’ conference opener last Friday in Warsaw. The Raiderettes went up 8-0 after two en route to a 16-0 five-inning slaughter.
“Both offensively and defensively, we did not come to play,” said French.
Rappahannock’s Jennie Whelan threw a one-hitter which came in the first inning on a single by Thomas.
McKenzie Hathaway led the defense, said French. She had two assists and two put-outs.
Ashleigh Sanford made her season debut on the mound, coming in to pitch in the third inning to give up only two runs in 1 1/3 innings.
Lancaster will return to the diamond April 18 at Essex High School in Tappahannock.
