The Shadow
SALEM, Va. (VR) – It was a tough day on the diamond for the Alleghany JV Softball team, as they fell to both Auburn High School and Amherst County High School in a Saturday doubleheader.
Game 1: Auburn High School JV Dominates 13-2
The Cougars’ first game of the day saw Auburn High School JV take control early, securing a dominant 13-2 victory. The Cougars initially struck first, with Kendra Dressler getting hit by a pitch in the top of the first, driving in the game’s opening run. However, Auburn quickly turned the momentum in their favor with a spectacular eight-run first inning. The key blow of the inning came from Hall, whose groundout drove in two runs, helping Auburn take an 8-1 lead.
Auburn continued to extend their lead in the second with two more runs, courtesy of RBI singles by Lawrence and Mitcham. They added another run in the third after Lawrence drew a walk, making it 11-1.
Despite a strong effort from Maddy Lowry and Savanna Hicks, who each collected one hit for Alleghany, the Cougars couldn’t generate enough offense to mount a comeback. Lowry stole two bases, and Hicks drove in one run with her single, but Auburn’s dominant pitching and timely hitting proved too much to overcome. Mitcham earned the win for Auburn, striking out 12 and walking none over five innings.
Game 2: Amherst County JV Wins 19-6
The Cougars’ second game of the day was equally challenging, as they were defeated 19-6 by Amherst County High School JV. Alleghany got on the board first in the top of the first inning when Hicks singled and later scored due to errors by Amherst County. However, Amherst quickly responded in the bottom of the first, with Brooklyn Taylor’s fielder’s choice allowing one run to score, followed by a three-run home run by Brooks, giving them a 4-1 lead.
Amherst extended their lead in the second inning, with RBI groundouts from Jones and Funk, making it 6-1. The third inning saw the game unravel for Alleghany as Amherst exploded for eight runs on four hits, including errors that contributed to several more runs. By the end of the third inning, Amherst led 14-1.
The Cougars fought hard, scoring a few more runs, including an RBI single from Hicks and a run driven in by Paelyn Osborne, but it was not enough to overcome the large deficit. Amherst continued their offensive onslaught, adding five more runs in the fourth inning, making the final score 19-6.
Ellington earned the win for Amherst, pitching five innings and allowing six runs (one earned) on eight hits, while striking out five. Taylor took the loss for Alleghany, surrendering 12 runs (three earned) over 2.2 innings of work. The Cougars faced two tough opponents on Saturday, and despite some strong individual performances, were unable to keep up with the offensive firepower of Auburn and Amherst. Hicks and Lowry were standouts for the Cougars, with Hicks collecting three hits and driving in one run across both games.
