The Shadow
FAIRLEA, WV. (VR) – Alleghany’s JV softball team split momentum across a wild doubleheader, dropping Game One after a late collapse before responding with a high-powered offensive surge in Game Two against Greenbrier East.
Game One
Greenbrier East struck first and built early control, taking advantage of walks, passed balls and timely hits to go up 3-0 after two innings. Lydia Herstine settled in the circle for Alleghany, recording multiple strikeouts and limiting further damage through the middle innings.
Alleghany broke through in the fourth when Lydia Herstine scored on a wild pitch, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The Cougars then delivered their best stretch in the fifth.
Savanna Hicks drove in a run with a single, Paelynn Osborne added a two-run single, and McKenlee Knick ripped a double as Alleghany surged ahead 6-5. The inning featured aggressive baserunning and pressure that forced multiple Greenbrier East errors.
The lead didn’t hold.
Greenbrier East answered immediately in the bottom half, capitalizing on walks, passed balls and extra-base hits. A two-run double and a string of base runners flipped the game back, with the Spartans regaining a 12-6 advantage.
Alleghany kept fighting. In the sixth, Osborne singled home a run, Herstine reached on an error that plated another, and Abby Lindsey doubled as the Cougars trimmed the deficit to 12-9. The rally stalled there, leaving Alleghany short after scoring nine runs on limited hits but benefiting from multiple errors.
Herstine led the offense with a single, RBI and multiple runs scored, while Osborne and Hicks each delivered key hits during the fifth-inning surge. Knick added an extra-base hit in the comeback effort.
Game Two
Alleghany flipped the script immediately.
The Cougars erupted in the first inning, using aggressive baserunning and defensive miscues to build a multi-run lead. Herstine highlighted the inning with a two-run double, while Elizabeth Bazzrea added an RBI single as Alleghany jumped out 4-0.
Greenbrier East answered to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom half, again aided by errors and extra-base hits, but the Cougars quickly regained control.
In the third inning, Alleghany broke the game open.
Hicks and Kardyn Skidmore delivered RBI singles, walks forced in runs, and a hit-by-pitch added another as the Cougars pushed their lead to 9-4. The inning showcased patience at the plate and continued pressure on the basepaths.
Alleghany kept adding in the fourth. Abby Lindsey drove in two with a single, Adalee Harris added another hit, and more defensive miscues helped extend the lead to 13-6.
Savanna Hicks handled pitching duties during the middle innings, recording strikeouts and limiting Greenbrier East’s scoring chances after the early surge.
Offensively, Hicks, Skidmore, Lindsey and Herstine all contributed multi-run innings, while Bazzrea consistently created pressure on the bases.
After a back-and-forth opener, Alleghany’s response in Game Two was decisive—cleaner at-bats, sustained pressure, and enough pitching to secure control.
