Lady Bears run past Maroon Tide 16-10

By JERRY SCOTT/Staff

Laurel Hankins smacked three hits and drove in four runs as Bland County outslugged Galax 16-10 in MED softball action in Galax on April 14. Her 3-run double in the fourth inning highlighted Bland County’s 8-run scoring burst that blew apart a 4-4 tie between the MED foes.
The Bears reached two Galax pitchers for 11 hits. In addition to Hankins’ three, winning pitcher Morgan Brizendine also collected three hits and teamed with Adrianna Hutchens and Stephanie May to drive home two runs each. Hutchens and Jessica Coburn each had two hits for the Bears (1-1, 3-2).
Brizendine went the distance despite allowing Galax 10 runs and 10 hits. She struck out three and walked five. Bland County was victimized by committing six errors.
Hutchens and Coburn had run-scoring singles in the opening inning as Bland County went up 2-0. Galax tied it in the bottom of the first on a two-run single by Kellie Osburn. The Maroon Tide then went in front 4-2 in the home half of the second on a hit and two Bland County fielding errors.
Bland County tied the score 4-4 in the top of the third as Danielle May walked, Hankins tripled, and Brizendine singled before erupting for eight runs in the fourth for a 12-4 advantage. In that inning, the Bears sent 13 batters to the plate, scoring the eight runs on only two hits.
Amy Hoosier was hit by a pitch from Galax starter and loser Jessica Lawson, who went on to also walk Cari Neal and Danielle May to load the bases. Hankins then drove a bases-clearing double that pushed the Bears in front 7-4. After a stolen base, Hankins scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-4.
Brizendine drew a walk and advanced to third on a steal and error. Hutchens singled to score the Bland County pitcher and was followed by walks to Coburn and Stephanie May. All three runners would eventually score on wild pitches by reliever Ally Slices.
Holding a 13-4 lead, the Bears allowed four runs in the bottom of the fifth as Galax trimmed their deficit to 13-8. Jessica Bartlett had a run-scoring hit for the Maroon Tide in the inning and Sara Amburgy a two-run double in the inning. Two more Galax runs in the sixth severed the Bears’ lead to 13-10.
In the top of the seventh, Bland County used a walk, a hit batter, and two singles to score three times for the final 16-10 margin. Brizendine’s single drove in Danielle May, who had walked, and Stephanie May’s hit plated Brizendine and Hutchens, who was hit by a pitch. Both came with one out and both runners advanced into scoring position of Coburn’s flyout.
Osburn, Bartlett, and Lawson each had two hits for the Maroon Tide. Amburgy and Osburn drove in two runs each.

Bland County 202 810 3—16 11 6
Galax 200 420—10 10 2
Brizendine and Hankins. Lawson, Slices (4) and Babb. WP—Brizendine (2-0). LP—Lawson. HR—none.