The Cornersville Lady ‘Dawgs pose with their runner-up plaque following the District 10-A championship. (Post Photos by Dennis Holley)
Earning All-District honors this season were Abbi Storey, Carmen Ward, Anna Wood and Jayli Childress. (Post Photo by Dennis Holley)
By DENNIS HOLLEY
Sports Writer
LYNNVILLE — The finals of the district 10-A softball tournament featured the top two teams battling for the championship on a sunny Thursday afternoon at Alton Coble field on the campus of Richland High School between the No. 2 Cornersville Lady Bulldogs and the No. 1 Richland Lady Raiders.
The evening’s game after a night full of storms saw a pitcher’s duel between Richland’s Ava Schrader and Cornersville’s Jayli Childress, with a three-run home run by Schrader in the third inning being the difference as Richland claimed the first-place tournament trophy with a 3-0 victory.
Schrader went the distance, yielding no runs on three hits while striking out five. Childress also went the distance also for Cornersville, giving up seven hits, two earned runs and striking out two.
Schrader went 2-for-3 with a home run for Richland while Molly Wells, Alex Cardin and Zoe Blackwell had singles for Cornersville.
Richland threatened in the second with two outs when Schrader singled and Callie Hasting worked a walk, but Childress coaxed a grounder to short by Caroline Cheek and shortstop Anna Wood for Cornersville threw on to first base to end the threat.
Childress ran into trouble in the third inning as Alizabeth Gordon opened with a single, then with one out Katelyn Bass got aboard when a swinging third strike got away from the Cornersville catcher.
Shrader followed with a drive over the left field fence for a three-run home run for the lead.
The Lady Raiders threatened again in the third inning, but Childress again induced a ground ball to second baseman Georganna Peters who stepped on the bag for the force out.
The Lady ‘Dawgs mounted a threat in the top of the fourth with a walk by Carmen Ward and a single by Alex Cardin, but Schrader tightened up and got a grounder to third to end the inning.
The Lady Raiders got two on in the bottom of the fifth, but Childress again wiggled out with the help of a double play and the Lady Raiders lead stayed at 3-0.
The Lady Bulldogs got a runner on in the top of the sixth, but Schrader put out the threat and in the top of the seventh Cornersville’s Molly Wells singled with one out and Carmen Ward followed with a hard line drive to third base that evaded the Lady Raiders third baseman.
Shrader showed her mettle by getting a ground out to third and a strike out to end the game as Richland claimed the district title 3-0.
Four Lady Dawgs earned all-district nods. Those earning honors were Jayli Childress, Anna Wood, Carmen Ward and Abbi Storey.
Cornersville 000 000 0 — 0 7 2
Richland 003 000 x — 3 7 0
Cornersville: Molly Wells 1-for-3, Alex Cardin 1-for-3, Zoe Blackwell 1-for-2.
WP: Schrader (6 IP, 3H, 0 R, 5 SO, 1 BB).
LP: Childress (6.0, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB).
