WOODLAWN - Lillie Faye McWhorter’s lead-off homerun to start the bottom of the third inning turned out to be the deciding play of the game Tuesday afternoon as the Woodlawn Lady Bears survived a five-run rally by the Class 4A Lonoke Lady Jackrabbits.
Woodlawn built a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first on the strength of an RBI single by Anna Fitzgibbon, a three-run double by Kendall Tooke and an run-scoring single by Erin West.
The Lady Bears seemed to cruising until the top of the third when Lonoke scored on a couple of passed balls before Melody Peppers drove a three-shot homer over the centerfield fence.
Woodlawn’s freshman pitcher Laci Rauls then struck out the next two batters to close out the top half of the inning.
After fouling off six straight pitches to lead off the bottom of the third, McWhorter finally connected on the seventh and hammered a towering shot over the leftfield fence, putting the Lady Bears back in front, 6-5.
The Lady Rabbits came close to tying the game after Peppers led of the fifth with a single, but was thrown out trying to reach home for what was the final out of the five-inning game.
Woodlawn had eight hits against Lonoke. Fitzgibbon and West both had two hits apiece while McWhorter, Tooke, Kaitlyn Webb and Kendall Sanchez also had hits. Tooke finished with three RBIs.
Rauls, making her first-ever varsity start, managed to shake off some early nerves to pick up the win after giving up four hits and striking out 10 over all five innings of the game.
The Lady Bears improved to 2-0 on the season with the win.
Woodlawn 12, Hamburg 1
HAMBURG - Woodlawn used a five-run first inning to set the tone early as the Lady Bears cranked out 20 hits Monday to blast the Hamburg Lady Lions, 12-1, in their season-opener at Hamburg.
The Lady Bears started the game with three consecutive singles by Jaci Hoyt, Kathryn Dixo...
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