Box Score
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mansfield Rallies from Behind to Beat Winston-Salem
TROUTVILLE, VA – The Mountaineers took to the field at the Botetourt Sports Complex for a second day of competition at the West Virginia Wesleyan College Softball Challege. In their first game of the day, Mansfield came back to defeat Winston-Salem State 8-3.
Kate Pratt started on the mound for the Mountaineers for the fourth time this season. With the help of her defense, the first three batters were retired in top of the first inning.
Mansfield was able to score early.
Courtney Bauder hit a shot to left field for her second double of the season. The junior second baseman reached home off of a fielding error to put the Mounties up 1-0 at the end of the first inning.
Winston-Salem's Tanya Pettus responded to Mansfield's run with a lead-off homerun over the left field fence to tie the game 1-1. Katrina Bartlett followed Pettus up with a double to right field. With two outs on the board, Hargett drew a walk to put runners at first and second. The Lady Rams then loaded the bases off of a fielding error. Monet Daly took full advantage of the opportunity with a RBI single up the middle to put Winton-Salem up 2-1. With bases loaded for the second time in the inning,
Kaitlyn Harris bailed Mansfield out of the inning with a diving line drive catch at first bsae.
After shutting out the Mounties in the bottom of the second, the Lady Rams kept their bats going. Katrina Bartlett hit a bomb 300 feet over the left field fence for a solo homerun to put Winston-Salem up 3-1. Winston-Salem would load the bases again with two outs on the board.
Ashley Inman came in on relief for Pratt and got the Mounties out of the jam by striking out Tiffany Massey.
The bottom of the third inning started with an excellent play by both teams. Lead-off hitter
Stephanie Simmeth hit a ground ball that almost went through a gap between first and second base, but Winston-Salem second baseman Pettus had a diving stop. While Pettus's throw from her knees came close to catching Simmeth, the senior was able to hustle her way to first and outrun the throw. From there, it was all Mansfield. Bauder then reached first on a fielder's choice, and Simmeth advanced to second on a throwing error. The Lady Rams would load the bases for the first time in the contest of off a fielding error. Simmeth and Bauder would go on to score off of yet another fielding error by Winston-Salem to tie the game 3-3. Pratt would score the go ahead run off of a
Kayla Hahn RBI single to left. Mansfield would end the third inning up 4-3.
The Mounties would rally for four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Hahn proved to be tough for Mansfield as the freshman led-off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. Katie Savage came in the game as a pinch runner for Hahn.
Amanda Goodwin used her speed and got on base from a well-placed bunt.
Hannah Secord moved runners into scoring position for the Mounties after a sacrifice bunt to the first baseman. Savage and Goodwin would then score off of a fielding error to put Mansfield up 6-3.
Kayla Allen stole her first base of the season to put herself in scoring position at second base. During Bauder's at bat, Winston-Salem committed their sixth error of the game that brought in Allen to score and put Mansfield up 7-3. Bauder would score the final run for Mansfield off of a Pratt RBI single to left field.
Inman and the Mansfield defense would shut out Winston-Salem for the remainder of the contest. The freshman finished with two strikeouts and her second win of the season. Inman is now 2-0.
Leading Mansfield offensively was Goodwin (2-3, one run) and Bauder (1-4, three runs).
Mansfield is on a five game winning streak bringing them to 5-1. Winston-Salem fell to 6-7.
The Mountaineers will take on Concord in the night cap today at 6:30 p.
