Two-out hits unlock the softball/baseball Pearly Gates. Tuesday afternoon at Patriot Field in Douglas, the CCA Lady Patriots opened the gates and made it to the Promised Land with three straight two-out hits in the bottom of the fifth inning to overcome a 3-1 deficit and defeat Pinewood Christian Academy 4-3.
Pinewood jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first. The Lady Patriots tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Brilynn Waldron, who led off with a double (one of two on the game for her), scored on a Cadence Cravey single.
In the top of the fifth, Pinewood scored two more to go up 3-1. The bottom of the fifth didn’t start out well for CCA. With one out, Klair Mercer reached on an error. A strikeout left her at first with two outs. With Waldron at the plate, Mercer stole second to get into scoring position. Waldron doubled again but Mercer was unable to score. The Lady Patriots had runners at second and third Cravey coming to the plate. She drove the first pitch she saw into right, scoring Mercer and Waldron to tie the game at three apiece. Then it was Emma Gourley’s turn. She also jumped on the first pitch, doubling to left and scoring Cravey to put CCA up 4-3.
That’s all the Lady Patriots would get but that’s also all they would need. CCA retired Pinewood in the sixth and seventh with little tension and came away with a 4-3 win over a very good Pinewood team.
Waldron was 3-3 with two doubles and two runs scored. Cravey was 2-3 with a run scored. She drove in three of CCA’s four runs. Gracie Giddens and Gourley had the Lady Patriots’ other hits.
Giddens picked up the win with four innings of work, giving up one run on three hits while striking out four with no walks. Peighton Harper threw three innings in relief. She gave up two runs on four hits with one strikeout and two walks.
CCA is 9-3 on the season and 2-0 in region play. The Lady Patriots welcome region foe David Emanuel Academy to Douglas Thursday for a 4 p.m. game.