Lady Blues split games in final summer league match-up News Staff Mon, 07/01/2024 - 3:27 pm
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Lady Blues senior-to-be Zoey Harrell connects with a pitch for a big hit during a summer league game earlier this season. Graham split a pair of games with Jacksboro on the final day of the summer league. 
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham’s Briley Randall makes a play at second base and throws the ball to first during one of the team’s games earlier this summer league season. 
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Jansyn Louder waits for a throw down from the catcher during a summer league game. The Lady Blues wrapped up their summer league with a couple of games against Jacksboro last week. 
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham’s Zoey Harrell winds up and throws a pitch home during a summer league game for the Lady Blues. The team recently ended their summer league with a couple games against Jacksboro.
TC Gordon sports@grahamleader.com
The summer league has ended for yet another Graham team as the Lady Blues wrapped up their exhibition schedule last week.
Graham welcomed Jacksboro’s Tigerettes to town for a couple of games Thursday, June 27. The Lady Blues came out on top in the first game, a 6-2 victory, then took a close loss in the second game by a score of 6-4.
With the conclusion of the summer league, the softball players earned a break until the season begins next spring. Many players participate in other sports so they’ll be plenty busy, but this past month has served as an opportunity for growth for a young team.
Lady Blues 6, Tigerettes 2
Graham took the lead and took it early in the first match-up between these two teams. The Lady Blues scored all six of their runs in the first two innings, including a four-run inning in the opening frame.
Jacksboro opened the game with a run in the top of the first inning on an error, which allowed the leadoff batter to reach base, followed by another error a few batters later to bring her in.
In Graham’s half of the first inning, the Lady Blues sent five batters to the plate and all five of them reached base, with four of them scoring runs. Jansyn Louder and Hadleigh Allen led off with back-to-back walks and Larissa Warren singled to bring a run home.
With two runners on base, Zoey Harrell rocketed a hit into right field that she turned into a triple to bring home both runners. Kylie Pruitt followed suit with a single to score Harrell and the inning ended with Graham holding a 4-1 lead.
Harrell had the ball in the pitching circle for the Lady Blues and pitched the whole game. In the second inning, Jacksboro only managed a single but nothing more.
Graham kept hitting in the second inning as Kathryn Hughes drove a line drive into right field for a triple and came home on a single by Briley Randall. Eventually, Randall came around to score on a passed ball as Graham led 6-1 after two innings.
Jacksboro’s final run came in the top of the fifth inning, but it was another unearned run for Harrell as the batter reached on an error. There was no harm done as Graham held on for the 6-2 win in game one.
Lady Blues 4, Tigerettes 6
The second half of this double-header exhibition went more in Jacksboro’s favor. Graham managed a walk in the first inning but couldn’t do anything with it. The Tigerettes, meanwhile, rattled off four runs in their half of the first thanks to four singles, a walk and a triple.
Jacksboro tacked on another run in the second inning to go up 5-0, which the score stayed until Graham broke through in the top of the fourth.
Three walks loaded the bases for the Lady Blues and Randall singled to bring their first run home. Gabby Hernandez and Alexis Aguirre kept it going with back-to-back singles of their own to bring in three more runs as the Lady Blues cut into the deficit and made it 5-4.
However, the Tigerettes didn’t allow Graham to get any closer as they scored their final run in the bottom of the fourth inning and time expired in the game to hold Jacksboro’s win.
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