Greencastle softball rallies to down Speedway, 10-9

GREENCASTLE -- Greencastle rallied for two runs in the seventh inning to defeat Speedway, 10-9, in a West Central Conference softball game Tuesday on the Tiger Cubs' field.

The Tiger Cubs (4-9, 2-4 WCC) had 15 hits, including six doubles. Taylor Pruitt, Skyanne White and Kaytlynn Beaman each had three hits and winning pitcher Kayla Downing drove in three runs with a double and a single.

Greencastle swept the Sparkplugs (5-9, 1-3 WCC) in their two-game home-and-home series. The Tiger Cubs had 14 hits in a 9-5 win Monday at Speedway.

"Somewhere in the last week and a half, we've had a breakthrough," Greencastle coach Robin Knapp said. "They've played the game with more energy and played it well. It's been fun to watch."

White led off the seventh with a sharp single to center. After an out, Pruitt blasted a drive deep to center field for a double. With Mallory Miller at the plate, Lorian Tharp's wild pitch scored White, and catcher Kati Gregory's throw to the plate got past Tharp and Pruitt scored the winning run.

"That killed us," Speedway coach Wade Buckwalter said. "It was all it took. Greencastle has some quick kids."

Miller was Greencastle's starting pitcher and she had a 6-1 lead going into the fourth inning. She'd allowed two hits and one walk and struck out three in three innings.

Speedway opened the fourth with three straight hits, including a double and three passed balls and a throwing error put three runs on the board.

Downing replaced Miller and surrendered five runs on four hits and a walk in the fourth. The eight-run, six-hit inning put Speedway on top, 9-6.

Downing held the Sparkplugs scoreless in the final three innings, allowing two hits and one walk. Greencastle played outstanding defense behind her. The Tiger Cubs turned a double play in the fifth on a grounder to shortstop Pruitt, who forced the runner at second with a toss to Beaman and Beaman's strong throw to first. Miller made an outstanding running catch of Tharp's drive leading off the seventh, tracking it down a step from the centerfield fence.

"We had a big breakthrough in our mental ability to stay in the game," Knapp said. "The fourth inning was quite a momentum shift with all those (Speedway) hits and runs and the girls kept their energy up. One thing we're proud of is we got the leadoff hitter on base in five innings. When you do that, you can play around, bunt, make things happen."

Greencastle bounced back in the bottom of the fourth on a leadoff single by Pruitt, a walk to Jordyn Lewis, Beaman's infield single and a single by Downing that drove in two runs to cut Speedway's lead to 9-8.

Greencastle defeated Speedway 9-5 Monday and recorded 14 hits.

At Greencastle

Speedway 010 800 0 --9 10 3

Greencastle 123 200 2 -- 10 15 1

Tharp and Gregory; Miller, Downing (4) and Seahorn, Bennett (5).

WP -- Wood

LP -- Tharp.

2B-- (S) Anglea, Huff, Gregory, Tharp; (GHS) Miller 2, Pruitt 2, Beaman, Downing.

1B -- (S) Tharp 2, Dizney 2, Gregory, Walton; (GHS) White 3, Lewis 2, Beaman 2, Downing, Pruitt.

RBI -- (S) Gregory 2, Tharp 2, Huff, Daghe, Anglea; (GHS) Downing 3, Miller, Beaman, White, Pruitt.