The weather was cool at South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä High School on Thursday, but the Riverside softball bats were red-hot.
The Warriors piled on 18 hits en route to picking up their fifth win of the season, taking down the Black Eagles 16-0.
Half of Riverside’s hits came in the second inning, which led to six runs in that frame.
The Warriors stacked up 12 runs in the first two innings, then four in the third to end the game after three innings under the 15-run rule.
“Those early runs were big to come out and get everything going,†Riverside coach Michael Dickerson said. “We needed that confidence-booster. It kept everything going throughout the game.â€
Dickerson walked away from the diamond on Thursday with a smile on his face, not just because of the win but because Riverside picked up a region victory.
The Warriors are in a difficult region that includes George Washington and St. Albans.
“This was a good win for us,†Dickerson said. “South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä is in the [Mountain State Athletic Conference] with us. They’re also in our region. It’s a good feeling to get one up on them early in the season.â€
South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä fell to 1-3 and has split its last two games.
The Black Eagles left four on base in the loss on Thursday.
“That was a tough one,†South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä coach Fred Beane said. “That’s a good team over there that we played today. They made some good contact. We had some trouble with our fielding.â€
Beane wants South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä to regroup and learn from the loss moving forward.
“How you deal with adversity is where the growth is,†Beane said. “We’ll learn from what happened today, and we’ll continue to try to get better game by game as we go through the season.â€
Riverside’s first six batters all scored in the first inning, including Katie Johnson driving in Shaylea Blackhurst and Starr Hudnall with a two-run RBI triple to make it 4-0.
Johnson went on to score on a South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä error.
Blackhurst and Baylee Eplin each posted RBIs in the first inning.
The Warriors’ offensive barrage continued in the second inning with six more runs.
The final two runs of the second frame came off the bat of Blackhurst once more as she drove home Mia Davis and Riley Smith to make it 12-0.
Blackhurst finished Thursday’s game 2 for 3 with three RBIs.
Three of Riverside’s first four runs in the third inning came from RBI singles by Allison Williams, Davis and Smith.
Haylee Mullins’ sacrifice fly scored Smith from third for the Warriors’ 16th and final run.
Mullins earned the win in the circle. She pitched all three innings, striking out three (all in the second inning) and allowing two hits and one walk.
“That was only the second game she started for us this year,†Dickerson said. “I felt like her pitches were really good. She hit all her spots. I’m proud of her today and the work she put in the circle.â€
RIVERSIDE 664 — 16
SOUTH CHARLESTON 000 — 0
Hitting leaders: R — Smith 3-3, 2 RBI, 3 R; Blackhurst 2-3, 3 RBI.
