It was only the second game of the softball season for Soddy-Daisy and Girls Preparatory School, but Friday night’s matchup was early preparation for two teams expected to contend for titles this spring. Soddy-Daisy’s Lady Trojans used home-field advantage to take a 3-2 win over the Bruisers in walk-off fashion.
Soddy-Daisy (2-0) jumped ahead 2-0 in the first inning as the first four batters reached base. Breanna Britton led off with a double and Stephanie Blevins walked. Cameren Swafford added an RBI single, and Alexis Trimiar hit an RBI double.
GPS pitcher Hannah Kincer settled in and locked Shonna Penney into a pitchers’ duel, holding the Lady Trojans scoreless for the next five innings.
“It’s good to see her pitch a tough, full game like that early in the season,” said Bruisers assistant coach Ginger Sillery, who is filling in for head coach Susan Crownover while she shakes an illness. “It means she’s ready to go.”
GPS (1-1) got a run back in the third inning when Elizabeth Warwick laced a one-out triple into left field to score Kaitlyn Songer, who had singled. Kincer helped herself in the fifth, wrapping a home run around the left-field foul pole to tie the game.
“We weren’t as aggressive in the box early, but we were able to come up with some big hits,” Sillery said. “I had a lot of confidence in us after we were able to hold them, and I was hoping we’d be able to answer after that change in energy, but it just didn’t happen for us tonight.”
The Lady Trojans threatened in the second and fourth innings, putting runners on third and second with less than two outs in both instances. However, Haley Harley and Peri Prestwood were left on base both times. Harley singled in the second and was hit by a pitch in the fourth, and Prestwood doubled off the wall each time.
The lead remained secure behind Penney, who finished her second complete game in as many days, allowing six hits and racking up eight strikeouts.
“She was able to keep her composure the whole game,” first-year Soddy-Daisy head coach Travis Hale said. “I was really pleased with our total team effort tonight.”
With the score knotted at 2 in the bottom of the seventh, Courtney Daugherty led off with a pinch-hit single, and Haley Woodcock came in to run. Stephanie Blevins then slapped an opposite-field double with one out and two strikes to win it.
“We had a hitter off the bench come through, and that was the winning run,” Hale said. “It was a great effort by our team, and these types of games build our character.”
Swafford and Prestwood each finished 2-for-3 for Soddy-Daisy. Shelby Walters was 2-for-3 for GPS.
Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com