Ooltewah overwhelmed East Hamilton in the hits column Tuesday in the season-opening high school softball game for both teams. But since the runs column is the only one that matters, it took the Lady Owls some extra effort to dispose of their neighborhood rival.
Ultimately, a single up the middle by Mabry Carpenter in the bottom of the 10th inning enabled Ooltewah to edge the Lady Hurricanes 6-5 in the District 5-AAA game.
The Lady Owls had at least one hit in every inning except the ninth. Mabry’s hit was their 15th.
Meanwhile, sophomore right-hander Kayla Boseman seemed firmly in control with a 2-0 lead after two innings and a string of six consecutive strikeouts over the first three innings. East Hamilton’s first hit was a single leading off the fourth by Miracle Gorman, who stole second and eventually scored on a passed ball.
The Lady Owls stretched their lead with a three-run fourth, capped by Aubbie Collake’s two-RBI double to center.