LAURINBURG — The Lady Scots emptied the dugout to congratulate senior Sarah McCall on Friday night. McCall connected with a ball to send it over the right-center field wall for a solo home run to give her team a two-run lead over Purnell in the bottom of the fourth.
The first three innings of Friday’s Southeastern conference game between the Lady Scots and Purnell was a back-and-forth battle. Each one time team would score, the other would find a way to push a run across the plate.
The Lady Scots were the first to score after a walk to Macie Gibson, a single by Katie Lighthall and a walk to Sarah McCall loaded the bases. A walk to Jordan Danford scored Gibson and forced Purnell to take their first timeout.
Head coach William Deese went to the circle to talk to his sophomore pitcher Jaileana Deese and try to calm her down. The talked seemed to work as Jenna Byrd hit into a fielder’s choice that saw Purnell tag Lighthall out at home plate. With one out, senior Maggie Laviner hit an infield RBI as McCall scored and Laviner was thrown at first for the second out of the inning. Lady Scots first baseman Bree Steele drew the walk but a strikeout by Mackenzie Powell ended the inning.
Purnell responded to the Lady Scots 2-0 lead with a double to the left field wall by Kaitlyn Hunt. A bunt by Madison Strickland should have been the first out of the inning but there was no one covering first to catch the throw from Danford. The wild throw allowed Hunt to score from second to cut the Lady Scots lead to one. A pop out, ground out and a strikeout ended the inning for Lighthall with minimal damage.
The Lady Scots scored a run in the bottom of the second before Purnell tied the game 3-3 in the third with a double from Deese and a home run over the scoreboard by Purnell’s Magan Barton with one out. Lighthall worked out of the jam to get the final two outs on a ground out and pop out.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Lady Scots regained the lead with a double from Laviner, a bunt by Steele and a single to right by Powell gave the Lady Scots a 4-3 lead.
Lighthall kept the Lady Rams in check in the fourth after a pop fly fell in play in shallow right. A strikeout and back-to-back ground outs finished the game for Lighthall.
Over her four innings pitched, Lighthall allowed three runs off five hits with one walk and three strikeouts. McCall came in to relieve Lighthall in the fifth inning. McCall threw two innings of scoreless softball for the Lady Scots to finish out the game.
The Lady Scots pitching duo of Lighthall and McCall scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Lighthall hit a line drive to left field before McCall hit a two-run home run over the right field wall. The two teams went scoreless over the next two innings before the Lady Scots scored their final three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Multiple errors by Purnell allowed the Lady Scots to score the three runs following a walk by Gibson and infield hits by Lighthall McCall and Laviner to take an 8-3 lead and the win.
In the circle for Purnell Deese finished the game allowing eight runs off 11 hits with six walks, five strikeouts and four errors in the loss.
With the win, the Lady Scots move to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in Southeastern conference play. Purnell Swett moves to 4-6 overall and 0-2 in SEC play.
The Lady Scots are back in action tonight hosting Pinecrest at 7 p.m. before hitting the road to play Jack Birtt on Thursday at 4 p.m. and Pinecrest (4-4, 0-2) on March 31 in Southern Pines at 7 p.m.
Amber Hatten can be reached at 910-506-3170.
