HOWARD — Although many games were washed out Monday afternoon, Licking Heights and East Knox braved the mud and raindrops. The softball Bulldogs came through in the clutch, picking up a 7-6 victory to open their season. The win, however, was not without some drama.
After the Hornets opened the game with a pair of runs in the first inning, the Bulldogs got one back in the bottom of the inning. Molly Grosscup led the inning with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice, then to third on a fielder’s choice. Then Jordan Buchannan stepped up to the plate and lined a single to score Grosscup, and cut the lead to 2-1.
The Bulldogs kept the offense going in the third, with Amber Henneke hitting a triple to right center field to lead off the inning. The cutoff was bobbled, and Henneke made it home to tie the score. Later in the inning, Megan Hadley hit into a fielder’s choice, but Grosscup scored on the play to give East Knox a 3-2 lead.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Bulldogs ran into a bit of trouble handling the ball. With the bases loaded, a ground ball was hit up the middle, but the throw to first sailed over Buchannan’s head and over the fence, allowing all of the runners to score. Another Hornet scored later in the inning, stealing home on a wild pitch, and just like that, Licking Heights had a 6-3 lead.
The score remained that way until the bottom of the fifth. The Bulldogs got a run back on a single by Emily Wells, which scored Grosscup. Buchannan returned to the plate and once again came through, this time with a two-run double to knot the score at 6.
Neither team had much success in the sixth inning, and Bulldog Ariell Moxley got out of a jam in the top of the seventh. The Hornets had two runners on with two outs, but Moxley got a ground ball to end the inning, giving East Knox a chance for an opening day win.
In the bottom of the seventh, when Hadley drew a walk, the Bulldogs got their lead batter on base. She stole second, and moved to third on an error. With a runner on base and no outs, the Hornets walked the next two batters to load the bases, bring up Jessica Treen. Working her way to a full count, she watched the next pitch sail high for a game-ending walk-off walk.
“We have a pretty young team out there this year,” said East Knox head coach Ron Looney. “They certainly showed some composure today, with the game going like it did. We had a lot of people make plays for us today, both at the plate and in the field. I’m really happy with how things started for us.”
Buchannan finished with two RBI. Grosscup scored three runs to lead the Bulldogs.
Moxley picked up the win on the mound, pitching a complete game. Allowing just two earned runs, she struck out three batters and walked four.
Weather permitting, the Bulldogs will return to action today at 5 p.m., traveling to Coshocton.
