York Splits the Series with Gray Collegiate Forcing Decisive Game Three
Gray Collegiate sophomore Peyton Hendrix pitched all seven innings in their 4-0 win over York in game 2.
By Larry Gamble
HSSR, Photo Editor
York – Wednesday was an interesting day in York, SC with fractional double header between York and Gray Collegiate because of the recent rains. On Tuesday, at Gray Collegiate, the teams played six and one-half innings before the game was halted in bottom of the seventh. The decision was to play that final half of one inning plus Game 2 at York on Wednesday, May 28th.
The finish of the delayed game one was a short burst of exciting softball, with York managing to shut down the War Eagles and end the game securing their 2-1 lead from the night before. Coach Doug Frye, Gray Collegiate head coach, told his team before game two, “that one’s over, don’t let it drag on, forget it, let’s play this one hard.”
With a new game, this time around Gray opened the first inning with a power statement. Sophomore Aspen Boulware, with a 2-1 count facing York’s senior ace pitcher Layla Clayton, hit a solo home run over the right field fence putting their first run the board. Clayton then retired the side to get out of the first inning with giving up just the one run.
The rest of the game was a pitchers battle. Freshman outfielder Natalie Dover, sophomore infielder and pitcher Peyton Brooks, and junior utility player Izzie Ramsey all got hits for the Cougars but the team never got small ball machine working to repeatedly generate hits and create scoring opportunities. Gray added one run in the fourth on a sacrifice bunt to make the lead 2-0. Then in the 6th, the War Eagles capitalize on two errors after Elizabeth Robinson hits a ground ball towards the short stop which allow Makenzie Sease and Peyton Hendrix to score giving Gray a 4-0 lead which they held for rest of the game.
York head coach Danny Mazzell says, “we’ll be ready on Friday and hopefully we can turn the table.”
For the game, both pitchers were dueling their best for this game. Winning pitcher, Peyton Hendrix completed all seven innings giving up just three hits and no runs while she had just one walk and threw eight strike outs. Clayton pitched for six innings, giving up four runs on six hits while striking out four but giving up four walks too. York’s sophomore Peyton Brooks took over in the seventh for the Cougars. She retired three War Eagles batters with two ground out plays and a strike out to close the top of the seventh inning without giving up any runs.
Next up, game 3 at Gray Collegiate on Friday, May 30th at 7pm.
R H E
Gray 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 4 6 3
York 0 0 0 0 0 0 0. 0 3 2
